YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community

I have done alot of research and looking for the right dog food. I have also read alot on the theory of feeding a raw diet to dogs. The food I settled on was INNOVA EVO. I swear by it. My dogs love it and it comes in small bites. It doesnt come specifically in puppy food. I am posting from a website about the food below. I know it will create a long post so I am apologizing in advance. Just skim over the information. It is a fabulous food and my dogs love it.

Information below was from a website that sells INNOVA EVO:

Innova EVO has been specially designed to provide all the key nutritional benefits received from the feeding of raw food diets. EVO is based on ground chicken & turkey meat, bones, fat, cartilage and connective tissue. It includes whole, raw fruits and vegetables which contain health promoting phytochemicals and micronutrients. Low Carb, Hi-Protein and Grain Free.

Animal feeding tests using AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) procedures substantiate that Innova EVO Adult Dog Food provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients:
Turkey, Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Potatoes, Herring Meal, Chicken Fat, Natural Flavors, Egg, Garlic, Apples, Carrots, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese, Alfalfa Sprouts, Dried Chicory Root, Taurine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Vitamins/Minerals, Viable Naturally Occurring Microorganisms

Dry Food Nutrition:
Moisture........10.0 %
Protein........42.0 %
Fat........22.0 %
Linoleic Acid........4.2 %
Omega 3........0.50 %
Carbohydrates........12.0 %
Fiber........2.5 %
Ash........12.38 %
Calcium........2.85 %
Phosphorous........1.50 %
Magnesium........0.14 %
Sodium........0.37 %
Potassium........0.70 %
Chloride........0.58 %
Iron........330 mg/Kg
Zinc........305 mg/Kg
Copper........20 mg/Kg
Iodine........4.0 mg/Kg
Manganese........25 mg/Kg
Selenium........1.00 mg/kg
Arginine........3.10 %
Histidine........0.98 %
Isoleucine........1.70 %
Leucine........2.55 %
Lysine........2.98 %
Methionine........1.06 %
Met-Cysteine........1.61 %
Phenylalanine........1.79 %
Phe-Tyrosine........2.61 %
Threonine........1.87 %
Tryptophan........0.33 %
Valine........2.12 %
Taurine........0.10 %
Choline........4011 mg/Kg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)........4.88 mg/Kg
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)........4.98 mg/Kg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)........33.89 mg/Kg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)........4.84 mg/Kg
Folic Acid........0.71 mg/kg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)........20.82 mg/Kg
Biotin........0.48 mg/Kg
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)........90 ug/Kg
Vitamin A........22807 Iu/Kg
Vitamin C........500 mg/Kg
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)........2262 Iu/Kg
Vitamin E........300 Iu/Kg
Vitamin K1........330 ug/Kg
Glucosamine........0 mg/cup
Chondroitin Sulfate........0 mg/cup
Calories........1929 Kcal/lb
Calories........4243 Kcal/Kg
Calories........557 KCals/Cup

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Innova EVO features a "synbiotic" approach to gastrointestinal health. A "synbiotic" approach is the use of both a probiotic and a prebiotic combined in a single product. It is defined as "a mixture of a probiotic and a prebiotic that beneficially affects the host by improving the survival and implantation of live microbial dietary supplements in the gastrointestinal tract, by selectively stimulating the growth and/or by activating the metabolism of one or a limited number of health-promoting bacteria." Innova EVO is considered to be a true synbiotic since it provides both live beneficial bacteria (probiotics) and products of fermentation (prebiotics) that may affect the intestinal microflora in a positive way.

Natural Vitamins, Minerals, & Micronutrients

Many of the essential nutrients in Innova EVO are derived from the raw ingredients used in the formula, and not just from vitamin and mineral supplements. For exacmple, finely ground turkey and chicken bones and cartilage supply important calcium and collagen which are important for bone formation and joint health. A variety of shole vegetables and fruits supply important micronutrients and health-promoting phytochemicals.

About Innova

Feeding Your Pet in the New Millennium

Innova has been formulated using only fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients from each of the five food groups.
Naturally nutritious fresh chicken and turkey meat, plus high quality chicken meal, provide the foundation for Innova's great taste. But we didn't stop there. Fresh whole milk, cottage cheese and whole clove garlic add natural vitamins and flavor. Alfalfa sprouts help satisfy your pet's natural urge to graze. Natural cold-pressed sunflower oil provides the high quality fatty acids needed for healthy skin and a shiny hair coat.

