Rating: 
Innova Dry Dog Food earns the Advisor’s second-highest rating of four stars.
Currently, the Innova product line includes eleven kibbles… four designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages, two for puppies and five for adult maintenance.
- Innova Puppy
- Innova Senior Plus
- Innova Senior (3 stars)
- Innova Adult Small Bites
- Innova Adult Large Bites
- Innova Adult Large Breed
- Innova Puppy Large Breed
- Innova Senior Large Breed
- Innova Red Meat Small Bites
- Innova Red Meat Large Bites
- Innova Adult Low Fat (3 stars)
Innova Adult Large Bites Dog Food was selected to represent the others in the line for this review.
Innova Adult Large Bites
Dry Dog Food
Estimated Dry Matter Nutrient Content
Ingredients: Turkey, chicken, chicken meal, barley, brown rice, potatoes, rice, chicken fat, flaxseed, herring, natural flavors, apples, carrots, pumpkin, egg, sunflower oil, sea salt, potassium chloride, herring oil, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, direct-fed microbials, lecithin, rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, 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 in this dog food are turkey and chicken. Though 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 their lighter mass, these items should more accurately occupy a lower position on the list.
Which brings us to chicken meal… the third and (probably) the dominant meat ingredient in this dog food.
Chicken meal is considered a meat concentrate and contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The fourth ingredient is barley. Barley is a starchy carbohydrate supplying fiber and other healthy nutrients. Unlike grains with a higher glycemic index (like rice), barley can help support stable blood sugar levels in dogs.
The fifth item is brown rice. Brown rice is a quality ingredient… a complex carbohydrate that (once cooked) is fairly easy to digest.
The sixth ingredient is potato. Assuming they’re whole, potatoes are a good source of digestible carbohydrates and other healthy nutrients.
The seventh ingredient is listed as simply rice. Since the word rice doesn’t tell us much, it’s difficult to judge the quality of this particular item.
The eight 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.
The ninth ingredient is flaxseed… one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber.
However, we find it unusual to see flaxseed here in its whole seed form. Whole flax seeds are almost impossible to digest (at least for us humans) unless they are first ground to a usable powder before they are consumed.
The tenth ingredient includes herring. Herring is a fatty marine fish naturally high in protein as well as omega 3 fatty acids… essential oils needed by every dog to sustain life.
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.
Innova Dry Dog Food… the Bottom Line
Based upon its ingredients alone, Innova Dry Dog Food looks like a very nice kibble.
Yet ingredient quality alone cannot tell the complete story. We still must estimate the product’s meat content before we establish a final rating.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 27%, a fat level of 16% and an estimated carbohydrate content of 50%.
Due to their notably lower protein and fat content, we’ve assumed the Senior and Adult Low Fat recipes to be unusually light on meat content… and thus downgraded these foods to three stars.
If you omit the Senior and Low Fat products, the brand features an average protein content of 28% and an average fat level of 15%.
Together, these figures suggest an overall carbohydrate content of 49% for the full product line.
Moderate protein. Average fat. And average 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 a moderate amount of meat.
It is also necessary to acknowledge the complete absence of any Red Flag items.
Bottom line?
Innova Dry Dog Food is a grain-based kibble using a reasonable amount of named meats and meals as its main sources of animal protein… thus earning the brand four stars.
Highly recommended.
Those looking for a comparable wet food from the same company may wish to check out our review of Innova Canned Dog Food.
A Final Word
This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food. However, our rating system is not intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in specific health benefits for your pet.
For a better understanding of how we analyzed this product, please be sure to read our article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews”
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.
Other spellings: Inova
Notes and Updates
11/22/2009 Original review
06/22/2010 Review updated
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.