# Transition from Science Diet to EVO



## danman2_2999 (Apr 30, 2010)

Hello everyone,

After hours of reading through this forum as well as dogfoodadvisor.com, it has become obvious that Science Diet is an inferior product for our dogs. I was also one of the people fooled by my vet to purchase this horrible food. 

The food I give specifically is Science Diet Advanced Fitness, in which was given to my dog after her first year of eating Science Diet Puppy formula. I purchased a large bag and storage bin once her puppy food was diminishing, and she is just now finishing the puppy/adult mix ....and shortly would be starting the pure Advanced Diet. 

I am for sure going to mix the 15 lbs or so of SD's Advanced Fitness with the next type of food, and I decided to go with the chicken/turkey EVO brand. 

I am not so much worried about transitional problems, however I am worried maybe my dog will not benefit from the much higher protein levels found in EVO, as compared to the Science Diet. 

So my question is this..... can the protein levels be TOO high in the food? 

My dog is about 1 yr old, 16lbs, and I was told she was an Australian Cattledog mix at the pound when I got her....however she is much smaller than any cattledog I have ever seen. She does not have acres to roam however I take her on walks and bike rides regularly, so her exercise is probably average or slightly above. 

Are there any other concerns I may need to take when transitioning, such as what types of new food I am giving? (EX: protein content...i know to get poultry to help with easy digestion as compared to red meat/fish)


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

EVO is a great pick. The high protein level should not be an issue, dogs are made to eat diets of meat, so the meat content in EVO is one of the best you can find. Very good pick as far as ingredients go. 

I advise you to do the transition pretty slowly, as SD is pretty bottom of the chain, and EVO is such a huge leap up. It is very rich, but that's not a bad thing. Just take the time to transition slow, perhaps two weeks or so. 

Keep in mind that you will feed much less of EVO than you have been the SD as well. Generally with an EVO transition like that, I'd say feed half the amount of evo that you are of SD once transition is complete, and increase according to body condition. 


You may want to read some of the recent threads about Natura Pet Products, the makers of EVO. The company recently changed hands, and not that anything negative has occured yet, something to keep an eye on, and just be aware of.


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## danman2_2999 (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks for the reply!

I am glad to hear confirmation about how great EVO is for our dogs...

When I got little Sydney about 5 months ago, she had been fed the SD puppy formula, and when I saw it was getting time to buy a new bag and she was at the year mark, thats when I had decided to get a big bag of Advanced Fitness, and store it in a food bin. The food bin is now at the level where her food is a majority of advanced fitness, and minimally mixed with the puppy kibble. 

So would you recommend that I mix the remaining 15 lbs or so with a new bag of EVO, with the bottom of the bin containing more and more EVO and less and less SD?

I guess my concern would be a transition taking too long, as it would not be a couple weeks but a couple of months before the SD food will be gone.... I have no trouble getting rid of some food in the transition, its not like i want to feed her the last bit. 

So to clarify, when starting the transition and adding a little bit of EVO at a time, is it OK that I still have a good amount of SD? (meaning the transition would take longer than two or three weeks, as previously mentioned) 

Or is it beneficial to have the entire transition happen within a couple weeks (I would imagine a slower transition will be easier for her belly to adjust)

Thanks again for your help,

Daniel and Sydney


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

evo used to be the best dog food on the market in my opinion. the company however, just sold out to procter and gamble. procter and gamble makes iams and eukanuba...these foods are around the same level of science diet..maybe slightly better.
proctor and gamble also erforms horrific trials on dogs and cats.proctor and gamble also is all about making money,and iassure you they will make evo an inferior product. the minute you see evo appearing in petsmart or petco switch foods.

id reccomend trying orijen..theyre a decent brand...i have my issues with them too but w/e. i cant reccomend evo.


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## ziggy29 (Feb 1, 2010)

danman2_2999 said:


> I guess my concern would be a transition taking too long, as it would not be a couple weeks but a couple of months before the SD food will be gone.... I have no trouble getting rid of some food in the transition, its not like i want to feed her the last bit.
> 
> So to clarify, when starting the transition and adding a little bit of EVO at a time, is it OK that I still have a good amount of SD? (meaning the transition would take longer than two or three weeks, as previously mentioned)


The usual transition plan I hear is to feed maybe 1/4 new food and 3/4 old food for a few days, then go 50-50 for the same time period. And then, use 3/4 new and 1/4 old for another few days and then go to 100% new food. At that point if I had some of the old food left, I'd discard it or give it away to someone who has financial need or who is feeding even worse food. If money is tight you can slow the transition down, and it's probably not a big deal, but if money wasn't an extreme concern I'd get my dog weaned off the lousy food as soon as reasonably possible. But really, an extra month of transition isn't likely to be a major problem for a healthy dog in her prime.

