I am the mom of a senior dog, Kuma, my laid back 13 year old chow chow. While chows are sometimes purported to be mean, he is sweet, reserved and surprisingly submissive toward his feline roommates, Bridget, Jaz and Nikko, and even strangers. He still loves to fetch and play. He does have a flea allergy, occasional skin problems, as well as arthritis. Normally all foods I've given him are fine for him, and he hasn't had any bad reactions, but he likes some better than others of course. I generally stick to products for senior dogs, though will fall back on others if I can't get to the pet store, or can't find it at the grocery store.

He has been on a pretty consistent diet of Nutro Natural Choice Senior as it provides him with glucosamine and chondroitin, which is very helpful for his creaky, slow, painful joints, and also for his skin.

However, the last time I was in the pet store I was given numerous samples of Innova Dog Food in the green bag. I feel a little guilty giving him the same thing every single meal of every single day. So, when I was running out of his usual diet, and unable to get to the pet store, I decided to mix a little with his normal food, and see how he liked it, and the basic, over-all results.

The food comes in small, dark, crunchy pieces, and Kuma went absolutely bonkers over it. He just gobbled it up. That is the good news. The bad news is that he had a sensitivity to the food as it produced excessive flatulence and diarrhea. It is probably best to check with the veterinarian first before changing your dog’s diet, but I felt since I was giving him small amounts added to his regular food in an emergency like situation, that it wouldn’t present any problems.

I spoke with his veterinarian later and asked him how he felt about Innova Dog Food and the manufacturers who feel that dogs require/desire as much variety (five food groups) as people do. He did not agree. He also felt that apples, carrots and such were not easily digestible for any dog. But check with your vet as regards your particular dog(s), based on his/her/their age, breed, health.

Ingredients:

Innova I was pleased to see, is made with healthy ingredients including turkey, chicken, brown rice, potatoes, apples, carrots, cottage cheese, alfalfa sprouts, eggs and garlic

Another great thing is that there are absolutely no fillers, and the food is fortified with Vitamins C, E, and A, so add on the plus that there are antioxidants in the Innova. It is also rich in Omega 6 and 3 fatty acids.

Snore City, but here is the guaranteed analysis for those dogs who are impressed by this:

Crude Protein 24.0%
Crude fat 14.0%,
Crude Fiber 3.0%
Moisture 10.0%
Vitamin E 200 Iu/cup
Vitamin C 500 mg/cup

Additional dog products made by Natura:

Innova Health Bars, Innova Puppy (dry), Innova
cans, Innova Senior dry or cans

Innova’s web site is located at http://www.naturapet.com

Address:
P. O. Box 271, Santa Clara, California 95052.
Phone 800/532-7261.

There are 2269 Natura dealers, and I easily found their products at my local pet store. While I have heard others say it may be difficult to find their products, and that their customer service may not be the best, their website was very user friendly. You merely type in your zip code, and they’ll direct you to the closest source of their dog and cat foods. They also have an email form to complete and they say they will get back to you within two days. Add to that their address and 800 number, it does seem they are easily reachable. However, I haven’t contacted them regarding product problems, so I don’t know how they would be in that situation.

Final Thoughts:

Apparently (in Kuma’s words) this is a very tasty dog food. I like that it contains Vitamins A, C, E and that there are not any by-products or fillers. While the ingredients are in the five food groups, and that is important for humans, I am not convinced it is appropriate for dogs. I just know that giving Kuma small amounts added to his food for several days did upset his stomach (and while he has skin & flea allergies, along with arthritis, he has never experienced intestinal difficulties before). I think this food is too rich for him. So, again, check with your veterinarian, to see if he or she feels this is a good choice for your dog(s). It may be the perfect food for your dog, just not for mine.

I am giving it a two out of five for Kuma. It might make a great dish for me though; just throw in some angel hair pasta and voila! Scrumptious!

Update:

I had Kuma for 15 years, and he passed away from old age at 16 1/2. In retrospect giving Kuma this product, not made specifically for seniors, even though it was added to his regular senior food, was probably not wise. And the ingredients might have been too much regardless. Again, check with your vet if you have questions, consider your pet's age, lifestyle, health situation, preferences.

I now have an adorable lab/border collie mix I adopted from a local pound(shelter is not an appropriate word in this case-horrible place). Please be sure to neuter/spay your pets. Please consider adopting from pounds, shelters, animal rescue groups, but only if you are committed to the dog/cat/other for its lifetime!

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Suzi

Recommended: No