# EVO Red Meat



## lovinmylabs (Jan 5, 2010)

I just switched my lab and bulldog over to EVO red meat from Natures Variety. They seemed to be really bored with NV. In your opinion did I make the right move? Also wondering if I could add some raw patties in with the dry kibble just for some excitment?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Picky eaters are not born, they are created. Switching kibble for the purpose of feeding a picky appetite IMO is not the right move. Switching kibbles every now and then for the sake of variety n a rotation, however is, so either way, you made a move for the benefit of your dog, so we'll disregard the reason.:biggrin: For a kibble diet, it's best to come up with four or five kibbles that sit well with your pups, and rotate them. I recommend them having different protien sources. (example, you'd be better off rotating wellness whitefish and innova origional than you would rotating wellness chicken and innova origional, with both of them using mostly chicken & turkey. make sense?)
Evo is a great food on paper, but be careful not to overfeed it, as it is very rich- too rich even for some dogs. 
Raw is probably the best thing you could ever do for your dog, but it's not advised to mix raw and kibble in the same meal. The reason being that kibble digests much slower than raw. Bacterias are never an issue in a raw diet because of how their digestive systems work, in passing a natural diet very quickly. Mixing a natural diet with kibble slows everything down, trapping the raw meat in the system for longer than acceptable. If you'd like to incorporate raw, do so in seprate meals. 
Also on the topic, the raw patties include a lot of veggie matter that is not needed. If you'd like to supplement a kibble diet with raw, you'dbe better off doing so with meat right from the human market. Give a chicken tender each day, or some ground beef. It's healthier, safer, and MUCH more cost effective.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Or even yet...supplement with bone in meats for the grocery store. Give a chicken quarter for the morning meal, and then kibble in the evening or vise versa.

If you supplement with bone-in meats, you get the benefit of scraping tatar off your dog's teeth...which builds up on a kibble exclusive diet.


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## lovinmylabs (Jan 5, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice. I find it all very interesting but so confusing!! So your saying raw is better then any kibble out there? I'm just so confused about how to feed raw. I just drop an uncooked chicked leg in their bowl for dinner? Just does not seem right! I don't eat meat myself so it is difficult for me to understand or touch! Is there a pre made raw food that is good so I know they are getting the variety that they need? Then maybe a marrow bone for their teeth?? Dosen't feeding raw get messy in the house? Any advice I would LOVE!! Thanks a bunch!!!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

lovinmylabs said:


> I find it all very interesting but so confusing!!


Check out the link in my sig for a more in depth explanation.



> So your saying raw is better then any kibble out there?


A thousand times better.



> Just does not seem right!


Why doesn't it seem right to feed meat to a carnivore? It's what they are supposed to eat. They wouldn't eat fruits/veggies in the wild. They would only eat meat, bones, and organs of any animal they could catch and kill.



> I don't eat meat myself so it is difficult for me to understand or touch!


You're not a carnivore. :smile:



> Is there a pre made raw food that is good so I know they are getting the variety that they need?


There are pre made raw foods but they are expensive and have questionable ingredients. They are not nearly as good as fresh whole meat.



> Then maybe a marrow bone for their teeth??


It's not the same as actually chewing and eating a bone so it gets between the teeth. I have known some dogs to chip, crack, or break teeth on marrow bones.



> Dosen't feeding raw get messy in the house?


Not really, I have been doing it for over 7 years and never have a problem.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Read the link in RFD's signature, then hop on over to the raw section for any more questions (we aren't supposed to discuss it too much here). But honestly, I was in your shoes about a year and a half ago, and when I finally made the switch, it made my dogs so happy and healthy that I've never looked back.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

lovinmylabs said:


> Thanks for all the advice. I find it all very interesting but so confusing!! So your saying raw is better then any kibble out there?


 A MILLION times better than any kibble out there. 



lovinmylabs said:


> I'm just so confused about how to feed raw. I just drop an uncooked chicked leg in their bowl for dinner? Just does not seem right! I don't eat meat myself so it is difficult for me to understand or touch!


It doesn't seem right to people, because people don't eat like that, but dogs are carnivores, so to them, it is as right as right can be. 



lovinmylabs said:


> Is there a pre made raw food that is good so I know they are getting the variety that they need? Then maybe a marrow bone for their teeth?? Dosen't feeding raw get messy in the house? Any advice I would LOVE!! Thanks a bunch!!!


I'd love to answer many of your questions, but we're not really supposed to discuss raw in the kibble section, so hop on over to raw, post all your questions, concerns, thoughts, etc... and you're bound to get all the answers. :biggrin:


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

lovinmylabs said:


> I just switched my lab and bulldog over to EVO red meat from Natures Variety. They seemed to be really bored with NV. In your opinion did I make the right move? Also wondering if I could add some raw patties in with the dry kibble just for some excitment?


My dogs love EVO canned and I have bought the dry also! I mostly do this brand for canned and my dogs love it!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

I picked up a bag of Evo red meat today to let the beasties try. Rocky went crazy smelling the bag even though it wasn't opened. He really isn't crazy about his Orijen anymore and picks out the big pieces and spits them on the floor. He much prefers the Evo but I like to rotate his food and it's time for Orijen and I already bought a big bag so he will finish it.

Anyway, it's the first time I got the red meat and I noticed that not only does it cost more, but it has more carbs in it and seems to have less meat then the regular EVO. It's not a great amount, but for more money I thought this would be a higher meat content. I ony got the 6 pound bag to try so I didn't invest a lot. Has anyone else gotten the new Red Meat Evo and how is it going? They make a Red Meat Evo treats now and the dogs do LOVE thoses and they are a great change of pace for them.

Any other grain free, SALMON free kibble choices that you have tried for rotation beside EVO? I'm getting away from the Orijen since Chelsy can't eat it and Rocky seems to not like it anymore.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2010)

wags said:


> My dogs love EVO canned and I have bought the dry also! I mostly do this brand for canned and my dogs love it!


Not to change the subject, but another tip I could give you is to always choose canned/wet food over dry kibble when at all possible, for it is much more closely related to what a dog would eat in the wild.


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