EVO has historically been an excellent choice but do keep an eye on their parent company's sale to P&G. Many of us are pretty sure it will eventually erode the quality, but for now it's a great dry kibble. The good news is that a transition from one high quality, high-protein food to another will likely be a lot easier than the transition from a corn and wheat-laden food to one that's mostly meat.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

zigy how is that news good? hes going from one of the worst foods to one of the best(for now.)

i guess you mean switching from evo.


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## ziggy29 (Feb 1, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> zigy how is that news good? hes going from one of the worst foods to one of the best(for now.)
> 
> i guess you mean switching from evo.


What I mean is that if the dog can transition from SD to today's Evo, the transition from Evo to another high-quality, primarily meat-based kibble will be a piece of cake.


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> evo used to be the best dog food on the market in my opinion. the company however, just sold out to procter and gamble. procter and gamble makes iams and eukanuba...these foods are around the same level of science diet..maybe slightly better.
> proctor and gamble also erforms horrific trials on dogs and cats.proctor and gamble also is all about making money,and iassure you they will make evo an inferior product. the minute you see evo appearing in petsmart or petco switch foods.
> 
> id reccomend trying orijen..theyre a decent brand...i have my issues with them too but w/e. i cant reccomend evo.


Oh boy... here we go again... <sigh>


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

LOL @ Orijen being a "decent" brand.


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## danman2_2999 (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks again for the feedback. 

That is too bad that EVO is undergoing changes...

I agree a transition from EVO to another high quality food would be easier than SD to EVO... 

However I feel like I would rather just give one different food, not have to worry about declining quality, and also not give money to companies with bad practices...

The money is not really any issue, in the way that Sydney is less than 20 pounds and her food lasts a while anyways. I can see there being an issue if I had four big hungry dogs lol. I will do as you recommend and transition the food in a more controlled way, such as mixing in the bowl instead of just in the food bin. 

I after these latest posts, I think I am going to drive a little more and find some Orijen, as their site does not list any stores near my house. Not a problem as I live 20 miles outside of Los Angeles so there are actually many stores, just none as close as with EVO. 

Initially Orijen stood out but seemed very expensive, as one site listed it at $80/20# bag....however I have found another local site offering it for $60/30#, which is what I have seen EVO at the local store for anyways. 

So if I make the transition from SD to Orijen, do you think it would be ok to start feeding the 6 Fish blend or should I stick with the original Adult formula? (b/c of poulty being easier to digest...ideally I would think Id prefer her on fish since its more healthy, I would think it would be beneficial for her too)

I noticed the ingredient list of EVO is about half the length of Orijen...i must say I wish EVO hadnt sold out!

It's ok though, I am glad I am finding this out before I made the transition and the quality drop.

Thanks again!


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## ziggy29 (Feb 1, 2010)

danman2_2999 said:


> Initially Orijen stood out but seemed very expensive, as one site listed it at $80/20# bag....however I have found another local site offering it for $60/30#, which is what I have seen EVO at the local store for anyways.


Yes, $60 is a reasonable price for a bag that size, and $80 is way high.

Keep in mind also that some of the higher cost per pound will likely be offset by a reduced feeding amount. The good kibble high in meat proteins are more calorie-dense, so you feed less and it usually results in less waste out the other end, too.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

danman2_2999 said:


> Thanks again for the feedback.
> 
> That is too bad that EVO is undergoing changes...
> 
> ...


i wish evo didnt sell out either...their current herring formula is the best dry kibble now and forever in my opinin!

also the reason the ingridient list is half the size is because orijn lists the vitamins in the food by name..evo just says ;;vitamins and minerals;; without naming each one!

also dont trust orijens store loactor..the locator told me my stores right here didnt have it,but i called my store and they do carry it..so save yourself some time and effort and go to your store.
it also might be smart to order it online! a lot of times you can get free shipping!

at this point i feel orijen is a better choice than evo..i am so disgusted over evos sell out..i was so excited to start feeding it to shane idk..sucks.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> proctor and gamble also erforms horrific trials on dogs and cats.


Exactly what are these horrific tests and what is the purpose of them?



> proctor and gamble also is all about making money,and iassure you they will make evo an inferior product.


What company do you know that isn't about making money. Thats the reason companies start. The successful well run companies grow into giant companies and make LOTS of money. Thats the object.



> the minute you see evo appearing in petsmart or petco switch foods.


What would that have to do with the price of tea in China?


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

danman2_2999 said:


> Thanks again for the feedback.
> 
> That is too bad that EVO is undergoing changes...
> 
> ...



It is regrettable but understandable that EVO was bought out. It does not automatically signal the death of the product line or quality of their feeds.

I intend to stick with EVO rather than start panicking over something that may never happen.


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## PUNKem733 (Jun 12, 2009)

SubMariner said:


> It is regrettable but understandable that EVO was bought out. It does not automatically signal the death of the product line or quality of their feeds.
> 
> I intend to stick with EVO rather than start panicking over something that may never happen.


