Changing to EVO a question and concern

[ComicDom1]

After taking into consideration Tanza's suggestion that there were better food choices available to feed my Basenji puppy, I decided to investigate. As Tanza suggested, I went to the dog food analysis website and started reading reviews on products available.

I saw where EVO had a high rating of 6 stars. While I saw that Eukanuba adult maintenance had a rating of 2 stars. What I did not see what any review on Eukanuba puppy food which is a somewhat different formula and different from the Adult food.

My question and concern is related to the statement on the dog food analysis site about caution feeding EVO to puppies.

I did call Innova directly and questioned them about that concern. Although the customer service people admitted they were not familiar with the Basenji breed, they assured me that EVO was safe to feed a puppy. Of course, I am sure anyone can see why I might be uncomfortable being reassured by someone not familiar with my breed.

So, I would like to know from others here, are you feeding your Basenji EVO?

At what age did you start feeding your Basenji EVO?

Since my puppy is about 14 weeks old, is now a good time to switch?

Have your Basenji's had any issues with excessive weight gain or stool issues since you switched them to this food?

Is a Ten Day time period reasonable to switch to such a High Protein food?

I know I have asked a lot of questions here. My goal, is to raise the happiest, healthiest, Basenji that I can. So I would appreciate any feedback in regard to my questions.

By the way my puppy will be 14 weeks tomorrow and weighs 9-10lbs.

Thanks
Jason

Have any of you had to stop feeding your Basenji EVO for any reason?

[tanza]

I know lots of people that use Evo for puppies.. and that they are weaned onto Evo.. with great success. The fact that I have not had a litter since Evo has come out.. I have not tried it myself, weaning a litter to EVO.. however, I will be co-breeding a litter this fall and will be doing just that… and it is very good, very natural food... I would doubt that you will have any problems switching to EVO for your baby puppy...
That said, and IMO... I would change over a period of 21 days at the least... just my opinion.. but I change foods lots... so we are always mixing... And since you are going from grain to no grain.. I think I would take just a bit more time in changing.. again.. just my opinion

There is lots of opinions regarding if a puppy really needs "puppy" food.. and even years ago, after the pups from my litters went to their new homes.. I would always keep one for myself.. and when the puppy food was gone (usually at 10 to 12 wks) I just changed them (the pups) to regular adult food that I fed the rest of the kids....

[tanza]

There is a breeder in the NY area that has been weaning her pups onto EVO… and loves it... her website is http://www.apubasenjis.com/ and you can find her email address there too if you want to contact her….

[BDawg]

Hey- I just switched to EVO too! We're still in the first couple days and I still have almost 15lbs of the old food left- so I want to make sure to transition really slowly. Neither of my dogs is a puppy though.

Miles threw up twice yesterday. Not sure if that was related to the change, but he does not normally throw up. In fact, it might be the first time he's thrown up since we rescued him more than a year ago. It was really solid food, not anything runny.

But they are definitely taking to the new food- they are picking out the old and spitting it into the living room. If we wait long enough, they typically come eat that as well. But if we have company, it's usually the vacuum that gets to it first.

Anyways, I'll keep you posted if there are more puking incidences. Hopefully not though! I have to be honest though- I really wanted the Orijen stuff, but it was just too darn expensive.

[renaultf1]

@BDawg:

Hey- I just switched to EVO too! We're still in the first couple days and I still have almost 15lbs of the old food left- so I want to make sure to transition really slowly. Neither of my dogs is a puppy though.

Miles threw up twice yesterday. Not sure if that was related to the change, but he does not normally throw up. In fact, it might be the first time he's thrown up since we rescued him more than a year ago. It was really solid food, not anything runny.

But they are definitely taking to the new food- they are picking out the old and spitting it into the living room. If we wait long enough, they typically come eat that as well. But if we have company, it's usually the vacuum that gets to it first.

Anyways, I'll keep you posted if there are more puking incidences. Hopefully not though! I have to be honest though- I really wanted the Orijen stuff, but it was just too darn expensive.

Hey BDawg…If Miles is throwing it up (and it is solid food), do you think it could be because he is eating it too fast? Ruby & Brando eat in their crates, and I've seen Ruby throw up the Orijen once because she practically inhaled it (and it all came out solid). Since then she has slowed down. Brando is normally a slow eater...but not with the Orijen, but he hasn't had a problem. Just a thought...

