# Stay away form EVO Innova



## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Just something I found surfing the web that I thought might be interesting to those here since I always see so many questions about Innova foods. I'm not sure when this was originally posted but the feedback dates are as current as september 2009.

Innova Testing Results Posted By CEO Of Natura In Our Forums
Toxin tests performed on Innova dog food (by an Itchmo member) got more attention today when the CEO of Natura, Peter Atkins, posted their test results. Natura owns the Innova brand.

On Jun 4, 2007, Donna (Itchmo username PFR07PS) received test results on her sample of Innova dog food from ExperTox stating that it tested positive for acetaminophen and cyanuric acid. She was prompted to test for toxins after spotting black and white chunks in the Innova kibble.

She paid for two tests. The first, performed on the dog kibble itself, tested negative for toxins. However, the second test, performed on just the black and white specks in the dog food (shown in photo) tested positive for cyanuric acid and acetaminophen.

Natura’s CEO said that the specks in the dog food are vitamin mineral premixes that did not dissolve during the manufacturing process — something Atkins said was “very uncommon”. He also added that the amounts of vitamins found in the kibble should not present any problems for pets.
The results found its way on to the ItchmoForums. Yesterday, the CEO of Natura responded in the thread with their test results — including a test of a similar batch of dog food from ExperTox. The sample of dog food sent in by Donna in May to Natura was not tested.

Atkins said:

Samples of both the retained samples of the actual production run for Donnaâ€™s food (the retain sample is a composite of the entire production run and does include a representative sample of Donnaâ€™s food, including a sample taken directly in the middle of the two samples that she sent us - i.e. Donnaâ€™s samples were stamped 2019 and 2022; our retain is time stamped 2021) and the premix used in that production was sent to two different laboratories for testing. As expected, both tests have come back negative for acetaminophen contamination.

He also continued on to apologize to Natura’s customers via the post, however Donna says that she has yet to receive a call from Atkins.

Atkins said although Natura is continuing to use Menu Foods’ South Dakota plant for their wet foods, they are still committed to building or buying their own plant. He added that Natura no longer sources any ingredients from China.

Donna’s full email to us is below:

I have followed the pet food recall very closely, mostly because I want to protect my two dogs as best I can. I thought I was in as safe a position as I could be as we purchased what is commonly referred to as a â€œsuper premiumâ€� dog food.

On May 3, we purchased two bags of Innova adult dry dog food. We opened the first bag the following week and fed our dogs a couple of meals from that bag. When we prepared their next meal we were surprised to discover some large black and beige unknown objects actually embedded in the kibble. These chunks were very hard and varied in size; some protruded sharply from the kibble. We opened the second bag and found the same. We contacted the company to alert them to what we found and even offered pictures of the foreign objects. The rep told me they did not need to see the pictures, but a few days later told us we could submit a sample for analysis.

We decided to obtain a second analysis from AccuTrace in Arlington, TX. This analysis was done privately at our expense. A few days later the lab called with the results. First, the overall test of the kibble did not detect any of the known toxins (melamine, etc.). However, the analysis of the black and beige objects yielded the detection of acetaminophen and cyanuric acid. I cannot explain how shocked I was to hear the results. The analysis was done with the GC/MS technique.

The black and beige specks are actually embedded into the kibble. There is no possible way someone could insert these objects after the kibble was manufactured and packaged. We do not take acetaminophen nor do we have any in our house. We purchased the bags at the pet store, opened them in our home and we are the only persons who had access to the bags. Therefore, it is our conclusion that the objects were embedded in the kibble during the production process. The lab has also assured us of their confidence in the detection of the contaminants of acetaminophen and cyanuric acid. To date, I have not been advised of the results of the analysis from Natura Pet, makers of Innova.

We do not believe the dogs had enough of this food to make them sick. However, starting in January both dogs were sick over the course of two months. It was sporadic and hard to determine why they continued to have tummy aches, refuse their meals, vomit, appear very lethargic, and the female experienced terrible problems with incontinence. I placed repeated phone calls to the manufacturer to determine if there were formula or supplier changes that might have resulted in a change in the food that might have upset their stomachs. I was repeatedly told, â€œno changes.â€� The only common denominator for their illnesses was the dog food. Unfortunately, I have none of that food to test.

I share this information to encourage others to be suspect of any and all pet foods. Do not ignore what your pet is trying to tell you. If they do not want to eat the food, there is a reason. If they show unusual symptoms or behavioral changes, check it out with your vet immediately. You must do your own research and testing to ensure the safety, health and well-being of your pet.

Follow the link to read all the feedback.
http://www.itchmo.com/innova-testing-results-posted-by-ceo-of-naturapet-1845


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Is this Innova or EVO? They are different lines of food by Natura.. or do you mean ALL the Natura food lines?

Btw, I've used EVO for Cadence.. and have never seen any specks whatsoever on any of the kibbles??


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Keep in mind that the post was entered in 2007. If I remember correctly, the sample was sent in a baggie so the lab could not verify if the sample was purposely tainted and from what batch the sample, if it was actually from the bag, originated. This may not be the same story as I didn't read the whole thing but the fine print on the bottom says it's from 2007 which is the year of the major recall. Natura actually posted the test results, done in an independent lab,, on their website.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

I fed Innova for a while and had good results. I haven't heard of anyone have problems with the food until now! I'm not feeding it anymore anyways so it doesn't apply to me but I'm shocked that they would use cyanuric acid in the food! 

I wonder if it was on purpose or it's just a contamination?


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Since the entry is from 2007, I would assume that it's the same incident that I was referring to and therefore, they found no acetaminophen or cyauronic acid in the sample. I don't think they've had any problems since.