If history is anything to go by, I'd cut my left arm off on a webcam if the food stayed the same.


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## ziggy29 (Feb 1, 2010)

(font, size and color tags removed)



SubMariner said:


> It is regrettable but understandable that EVO was bought out. It does not automatically signal the death of the product line or quality of their feeds.
> 
> I intend to stick with EVO rather than start panicking over something that may never happen.


Yes, I understand that you prefer to give P&G the benefit of the doubt which many of us don't think they deserve. And that is fine and your prerogative.

And on the (IMO, very slim) chance that nothing changes in the quality or production of Evo well into the future, there are still enough other alternative producers of quality kibble that I'd rather support than P&G. I'd much sooner support a smaller, privately-held, family-owned business like Champion than a publicly-traded conglomerate like P&G whose only responsibility is to maximize shareholder returns and whose accountability is to Wall Street. 

Degradation of quality isn't the *only* concern here. There's also simply the question about which types of businesses I'd rather support, all else being equal.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> evo used to be the best dog food on the market in my opinion. the company however, just sold out to procter and gamble. procter and gamble makes iams and eukanuba...these foods are around the same level of science diet..maybe slightly better.
> proctor and gamble also erforms horrific trials on dogs and cats.proctor and gamble also is all about making money,and iassure you they will make evo an inferior product. the minute you see evo appearing in petsmart or petco switch foods.


Quite franky, I have to say I'm disappointed in the way this thread has gone. 

There are plenty of threads that nitpick the recent sellout, but to try to strike fear in someone going from junk like SD to something like EVO... I mean come on, that's a huge step up, that's a great choice. Can we not turn every single thread into a "natura is selling out" discussion? Point it out, fine, but for pete's sake... this person is making a great choice for the benefit of their pet and all . EVO is the same as it always has been for now. Is Orijen a better choice, sure? maybe. Why not encourage people to make better choices, but perhaps inform them to keep an eye on it. I don't see EVO EVER being as low as SD, no matter what P&G tries to do with it. 


No one is happy about the sellout. Not one person, except those whose pockets are fat from it. But to have big dramatic responses to everyone that so much as utters the name of a natura product is getting a bit silly.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

CorgiPaws said:


> Quite franky, I have to say I'm disappointed in the way this thread has gone.
> 
> There are plenty of threads that nitpick the recent sellout, but to try to strike fear in someone going from junk like SD to something like EVO... I mean come on, that's a huge step up, that's a great choice. Can we not turn every single thread into a "natura is selling out" discussion? Point it out, fine, but for pete's sake... this person is making a great choice for the benefit of their pet and all . EVO is the same as it always has been for now. Is Orijen a better choice, sure? maybe. Why not encourage people to make better choices, but perhaps inform them to keep an eye on it. I don't see EVO EVER being as low as SD, no matter what P&G tries to do with it.
> 
> ...


well in my opinion it sounded like the op was interested in switching foods, cause he did the research, and found out evo was an amazing food..which it was and currently still is. i just wanted them to be informed that it will only be the same food for maybe another year or so. it would be a disservice to them if they thought it was still worth the price..and also if they didnt know they were supporting pand g.

i agree completely that it is still a step up from science diet(for now..who knows if it will be later) but based on the op's response(he said hed prefer orijen now) i think i was right in atleast alerting him to the fact evo has changed..because i know i am glad you all alerted me! i was so close to feeding evo herring. i actually just got off the phone with my store about it, minutes before reading the thread! i am furious, but i will not feed it now!!

op evo is stil a step uo from science diet..but i think orijen is the way to go for now.and it sounds like you agree in your other post.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

PUNKem733 said:


> If history is anything to go by, I'd cut my left arm off on a webcam if the food stayed the same.


Now I'm hoping EVO's new owner's don't change anything at all......I want to see this!!!!!!
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## ziggy29 (Feb 1, 2010)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> well in my opinion it sounded like the op was interested in switching foods, cause he did the research, and found out evo was an amazing food..which it was and currently still is. i just wanted them to be informed that it will only be the same food for maybe another year or so. it would be a disservice to them if they thought it was still worth the price..and also if they didnt know they were supporting pand g.


If someone simply says "what's your opinion of Evo" or mentions that they are considering moving to a Natura product, I think it's a disservice *not* to mention what is to come. Hence my first post in this thread; it's a good food and probably will be for a while, but someone asking opinions about it or their feeding plans should be aware of it in order to make as fully educated and informed a longer-term feeding decision as is reasonably possible.

Having said that, hopefully not every thread involving discussion of a Natura product needs to morph into a debate over the sellout. Evo still is one of the best quality dry kibbles out there and probably still will be for the immediate future, though people should be aware that the longer-term future is murkier.


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