[LiveWWSD]

@ComicDom1:

Is a Ten Day time period reasonable to switch to such a High Protein food?

Hey Jason,
I can't really answer any EVO specific questions as I feed the kids a raw diet (Though I thought about EVO for when they are with dog sitters oin the rare times I need to be out of town). I did , however want to give you my opinion on a changeover timeframe. so here we go. IMO the main reason for SLOWLY changing a dog from one food to the other is the grains in said food. Due to the fact that dogs are not geneticaly set up to process large amounts of grains, and due to dog foods containing different(and varied amounts of) grain a slow switch is good. THis gives the dog a chance to adjust to the new levels and variety of grain in the food. When going to a food with no grain IMO you are alot less likley to see any negative reaction in a faster changeover. I switched Zaire to a raw diet from her puppy chow when she was 14 wks. Changed over in one day, and never looked back. So I would think that 10 days should be sufficient.
By the way …how is the swimming going for your little one. You better have some cute pictures up sometime of him on the ailboat. Does your Boston like sailing? Let us know how the food switch goes..oh and are you changing your Boston girl over to EVO as well?

[ComicDom1]

@LiveWWSD:

Hey Jason,
I can't really answer any EVO specific questions as I feed the kids a raw diet (Though I thought about EVO for when they are with dog sitters oin the rare times I need to be out of town). I did , however want to give you my opinion on a changeover timeframe. so here we go. IMO the main reason for SLOWLY changing a dog from one food to the other is the grains in said food. Due to the fact that dogs are not geneticaly set up to process large amounts of grains, and due to dog foods containing different(and varied amounts of) grain a slow switch is good. THis gives the dog a chance to adjust to the new levels and variety of grain in the food. When going to a food with no grain IMO you are alot less likley to see any negative reaction in a faster changeover. I switched Zaire to a raw diet from her puppy chow when she was 14 wks. Changed over in one day, and never looked back. So I would think that 10 days should be sufficient.
By the way …how is the swimming going for your little one. You better have some cute pictures up sometime of him on the ailboat. Does your Boston like sailing? Let us know how the food switch goes..oh and are you changing your Boston girl over to EVO as well?

So far so good. The stools seem solid and both Roo and my Boston appear to be having a good start. I stayed up late last night reading as many reviews as I could so I would have a good Idea of what others who have switched to EVO have encountered.

I bet you are on to something there. I would also suspect that it would be easier and less complicated to switch from grain to no grain than the other way around. The Eukanuba Puppy food I am feeding is pretty high in protein as well. Eukanuba is 32% in protein and the EVO is 42%. I have not looked up the protein levels in the adult Eukanuba. So I think if any of my Dogs have trouble adjusting, it will most likely be my Boston. I can tell you I am certainly not looking forward to the gas issues that I hear accompany this change over.

At this Point Roo has been swimming twice. Once without a life jacket, and the second time with one. Outward Hound makes some really neat stuff. I am going to get him a back pack as well. While Roo has no problem allowing us to put stuff on him like sweaters or the life jacket and walking around, our Boston is a different story. We know our Boston can swim because she has been in our small pool several times when she was younger, but I am sure you will agree that having to swim in the middle of a big lake is much different. If Bonzo our Boston does not get comfortable wearing her life Jacket then most likely only Roo will be sailing with us. I am already putting inside the sailboat so he gets comfortable with its surroundings.

We will try to get some more pictures up.

Jason

[MacPack]

When switching foods, I usually mix 1/4 new & 3/4 old for a few days, then keep adding more new food till it is about 1/2 & 1/2, then 3/4 & 1/4, then all 'new' food, about a week or 10 days at most. Watch appetite, puking and stools, slow down if the dog isn't tolerating it. Some dogs just don't do well even on great foods. I feed Evo, mixed with a little regular Innova, for the last few years and my dogs are very healthy and shiny!
And if it is the best food out there and the dog doesn't like it, try something else, there are lots of good foods. I like Evo, but it is a little rich for my dogs digestive systems, so I buffer it with some 'regular' food.

[ComicDom1]

Well its been 11 days since I started switching Roo and Bonzo over to EVO. Of course both have had some loose stools during the process but they seem to be getting over it. I am still feeding a mix to Roo but I am about down to my last cup of food. Roo is growing so his appetite is as well and he is eating a good quanity during the day. Today it appears that both my dogs have solid stools which aleviates most of my concerns.

