EVO dry food

Can I trust the packaging on the Natura EVO Herring & Salmon AND Turkey & chicken forumulas?

I just picked up sample bags of each at local small pet specialty store and AMAZINGLY they include Carbohydrate %
Packaging on Herring & Salmon says: Crude protein 50%; Fat 18%; Fiber max 3%; Moisture 10% Linolaic Acid 1.5%; Carbohydrates NFE (max) 10%; Vitamin E 300IU/kg; Taurine .2%; Magnesium .15% Ascorbic Acid 600mg/kg; Omega-3 Fatty Acids 2.4%; DHA & EPA 1 .7% 530 kcal/cup

Turkey & Chicken says: Crude protein 50%; Fat 22%; Crude Fiber 2%; Mositure: 10%; Carbohydrates 7%; Linoleic Acid 4%; Magnesium .0%; Vit.E 300 IU/kg; Taurine .2%;
Ascorbic Acid .4%; DHA&EPA .1%602 kcal/cup

I need back up for Vinney who doesn't always eat wet. He's not diabetic and his food is up high, so the other two have to be pretty determined to try for it.
Vinney is a very BIG Boy high & long as well as at least 2 of Maisey in shoulders.

 

Janet and Binky's sheet says the Turkey and Chicken (Innova EVO Cat & Kitten on list) is 8% carbs by calories. The carb listing you gave is based on weight.
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/dryfood.html

 

We tried the evo dry turkey and chicken for our civvie who can't eat wet .. within in a week she was scratching herself raw with scabs all over her body .. we took her off the evo, on antibiotics for 2 weeks and back on her old food .. then the itching stopped and the scabs fell off .. it was crazy weird.

 

Another option is Wellness Core - runs about 10% calories from carbohydrate, per Janet & Binkys tables.

 

I switched my 5 cats to this dry food when Buttons was first diagnosed and I started researching foods. It has 8% carbs and was easily transitioned to. My guys never scratched or had the allergic reaction to the food. I noticed my lovies were throwing up less, were eating less, and had more energy. Although Buttons has since left us, I am keeping the other 4 on this diet because I see good results....shinier coats, playing more, and using the litter box less. Give it a week or two before you make any decisions.

Mary-Anne and assorted furry ones ...and Buttons, who has just begun whispering to my heart

 

We mix EVO cat and kitten and Wellness Core for our youngest Avie who didn't really eat enough of the wet. We leave it out in two spots of the house that are kind of "her" spots and the others do have to work to get to it and don't seem to have much ambition to do so. I have almost never seen Smokey get into it, and haven't seen BGs affected with it in the house. Avie is by far our fattest cat though too and we'd like to wean her off of it, but it is her food for love - everything she wants lovin' she wants it while she is nibblin' on her crunchies.

 

This is simply a very general comment.....to anyone reading this thread thinking that all we need to be concerned about is carb content.

Please see Opie's pictures depicting the suffering that feeding a water-depleted diet to a cat often causes. His pictures can be seen on my Urinary Tract Health page at catinfo.org. Also linked below.

Opie blocked and came very close to rupturing his bladder. His vet bill was $4,350.

 

It is sad what happened to Opie but there are to many factors there we don't know. History, what kind of diet, what kind of water resources etc. . . . I know a lot of cats that have eaten dry food all their life and have lived long healthy lives up to 18-20 years. I myself lean more towards wet food but for many reason there are others that just don't.

Not all cats WILL NOT eat wet so a good choice of QUALITY dry food and making sure they have other water sources they will drink out of will also help prevent Urinary tract problems. I have one that simply refuses wet and we have tried everything. MS Puddy. My semi feral one. More feral then tame I think sometimes.

I have also notice the ones that only eat wet tend to have more teeth problems. Dental problems are serious issues. I myself have come to a common ground place where I think it is wise to have both wet and dry.

Different vets say different things. A middle ground is usually the wise place to go with making sure that the dry or wet you feed is a good quality food. Most of my cats live into their high teens and 20s. Yes I have had a lot of cats. Now I only have four inside cats. The feral colonies I care for are a different story. They have other issues like even getting fed.

