Rating: 
EVO Dry Dog Food earns the Advisor’s highest rating of five stars.
Currently, the EVO product line includes six kibbles… four designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages and two for adult maintenance (herring/salmon and weight management formulas).
- EVO Red Meat Formula
- EVO Turkey and Chicken Formula
- EVO Herring and Salmon Formula
- EVO Weight Management Formula
- EVO Red Meat Formula Small Bites
- EVO Turkey and Chicken Formula Small Bites
EVO Turkey and Chicken Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
EVO Turkey & Chicken Formula
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Turkey, chicken, turkey meal, chicken meal, potatoes, herring meal, chicken fat, natural flavors, egg, apples, tomatoes, potassium chloride, carrots, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, ascorbic acid, dried chicory root, direct-fed microbials, beta carotene, biotin, calcium carbonate, calcium iodate, choline chloride, cobalt carbonate, cobalt proteinate, copper proteinate, d-calcium pantothenate, dicalcium pantothenate, dl-methionine, folic acid, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, niacin, potassium chloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin C supplement (sodium ascorbate), vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement (alpha tocopherol), zinc proteinate
Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 2.8%
Red items when present indicate controversial ingredients
The first two ingredients include turkey and chicken .
Although it is a quality item, raw poultry contains about 80% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost… reducing the meat content to just 20% of its original weight.
To reflect its lighter mass, this item should more accurately occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to turkey and chicken meals… which are more likely to be the dominant meat ingredients in this dog food.
Turkey and chicken meals are both meat concentrates delivering almost 300 percent more protein than fresh poultry itself.
The fifth ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
The sixth ingredient is herring meal… another protein-rich meat concentrate.
Unlike most fish meals, this item appears1 to be ethoxyquin-free.
The seventh ingredient is chicken fat. Chicken fat is obtained from rendering chicken… a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid… an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesn’t sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other healthy items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to have much of an effect on the overall quality of this product.
The manufacturer appears to have added back some of the “good” bacteria lost during the cooking process. These special probiotics are used to enhance a dog’s digestive and immune functions.
This dog food also contains chelated minerals… minerals that have been chemically attached to amino acids. This makes them easier to absorb. Chelated minerals are generally found in better dog foods.
EVO Dry Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Based upon the ingredients alone, EVO Dry Dog Food looks like a superior kibble.
However, ingredient quality by itself can never 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 47%, a fat level of 24% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 21%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 48% and an average fat level of 22%. Together, these figures suggest an overall carbohydrate content of 22% for the full product line.
High protein. High fat. And low carbohydrates… when compared to a typical dry dog food.
With no sign of any plant-based protein concentrates, this is the profile of a kibble containing an abundance of meat.
For those desiring to mimic a dog’s natural ancestral diet, EVO Dry makes an excellent choice.
Bottom line?
EVO Dry Dog Food is a grain-free kibble using an abundance of named meats and meat meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand five stars.
Enthusiastically recommended.
Those looking for a comparable wet food from the same company may wish to check out our review of EVO Canned Dog Food.
A Final Word
Remember, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, choose wisely. And when in doubt consult a veterinarian for help.
Have an opinion about this dog food brand… or maybe the review itself? Please know… we welcome your comments.
Notes and Updates
11/22/2009 Original review
06/23/2010 Review updated
- Per Natura Customer Service, 6/23/2010 ↩
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
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Lori,
Check out a supplement called Perfect Form by honest kitchen. It may or may not help your pup. My lab mix has chronic digestive upsets which can lead to colitis. I read reviews on the supplement prior to purchasing it and could not find a negative one other than that some dogs didn’t like the flavor. I mix that with probiotics on her food and it has definitely helped to firm up her stool. It seems that with problems like ours we always have to try, try, try until we find something that works! GOOD LUCK!
http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/perfect-form/
This website is truly a godsend!!!
I have been feeding my 9-yr old bullterrier/blue heeler mix (Emma) from the Natural Balance line because I *thought* that it was a high-quality food. Now I see all of the recalls and such! I’m having a really hard time figuring out what to give her now. She has arthritis and frequent tummy problems. Her stomach will roil and growl and she won’t want to eat but she will be desperate to go outside and eat greens. She never throws up; she seems to be eating the greens to settle her stomach. After a half a day or so her stomach will calm down and she’ll be back to eating her food. The vet and I have never been able to come up with a cause for the tummy problems but now I’m wondering if it was the food. She has eaten several of the Natural Balance foods but has the same stomach issues with all.
EVO seems like a good choice for us. I’ve got a good friend who recommended Flint River but you guys only gave them 3 stars. All I want is something safe for my little girl. I’m trying not to make myself crazy over this!
Sorry, a P.S. here: I’ve read that diets high in protein like EVO can cause pancreatitis. Has anyone heard that? Is it a fact or fiction thing?
Hi Tracy… Finding the right food for any dog can be a real challenge. Natural Balance has always been one of the better dog foods out there. Just the same, the recent recall was for only one product. And it’s the first one I can ever remember for the company.