We are up to walking 6 miles a day as well, so either my dogs are going to be very muscular and slim, or I will. Today we walked our first 3 miles in the rain. Unfortunately the only raincoat we found in our area we could put on Roo that would fit him was pink with flowers sewn on it. I am sure he does not know the difference, and for $2.00 on clearance it was a deal. Our other option of course is to put his life jacket on him and that seems to help keep him dry.

What I have noticed, is that Roo seems to know when its going to rain, and will even try to stop eating so he does not have to walk as much. Well of course we are not letting that stop us from walking him. Its funny that he will swim for us, but avoids big puddles at all costs when walking in the rain. I will normally try and wait for the rain to quit and walk him directly after, but sometimes nature does not cooperate with us. This is the third time Roo and I have had to walk while it was raining the whole time. I think its good for Roo, but I can certainly understand why he would not want to be soaking wet. I really think he enjoys the towel off afterward and the nice treat he gets for being so cooperative. Bonzo on the other hand, does not care if it is is raining, and will trudge right through big puddles. It just does not seem like it phases her. Of course she likes the towel off and the treat at the end as well.

Jason

[MacPack]

Basenjis may learn to like swimming or the beach, but tend to hate rain and wet grass. If we are walking and it starts to rain, I am dragged home in one heck of a hurry. If we have rain all day, I drive my 3 to a long overpass where there is almost a block that is open under an interstate, so we walk up and down where it's dry. Are my basenjis spoiled?

Anne

[ComicDom1]

@MacPack:

Basenjis may learn to like swimming or the beach, but tend to hate rain and wet grass. If we are walking and it starts to rain, I am dragged home in one heck of a hurry. If we have rain all day, I drive my 3 to a long overpass where there is almost a block that is open under an interstate, so we walk up and down where it's dry. Are my basenjis spoiled?

Anne

Sounds like a solution for you Anne, unfortunately we do not have those long over passes in Illinois like you do in Florida.

Jason

[ComicDom1]

As you know I have changed my dogs over to EVO food. We noticed after doing a slow change, our dogs seem to have loose watery stools. Sometimes they looks solid, but they very wet, and then sometimes they are completely loose. This has affected both my Basenji and my Boston, so I do not think its a breed thing. Currently they are eating the Chicken Turkey Version of EVO.

I discussed this with the fellow that sells me my food. He happens to have a Master's Degree in Animal Nutrition from the University of IL which is local to us. He suggested doing a 50/50 mix of the Red meat EVO and then try them completely on that to see if it helps make their stools solid. He was also kind enough to supply me with some sample bags and told me if this works to just bag up the rest of the EVO food I have left, and he will refund the money for that bag.

I am also wondering if the exercise and heat is affecting their stools. Please let me know what you think.

Roo Our Basenji is now 18 weeks old and is about 13lbs. Bonzo our Boston Terrier is in the 20lb range and about 5 years old.

Thanks
Jason and Miranda

[lvoss]

What was the protein source of their last food?

Mine are all eating a red meat formula right now. I also found that my one girl seems to better on red meats and duck rather than foods that are primarily turkey or chicken. Some chicken and/or turkey is fine but she does better if they are not the primary protein source.

[tanza]

Mine are all eating the red meat also…. and I have not had any problems with stools...

And yes, heat and exercise can have an effect on stools, at least in my experience.

[Robin_n_Jack]

Jack always takes a really loose, runny poop at the end of a walk.

And now I feel weird, so that is all I will say about poop

[tanza]

@Robin_n_Jack:

Jack always takes a really loose, runny poop at the end of a walk.

And now I feel weird, so that is all I will say about poop

Why??? Isn't that what dog people talk about…. and how excited we get when we take them out to pee and poop and they do?...

[BDawg]

We made the switch from Blue Buffalo to Evo Red Meat in a matter of a couple days– and we did not have any stool issues. They are pretty solid. Try the red meat and see if that helps your pooches at all.

[tanza]

I am really pleased with the red meat EVO…..

[Robin_n_Jack]

@tanza:

Why??? Isn't that what dog people talk about…. and how excited we get when we take them out to pee and poop and they do?...

LOL! I know, I know- I just feel weird!

[MacPack]

We have always used the chicken EVO, mixed with a bit of regular Innova. On the EVO alone, they have very soft stools, and the mix firms it up a little, but it is still soft. I think next bag (in another month) I may switch to red meat EVO, thanks for the recommendations!

Anne