So if your cat will only eat dry food there are other ways to try to get water into them. First don't put the water with the food. cats drink less if you do. They drink more water if it is NOT with the food. It is by nature I think this happens. Have water at different places. Try water pitchers instead of bowls. Have a few water fountains around. Mine drink the most water at the water pitch by the window. Water pitcher are better them bowls because it is the height of the cat.

I wrote a friend of mine that is a vet about good dry foods for ms Puddy wanting to take her carb load down a while ago. Here were some of her suggestions for cats that like dry food or just won't eat wet food for those of you looking. . . .

.....Taste of the Wild, Evo, Wilderness, Praire Instinct, Solid Gold Indigo Moon---all high protein, low carb and tend to be tastier.... Pet Supplies Plus has most of them, PetSmart only sells Wilderness and Petco does too. Wellness has a CORE but mine didn't like it and B4 Grain also makes one but my guys didn't like that brand. TIKI CAT makes canned food and is very tasty IF you can find that--not dry though--but very high quality. . . .

Hope the Evo works out. If not check on the net for the per food companies phone number most companies will mail you samples if you ask. That way you don't have to buy the entire bag. Just Google the kind you are looking for to find the company. . .

 

That dry food improves a cat's dental health is a myth. Studies have shown since the 90s that there is no correlation between dry food and better dental health. The only factors that improve a cat's dental health are reduced tartar buildup through regular cleanings and brushing. Bandit ate dry food before he was diagnosed with diabetes, but that didn't stop him from having to lose all but four of his teeth.

Right now my best friend is dealing with renal failure with her cat, Calvin. Calvin was fed a dry diet his whole life. He drank a lot--she had a pet fountain, and kept multiple water dishes, but that didn't replace the moisture he was getting in his food. My cat Gabby also was fed dry most her life and had renal insuffiency. She drank like a fish...I had glasses of water all over my house, and was constantly drinking all the time. Her increased water intake did not prevent dehydration with her. The problem is that a cat only drinks from dishes like that when it is already dehydrated. If the cat was getting a sufficient amount of moisture in its food, it wouldn't drink from them at all. When I switched Bandit to a completely canned diet, he stopped drinking from his water dishes completely.

Taste of the Wild and Wilderness are both NOT low-carb. I was feeding Bandit Taste of the Wild when he was diagnosed with diabetes. I was curious about the carb content because it was grain-free, and I called the company for the as-fed values. It's around 20% carbs. Same for the Wilderness, which I believe was 24%. Both are "grain free" because they use potatoes as a binder instead of corn, but potatoes are still high in carbs, and have a high glycemic index.

 

That dry food improves a cat's dental health is a myth.>>

Perhaps I have found proponents on both sides and research on both sides. Not here to argue with you. Some cats like dry food. A little or a mix won't kill them. This of course isn't going to be a welcomed statement here by some. It is the type of dry food that is bad.



Right now my best friend is dealing with renal failure with her cat, Calvin. Calvin was fed a dry diet his whole life.>>

Again we don't know his history. We don't know his family history. We don't know all the other issues. Did he use plastic bowls or dishes. Some believe it comes from that, renal failure from the toxins. I don't. Although I do know cats like my angel has allergies to plastic.

My lady died of renal failure also. She was 21. There are many cats that do just fine for many years on dry food without having problems. I have also had cats die of renal failure that were young. They ate all wet foods not dry. The ones that lived longer accept Suzie ate dry food go figure. So I don't believe you can blame renal failure just on dry food.

There are many reasons people use dry foods. Many cats live many years on dry food. I do believe that dry food full of carbs that turn to sugar so quickly like corn isn't good. Every person that reads these posts should take no one persons advice but they should do their own research and do plenty of it. Look at all sides of the coin.


There are so many if and or buts some many things that vary. One case isn't like the other.