That said, it’s OK to consider trying another quality dog food. If you do decide to do so, it’s always advisable to switch to the new food very gradually… “dovetailing” the new product into the old one… starting with just 10-20% and slowly increasing to 100% over the next 7-10 days or so.
Also, as we mention in every review, no dog food can possibly be appropriate for every life stage, lifestyle or health condition. So, (unfortunately) it’s also feasible the food you selected may not be right for your particular animal… even after a few weeks.
Hi Tracy… It’s not high protein that’s linked to pancreatitis. It’s high fat. Unfortunately, many dog foods with high protein (high meat content) also contain more fat.
According to our dog food database, average fat for a kibble is around 15% (dry matter) and about 23% for canned products. Although precisely how much fat is appropriate for any dog can be controversial, a dog’s natural ancestral (meat-based) diet probably delivered fat levels approaching 25-30%.
Although I wouldn’t be concerned with a product like EVO, this is ultimately a decision you should make with the help of your vet. If you have any doubts (especially because of Emma’s age), simply look for a high protein dog food with more “average” fat content. Good news… they do exist. Hope this helps.
You don’t have garlic showing as an Ingredient on the list. It just that i was going to get this because it was the best dry food that i saw on the list until i looked it up and saw garlic which im not taking the chance. If it didnt have garlic it woyld have been the best 5 star food with out at list 1 thing it it that could be bad for the dogs i have. The only other ones that we good were the raw foods and they cost way 2 much but i fould one product they have that don’t have garlic and dont have anything it it that cool be bad so i am going 2 see how it works. It was the weight formula. I have puppies so i have 2 look and see if its ok for them and get a suppliment for them so the and get a little more fat in it.
Hi Matt… Natura (the makers of EVO) has removed garlic from all its products effective October 2009. You may have an older batch. The newer products no longer contain garlic.
Tracy M.-
If your dog keeps having stomach issues (loose stool,etc.) she dog may have an allergy to a particular meat or carbohydrate.
It takes awhile, and it is a process of elimination – but it’s worth a try. Find a good kibble that is grain free and has a different protein source (just one, not multiple meats in it) then what Emma is used to. Then feed it for a month and see how her tummy is. Keep trying different single source protein kibbles till you find one that does not upset her bowels after feeding it for 4-6 weeks. Then, start adding a carb to it- such as cooked white rice, or cooked barley. Do it gradually. 10% of her total food would be the rice. Do that for a week and see how she does. Then increase it to 15% for the next week. If she does well for 3 or 4 weeks, then she is not allergic to rice. If she starts having bowel issues again, then she is allergic to rice. If she is allergic to rice and barley, try cooked potatoes. Good luck. Dawn
The Red Meat Formula is a wonderful food for my dog with grain allergies. I hope that the formula does not change with the new ownership.
Can foods that approach “the ancestral diet” be too rich(high protein and fat). I switched to EVO samll bites T&C. Both my standard poodles did fine during the transition from Go Endurance. Now that they’ve been solely on EVO they have both developed really loose stools. I’m considering going back to a moderate protein and fat food(Orijen or Legacy). Any evidence on whether a red meat based food is better than a poultry based food in standard poodles? I’ve been told that P&G has already changed the sources for the protein ingeredients for the Natura foods which doesn’t have to be listed on the bags. Could this be the issue?
Thanks
Hi Mike… It’s always difficult to pin down the culprit when it comes to loose stools with a dog food. Many times, it may not be the fact the protein is high but rather the fiber is too low. Or that your dogs may have an intolerance to a specific ingredient.
If your dogs seem to be doing better with Go Endurance (or any other food), there’s no reason to feel compelled to continue with a diet that’s not working. Our star system is only a guide. We may call a dog food 5 stars but your dog’s GI tract may more correctly label it a “three”.
We feel you are doing well anytime you simply avoid those one and two star foods.
In any case, the Proctor and Gamble story you’ve heard (about Natura changing protein sources) is probably nothing more than a rumor. So far, we can’t find anything to confirm that story. We’ll do our best to keep you informed in case anything changes.
By the way, since I’m not a vet or an animal nutritionist, I can’t advise you whether red meat or poultry is better for your animals.
Mike,
The P&G buyout of Natura is not a rumor! Here is the link to the Natura website post that has a letter from Don Scott, president & CEO dated June 1, 2010:
http://www.naturapet.com/news/letter.asp
I have stated on various areas in your site that EVO was part of my dogs’ food rotation along with Orijen, Acana, Fromms, Wellness Core and Instinct. I recently dropped Instinct as I was using some of the Raw, but there were a few recalls. I will now be dropping EVO from their rotation as well. I fed my dogs Iams years ago until P&G bought them out and cheapened the food. I’m sure Natura Pet will go the same way. What a shame that so many good dog foods choose to go corporate for some extra bucks.
Hi Sue… Yes, P&G now owns Natura. I wasn’t calling the P&G buyout itself a rumor… only the claim that Natura has changed its source of protein ingredients. I can’t find anything to confirm that story.
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