I've been doing a lot of research on the subject of canine nutrition and have been trying to pick a dog food for when my pup comes home. I like the things I have read about Innova and think their food is top-notch. I was a little concerned, however, about what to feed my dog as a puppy, especially because of the growth concerns associated with large breed dogs. I emailed Innova yesterday and received the following answer today:

Thank you for contacting us about our products. We are coming out with large breed formulas this month. The Innova Large Breed foods should be available in stores in late April.

The Innova Adult is balanced for all life stages as well, and would be a good choice for a large breed puppy until the large breed foods are available. Attached to this e-mail is the feeding chart you need to follow if you choose to feed the Innova Adult to your puppy.

The Innova EVO is balanced for all life stages, and therefore can be fed to puppies that are not large breeds.

Here is an excerpt from a letter our Vice President, co-founder, and nutritionist Peter Atkins wrote that might help to further define the Innova EVO and large breed puppies/dogs:

Q. Is EVO Dog Food appropriate to feed to my large breed puppy?

A. No. EVO Dog will tend to maximize growth. This could be harmful to the long term health and well being of your large breed puppy.

Q. Can I feed EVO Dog Food to my Adult or Senior Large Breed Dog?

A. Yes. Feeding EVO Dog Food to your adult large breed dog can work very nicely.

So it sounds like we will soon have an even better product for our special lab friends.

I'd welcome any comments that folks have on this, especially those who have used Innova. Thanks!

Great info, thanks. And, Welcome!

It would also be great if they came out with an EVO lg breed puppy food!

I'd welcome any comments that folks have on this, especially those who have used Innova. Thanks!

I fed Innova puppy (still kicking myself for being so ignorant) and other than the hip dysplasia, Jes did well on it ;). Seriously, it is a great food, and if they sold Innova around here I would probably feed Innova adult. If you like the food, and more importantly the food agrees with your dog, I'd definitely try the adult Innova until the LB Innova Puppy comes out.

I feed Innova Adult to both my guys and they do well on it. Per cup, it has a pretty high calorie content so I really have to watch my Lab and give him other healthy, lower calorie fillers as he seems to still be hungry when he is finished. I also alternate the Innova with Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato for variety.

I use Innova Adult... Michelob loves it! He has done really well on it too. He is 9 months old so I probably wont switch to the Large Breed Puppy but think that it is great they are going to offer that choice.

Thanks for the information!

Here's a further update because I was a little unclear about exactly what they would be offering:

There will be puppy, adult, and senior large breed foods available for the full life cycle of your pet.

They said they would send out some literature and samples. Of course, the samples won't do me much good since my puppy's not coming until August.

They'll have to change one of their FAQs then :)

question:
What food should I give to my large breed puppy?

answer:
We do not make any breed specific diets. Research has shown that the varying nutritional needs of dogs have more to do with age, metabolism, and activity level than with breed. Manufacturers who feel that more formulas on the shelves will mean more sales commonly use breed specific diets as a marketing ploy.

They'll have to change one of their FAQs then :)

question:
What food should I give to my large breed puppy?

answer:
We do not make any breed specific diets. Research has shown that the varying nutritional needs of dogs have more to do with age, metabolism, and activity level than with breed. Manufacturers who feel that more formulas on the shelves will mean more sales commonly use breed specific diets as a marketing ploy.

Right, so they will have to add

" which is why we created a LB line of dog foods "

Definately great news from a great company, I love their philosophy on health for pets, as well as their business ethics. I'll be picking up a bag of this for Pepper when it hits store shelves. :)


_andy

Right, so they will have to add

" which is why we created a LB line of dog foods "

LOL!

I think it's important to remember that profit is the bottom line. Consumer demand rules the marketplace. Sigh.

For what it's worth, I think the regular Innova is just fine for large breed puppies, at least as long as portions are controlled. I bet the folks at Innova believe this too. I'd also bet their sales will increase with the addition of the large breed formula.