Taste of the Wild and Wilderness are both NOT low-carb. I was feeding Bandit Taste of the Wild when he was diagnosed with diabetes. I was curious about the carb content because it was grain-free, and I called the company for the as-fed values. It's around 20% carbs. Same for the Wilderness, which I believe was 24%. Both are "grain free" because they use potatoes as a binder instead of corn, but potatoes are still high in carbs, and have a high glycemic index.>>

That is a good thing to know. The list I put here is one that people should research. They are the better foods. Better then fancy feast dry anyway or friskies etc. . . Mine right now are eating Blue wildness along with wet foods. Mostly fancy feast.

Dry food for many has to be an option. Many cats have been living on dry food alone for a long time without problems. Without renal failure and without diabetes. It is okay to chose dry food. Water is important. There are many ways to get water into a cat aside of wet food if that is not an option or if someone like me wants to do half and half.

Hang with all the cats I pick up dead on the streets most cats are lucky they have someone to ask that question.

 

I would like to see the studies you've found that does show a correlation between dental health and dry food. Do you have citations?

Many people live many years smoking cigarettes, but that doesn't mean cigarettes are good for you. There is evidence supporting the negative effects of dry food on feline health, and that is what I am basing my opinion on.

There can of, course, be many causes of renal failure in cats. A study I ready yesterday showed a correlation with large amounts of Vitamin D in feline diet and renal disease. But chronic dehydration is preventable, and a cat cannot make up with drinking what moisture is lost in food, no matter how much he runs to the water dish. Increased water intake from the dish means there is already a problem (And no, Calvin eats from ceramic and glass, not plastic).

Dry does not have to be an option. Most cats, even the stubborn dry addicts, can be transitioned to canned food. The exceptions, of course, are cats that are in palliative care that won't eat anything else. Dry food won't kill them, no, but it can cause all sorts of nutrition related diseases.

 

Dry does not have to be an option>> You can come here any time you want and try to get my Puddy to eat wet food.


All aside I knew when I posted that there are many people here that believe dry food for cats is the devil itself. Hence the reason you compare it to smoking. I don't. There are reason not to use wet food. We clearly are not going to see eye to eye that is okay.

Would make the world a dull place if we all did. People have a choice. Dry food is not the devil. Perhaps Natura EVO for vinney is a good choice perhaps it is not. They should do the research. Test it out see what happens. many cats live long HEALTHY lives on dry food. There is a middle ground. I know most people that read these threads do not post. they just read. They will make up their own minds. In many cases dry does have to be an option for many reasons.

So if that is the case the person can research all they are reading here and decide what they believe is best for their cat. If dry is the only option (whether you believe this or not is aside of what a person who knows their cat knows) and sometimes it is then they should do research and chose the best one they can find for their cat.

When I get the time to look up the stats again on the dry vs wet food again I will post them here. It has been a few years since I have looked into it. Here is one that I keep posted in my files because I believe that Suzie may had gotten her Hyperthyroidism from (Wet) eating canned food. She had that about 4 years perhaps 5 before the diabetes. However she had some other problems high blood pressure etc. that was caused by the Hyperthyroidism . She has issues from day one but I suspect the wet food had something to do with her Hyperthyroidism
http://www.askthevetspets.com/c2004-28.asp

I am not talking out my . . . . I have researched it. There are issues on both sides. I respect your views. The middle ground I believe is perhaps the safest place in general to be. Dry food can be an option.

 

It took my friend and I nearly 9 months to transition Calvin completely to canned, but we did. Sometimes it takes experimentation and patience.

I never said dry food is the "devil itself." I said that it is not the ideal diet for a cat and can cause many common health problems. There are many studies to support this statement. You seem to imply that many people believe this unreasonably, and miss the point of my smoking comment. It was not to say "dry food is as bad as cigarettes," but rather point out that some people can spend a life time doing something with a significant health risks involved and still live to be 100 years old, but that does not negate the overall risk factors for people in general.

The article you provided about hyper-t (from an advice column written by a cat it seems?) is referring to a study published in 2008 by the Journal of the AVMA:http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2004.224.879. This study did not link hyperthyroidism and canned food, but rather hyperthyroidism and the chemicals in the plastic lining used in pop-top cans. These chemicals have mostly been phased out of production in pop-tops, but canned cat food that does not have pop-tops would not provide any increased risk of hyperthyroidism. And remember, this does not mean that pop-top cans are the only cause. Studies also show that immunological factors and environmental influences also play a role.