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## KennethDGomez (Mar 20, 2010)

Innova Evo dry dog food is a high protein, low carbohydrate and grain-free kibble made by Natura Pet Products, Inc. Choose which type of Innova Evo dry dog food that you want to purchase. Go to the manufacturer's "Where to Buy" tool on their website to locate a store that sells Innova Evo dry dog food in your area. Ask your local pet food store to special order Innova Evo dry dog food for you. 

Any pet owner interested in saving money should consider buying wholesale dry dog food in bulk. Shop around for the best deals by consulting warehouses and pet stores. Pay attention to the expiration date on the dry dog food bag. Purchase the biggest bag of dry dog food possible. Plan ahead by purchasing a large dry dog food storage container. Make purchases based on your dog's dietary restrictions and tastes. Don't buy your dog food over the Internet.

If you are a pet store or small grocery owner, or even a vet or groomer, you want to provide only the healthiest and safest food for sale, or to be given as treats. Look for a dog food distributor or manufacturer who offers safety guarantees and proof of testing. Investigate to see what well-known dog food distributors and makers are in your area. Ask for and check references. Find out about minimum purchase requirements. Ask about about delivery time lines. Become knowledgeable about food for pets with special needs, in addition to regular formula foods. Use safe, airtight storage containers for dry dog food. Many dog food makers carry both a regular dog food line, and a natural holistic line.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

flipgirl said:


> Since the entry is from 2007, I would assume that it's the same incident that I was referring to and therefore, they found no acetaminophen or cyauronic acid in the sample. I don't think they've had any problems since.


This just goes to show you that People DON'T READ... *"On Jun 4, 2007, Donna (Itchmo username PFR07PS) received test results on her sample of Innova dog food from ExperTox stating that it tested positive for acetaminophen and cyanuric acid. She was prompted to test for toxins after spotting black and white chunks in the Innova kibble."*


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## ruckusluvr (Sep 20, 2009)

doesnt matter what dog food brand you feed, you are not "safe" even if you home cook your dog food. even people stuff gets recalled.

lots of people bash diamond because of the recall. but what about Canadiea (sp) Natural Balance, Evo, and even wellness has been recalled before.


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

ruckusluvr said:


> doesnt matter what dog food brand you feed, you are not "safe" even if you home cook your dog food. even people stuff gets recalled.
> 
> lots of people bash diamond because of the recall. but what about Canadiea (sp) Natural Balance, Evo, and even wellness has been recalled before.


+1. This was what I was thinking and wondered what test results would show now, three almost four years later.


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## Hazak Farms (Jan 29, 2010)

I would have a hard time buying from any company that has been part of a major recall. I don't care if it is for humans or dogs. If people would stand up and stop supporting the deadly way the food and pet food industry operates, we could have confidence in the food we buy again. There is no reason to "forgive" these companies. It was not an accident. They were buying poisoned garbage from a country known for its lack of regard for public health. They are not sorry for killing dogs, cats or even children. They are just sorry they got caught. 

I recommend people watch a movie called Food inc. You can watch it online for free at google. It is about the human food industry but it is all the same. We bought a copy just so we could pass it around. We have had to dare people to watch it because they were too afraid to get their heads out of the sand and think about where their food comes from. I find that a lot in regards to pet food as well.


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Dog_Shrink said:


> This just goes to show you that People DON'T READ... *"On Jun 4, 2007, Donna (Itchmo username PFR07PS) received test results on her sample of Innova dog food from ExperTox stating that it tested positive for acetaminophen and cyanuric acid. She was prompted to test for toxins after spotting black and white chunks in the Innova kibble."*


You just proved your own point because I said in my post that I didn't read the whole thing. Did the test results say what the sample came in? If it came in a ziploc bag then I would really question the validityof those results.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

flipgirl said:


> You just proved your own point because I said in my post that I didn't read the whole thing. Did the test results say what the sample came in? If it came in a ziploc bag then I would really question the validityof those results.


Then apparently you didn't read past the second paragraph because this was in the beginning of the third. If you don't read the article and look at the photos which show the kibbles and how they were affected (and it certainly wasn't from being carried in a zip lock bag) then maybe you could make a valid arguement on the topic insted of spewing your guesses. Why not educate yourself a bit before trying to take part in this debate.

To the other posters... I have written so many articles on the food recalls of 2007 for our paper that is really sickens me. These companies did realise they purchased from sources that don't have our same high standards for food control BUT Diamond was the first to admit there was a major problem, helped expose the source and settled over 6 million in law suits and compensation as a direct result of the recalls. They also had an issue in the last 2 years where they had another minor recall because of a salmonella issues but again right up front, honest and resolved everything fast. Have I seen any of the other companies do that... nope... would I ever buy from a tainted company that was on that list... only Diamond because I know what they did to re-tool their plant, and change THEIR protocol so this never happens again.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

From the photos of the kibbles, it looks like the regular Innova line, not EVO. EVO kibbles are small and square. Innova ones are triangular like the ones in the photo.


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## ruckusluvr (Sep 20, 2009)

dog_shrink said:


> to the other posters... I have written so many articles on the food recalls of 2007 for our paper that is really sickens me. These companies did realise they purchased from sources that don't have our same high standards for food control but diamond was the first to admit there was a major problem, helped expose the source and settled over 6 million in law suits and compensation as a direct result of the recalls. They also had an issue in the last 2 years where they had another minor recall because of a salmonella issues but again right up front, honest and resolved everything fast. Have i seen any of the other companies do that... Nope... Would i ever buy from a tainted company that was on that list... Only diamond because i know what they did to re-tool their plant, and change their protocol so this never happens again.



****applauds****


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