Evanger’s Organic (Canned)

Rating:

Evanger’s Organic dog food receives the Advisor’s mid-tier rating of 3 stars.

The Evanger’s Organic product line lists two canned dog foods.

However, since we’re unable to locate AAFCO nutritional adequacy statements for these dog foods on the Evanger’s website, it’s impossible for us to report specific life stage recommendations for these recipes.

• Evanger’s 100% Organic Cooked Chicken
• Evanger’s Organic Turkey with Potato and Carrots

Evanger’s Organic Turkey with Potato and Carrots was selected to represent both products in the line for this review.

The first ingredient in this dog food is turkey. Turkey is considered “the clean combination of flesh and skin… derived from the parts or whole carcasses of turkey”.¹

Turkey is naturally rich in the ten essential amino acids required by a dog to sustain life.

The second ingredient is chicken broth. Broths are nutritionally empty. But because they add both flavor and moisture to a dog food they are a common addition component in many canned products.

The third item is potato. Potatoes can be considered a gluten-free source of digestible carbohydrates. Yet with the exception of perhaps their caloric content, potatoes are of only modest nutritional value to a dog.

The fourth item includes carrots. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and dietary fiber.

The fifth ingredient lists guar gum, a gelling or thickening agent found in many wet pet foods. Refined from dehusked guar beans, guar gum can add a notable amount of dietary fiber to any product.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With two notable exceptions…

First, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

And lastly, this recipe also contains selenium yeast. Unlike the more common inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite), this natural yeast supplement is considered a safer anti-cancer alternative.

Evanger’s Organic Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Since Evanger’s Organic contains 100% organic ingredients, we feel compelled to accord this line favored status as we consider its final rating.

That’s because organic ingredients are produced under remarkably strict government standards… standards which greatly restrict the use of any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, hormones or antibiotics.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 36%, a fat level of 18% and estimated carbohydrates of about 37%.

As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 36% and a mean fat level of 18%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 37% for the overall product line.

And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 50%.

Below-average protein. Below-average fat. And above-average carbs when compared to a typical canned dog food.

With no sign of any plant-based protein boosters, this looks like the profile of a wet food containing a moderate amount of meat.

However, even though both products in the line report the exact same nutrient numbers, we note an important difference. One is all meat (the chicken recipe), the other is a mixed dinner with potato and carrots.

We find it odd this 100% chicken product would only contain 36% protein. With nothing but meat in the can, we must question the accuracy of the reported label information.

Bottom line?

Evanger’s Organic Dog Food is a meat-based canned product using a moderate amount of organic poultry as its main sources of animal protein, thus earning the brand 3 stars.

Recommended.

However, since we could not locate an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement posted on the company website, readers are cautioned to check the label to be sure a food is “complete and balanced” before feeding it daily on a long term basis.

Those looking for a nice kibble to go with this product may wish to visit our review of Evanger’s dry dog food.

Special Alert

Rice ingredients can sometimes contain arsenic. Until the US FDA establishes safe upper levels for arsenic content, pet owners may wish to limit the total amount of rice fed in a dog's daily diet.

A Final Word

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Notes and Updates

03/09/2010 Original review
10/09/2010 Review updated
07/06/2012 Last Update