Innova recipes are based on the most advanced research in animal health. The latest findings in orthomolecular medicine (the study of optimal amounts of substances, especially vitamins, found in the body to achieve optimal health) convinced us to increase the levels of disease fighting antioxidants - Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E - in Innova's one of a kind formula.

Preservatives? Innova is preserved naturally with vitamins C and E... and nothing else.

Farm Fresh Ingredients
Innova contains only fresh, natural, wholesome ingredients from each of the five major food groups - providing a balanced, nutritious and varietal diet for your pet. Natura Pet Products' innovative cooking methods combine fresh turkey and chicken meat, fresh fruit and vegetables and a variety of natural whole ground grains to create petfoods unequalled in healthful, nutritional benefits.

Health Foods from the Basic 5
Natura Pet Products is proud to offer pet foods prepared with a wide variety of healthful ingredients from each of the five basic food groups: fresh lean meats, wholesome fruits and vegetables, natural grains, vitamin-rich potatoes, milk and cottage cheese. Variety is the key to meeting your pet's many nutritional needs. Innova's healthy mix of nutritious ingredients assures a balanced and enjoyable meal every time.

The Dairy Group
Cottage cheese provides plenty of nutrient-rich calcium, protein, and vitamins A and B.

The Protein Group
Protein is an integral part of your pet's diet. And Innova's fresh turkey, chicken and herring meats bring more to the food dish than just good flavor - they are lean, excellent sources of protein. High quality meat protein provides all the essential amino acids required for the proper nutrition of both dogs and cats.

The Vegetable Group
A bounty of fresh vegetables are found in Innova pet foods: carrots, Idaho potatoes, alfalfa sprouts and whole clove Gilroy-grown garlic (high in selenium). These vegetables add the antioxidant vitamins A and C, carbohydrates, fiber and various minerals to the diet. And because these vegetables are fresh, whole, and not pre-processed, the flavors and most of the important nutrients - including the "protector" antioxidants - are locked in.

The Fruit Group
There's now a new twist to the old axiom about apples: "An apple a day keeps the veterinarian away!" Apples - and the nutrients in them - help your pet stay healthy. The fresh, whole apples used in Innova pet foods provide important "protector" nutrients, as well as plenty of carbohydrates and fiber, essential for your pet's good health. The antioxidant vitamin C helps to form healthy new cells and heal wounds. Potassium promotes neuromuscular development. And the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin A aid in good vision, bone and tooth development, and building resistance to infections.

The Grain Group
All of the grains in Innova pet foods are natural whole grains, with the exception of Innova EVO which contains no grain. These grains are important sources of B vitamins, carbohydrates, iron, fiber, and selenium. Innova's nutritious barley and brown and white rice provide important complex carbohydrates to support pet activity and exercise.

Innova's ingredients include: Turkey, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Herring, Apples, Garlic, Potatoes, Alfalfa Sprouts, Carrots, Cottage Cheese, Milk, Eggs.

In addition to these fresh ingredients, Innova contains:

Whole Ground Barley and Whole Ground Brown & White Rice. These are quality grain sources of highly digestible carbohydrates.

Sunflower Oil and Chicken Fat. These are ultra high-quality sources of fat... chosen for their skin and coat properties and are rich in linoleic acid.

Chicken Meal and Herring. Innova contains only low ash, ground chicken meat & whitefish that provide high quality, highly digestible protein and omega 3 fatty acids.

Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Casei, Bifidobacterium thermophilum, Enterococcus faecium fermentation product. These beneficial, friendly, bacteria are naturally found in the digestive tract and must be maintained at optimal levels as we age. A sufficient population of these viable naturally-occuring micro-organisms provide healthy B Vitamins and help to optimize the micro flora in the gut.

Vitamins E, C & A (Beta-Carotene), Selenium, Zinc, Manganese. These antioxidant vitamins play a vital role in protecting body cells from the damage caused by chemicals and environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes and smog.

When comparing Innova to your favorite brand, please take special care to notice the following ingredients which Natura Pet Products refuses to use: Meat Meal, Animal Fat, Poultry By-Products, Soybean Meal, Rice gluten, Wheat Mids, Peanut Hulls, Wheat Flour, Wheat Bran, Rice Flour, BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, Artificial Colors or Flavors, or any other substandard, low quality, by-product from human food processing.