As you said, people must make their own decisions, but I think that the evidence available supports canned food as being a healthier diet for cats. In the end this is ultimately my opinion, but one that is supported by fact. And I don't think feeding half of a healthy diet is as good as feeding a whole healthy diet. I'm most certainly not trying to say you're a bad owner for feeding dry, because we all love our cats very much and take care of them to the best of our abilities. A raw diet is even healthier than a canned diet, yet I feed canned food to my cat because I do not have currently have the means to feed a raw diet at this point in time. But I'm not going to tell people that a canned diet is just as healthy as a raw diet, as much as I would like it to be.

 

Dry does not have to be an option>> You can come here any time you want and try to get my Puddy to eat wet food. >>>

You can come like I said and try any time you want. I have been trying to get her to eat wet food for over 5 years. She was a feral that was fed dry food. Fancy feast dry. She is still pretty feral but we manage. Anway you can stay as long as you like to work with her. We always have a welcome door for cat friends. In fact I have to give her a bath next week you can come and join me for that : ). It is not pretty but she is long haired and there is no choice sometimes.

Not all cats will eat wet food. For some dry NEEDS to be an option. I won't make you believe that but as far as lurkers I want them to know if dry has to be an option try to get a better one if you can.

Sometimes it takes experimentation and patience.>> Trust me I have a lot of patience and we have experimented quite a bit. I am not new to cats or the cat world. I happen to believe that wet food is better but excuse the pun here but some one needs to be the devil's advocate. Sometimes dry is the only option. I also don't think it is a great sin if you leave dry as a little snack etc. . .



As I said it was 4 or 5 years ago. Yes I know about the pop tops. It just didn't happen to be in the article. There are places on that website that talks about it. People can do their own reasearch. We can give them the leads. However it is not clear if the bisphenol-A-diglyciddyl ether has been the cause of the increase of Hypert or not. In fact I don't believe it is. Wet food also has more Idione in it then does dry food which some also think is the cause of the increase in hyper T. Since Hyper-t is still increasing in numbers my bet would be the pop tops are only a small part of the hyper-t. http://www.askthevetspets.com/c2008-25.asp

but one that is supported by fact. >> as is my belief that a mix of wet and dry food is a healthy diet. Again each person will do what they believe is best for their cat.

 

The use of cat litter has also been linked to hyperthyroidism. I simply don't think that the risk factor for hyperthyroidism with canned food is enough to counteract the benefits of an canned diet vs. a dry diet. I understand there might be some situations that require dry food to be given. But if it is possible to eliminate dry completely, then it should be eliminated.

 

Thanks for all the input. I give Vinney wet like Pumpkin and Maisey, and occasionally he even eats it. He is a VERY BIG BOY - He's 18inches high 2 foot long, not counting long strong wicked tail and usually runs to 16 pounds, solid muscle. He's lost some weight and is very stubborn. He's also my sissy. I've test his BG and it's 40, so he doesn't need low carbs and his dishes are higher up than the others. But now that Maisey is feeling better she can and does jump up to his spot. If he is there, he will abdicate to Maisey. If you look at the picture gallery, you'll see he much more than twice Maisey in size and they are litter mates.

 

But if it is possible to eliminate dry completely, then it should be eliminated.>> We agree to disagree.

You state your case well. If you were closer I bet you would give puddy a run for her money. I wish she would eat some wet food. I may not be able to hold her or even touch her without her going crazy but I love her and want her around for a while. I as you know do not believe dry should eliminated in most cases talking about normal cats not diabetics but we have beaten that to death.

The statement that started this was "This is simply a very general comment....." was not just a simple comment. I have been to this website long before this discussion. I know a lot of people like it here. I find it a bit over the top.

Perhaps because I deal with mostly feral cats in the city my views are a little different. However I am sure many people here do the same thing. The things I see give me nightmares. So if someone wants to feed their cat or they can for many reasons only feed dry food I don't think they should feel like they are killing their cat. . . There has to be a happy meduim. I eat mostly fruits and veggies. After all our orignal make-up didn't require us to be meat eaters. However every once in a while I like a burger or cow milk instead of soy milk. To me it is the same. Not really un healthy for me but the fruits and veggies are better for me then a lot of red meate etc.


I do believe if puddy would eat some wet food with the dry that would most helpful. So we agree to disagree. Like that hasn't happened before in the history of the internet LOL

Now if you want to come to Pa and help me give her a bath next week I am all for that : )

BTW I just want to tell the original poster I love the name Vinney for a cat.

A good memorial day to all.

 

Unfortunately, this is not true and taps into the old..."you can lead a cat to water but you can't make them drink" issue. Because cats have a very low thirst drive, they need to get their water with their food. Sitting out bowls of water is not going to stimulate thirst and thirst is what drives a cat to drink....in a good way.

Please also note that several veterinary colleagues who have gotten their feline patients on all canned food have stopped seeing blocked cats. One colleague who took over a practice from a vet who was a staunch anti-dry food vet used to see a few blocked cats each week in her old practice (where she spent 15 years working). Since taking over this other pro-canned food practice several years ago, she has not seen a single blocked cat...unless it had been fed dry food.

One of the most respected consultants on VIN has stated the same thing. Never sees blocked cats on canned food...they are always the dry food-fed cats.

The myth that dry food exerts any beneficial effect on teeth has no basis in fact and perpetuating this myth has done far more harm because it keeps people thinking that they need to feed dry food for dental health. Our rescue group is in charge of feeding about 2,500 feral cats each day and I can tell you that plenty of them suffer from severe dental disease and are on all dry food.

That said, canned food is not much better (if any better?) for teeth than dry food......neither exert any abrasive forces on the teeth.

I know that this is going to come across as arrogant but very few veterinarians know much about optimal feline nutrition and the nutrition advice that they hand out is not always in the best interest of promoting feline health.

Agree 100%. We certainly could never afford to feed all canned food to 2,500 ferals....so, yes...there are situations where dry food needs to be fed but I will not go so far as to say that it is optimal to feed both.

But you are really misunderstanding the point and what you state above makes no sense.

Again, cats have a low thirst drive and are designed to get water with their food....making this statement erroneous:

No, it doesn't. Again, "by nature" cats are designed to get their water when they ingest their prey. Prey that is normally at least 70% water. Dry food is 10% or less.

An interesting study was done with two groups of cats. Both groups had free choice water available to them.

Group 1 was on all canned food.

Group 2 was on all dry food.

When the water intake from all sources (food and water bowl) was added up, the cats on all canned food consumed double the amount of water....100% more water was consumed when the cat ate a moisture-rich diet.

So...putting out a bunch of bowls of water in every corner of your house...or even using water fountains....is just not going to stimulate the thirst of the cat....and thirst is what makes any living creature drink.

Now...for CKD cats I do recommend having bowls of water out and fountains because if they are not feeling well, they may not be willing to travel through the house to get to their water....but we are not talking about sick cats here - we are simply talking about getting an average, healthy cat to consume more liquid.

Ok - do I think it is a sin to feed a non-diabetic cat a bit of dry food? No, I don't. I eat plenty of junk food and am not...contrary to popular belief...a cat food Nazi. I also know that there are some INCREDIBLY stubborn dry food addicts which is why I wrote my Tips for Transitioning Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food. If this issue was not so difficult to deal with...that paper would not be 8 pages long.

That said, I have dealt with plenty of dry food addicts and have never failed yet...but then I have not dealt with every addict on the planet either so I am not here to sit in judgement of the Gizmos and Claras of the world. (Old timers will know who I am speaking about. I am sure they are sitting in Kitty Heaven happily munching on their dry food.)

Many of us deal with feral cats on a daily basis and will definitely agree with you on that issue.

 

If Puddy is anything like Bandit at bath time, then no thank you! After being clawed, urinated on, and bitten, I would say that Bandit's baths are traumatic to say the least.