Evanger’s Dog Food Review: A Gourmet Feast for Your Furry Friend?

A vast majority of pet food manufacturers offer a larger variety of dry foods than wet foods. One of the few exceptions to this rule is the Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company.

Founded more than 75 years ago, it specializes in the production of high-quality canned food products for dogs, cats, and other animals.

This company does offer a limited selection of dry foods, but it puts more effort into promoting its canned products – the brand even sells its canned foods as mixers for its dry foods.

Evanger’s is an independently owned company that produces all of its own products in company-owned facilities. The company website states that its pet foods are “made with completely human-grade, highly palatable and nutritious” ingredients that will satisfy even the pickiest of eaters.

The company cooks its products in a unique process that preserves the nutritional integrity of the raw ingredients. It does this by cooking the foods in their own natural juices.

Manufacturer Information

This company was founded all the way back in 1935 by Fred Evanger. At the time, Evanger was a breeder of champion Great Danes and an advocate of nutritious dog food as the secret to his success.

After building his own canning factory, Evanger started producing high-quality pet foods free from additives and preservatives in keeping with his own strict nutritional standards.

Since 1935, Evanger’s has grown into a major pet food brand but it still produces in the original site in accordance with the same standards for quality and safety.

 

Evanger’s Dog Food Reviews

The Evanger’s company makes some lofty claims regarding the quality of its products. Not only does the brand use a variety of different proteins, many of them are novel proteins and lean game meats like venison, pheasant, and buffalo.

In addition to quality proteins, its products are made with digestible carbohydrates and, in many cases, fresh fruits and vegetables for nutritional balance. While each recipe is unique, the overall quality of this brand is high.

1. Super Premium Game Bird Recipe with Coconut Oil

Like its name suggests, this recipe provides your pet with the exciting taste of the wild through the main ingredients — duck and turkey.

It’s a good choice for sensitive dogs since it steers away from chicken, which is a common allergy trigger in pups. The food is also pea-free to make it more enticing to pet parents who might be leery of legumes in their pet’s meal.

This recipe starts with nutrient-dense duck meal and turkey meal, making it ideal for dogs due to the high-quality meat content. These proteins offer similar nutrition to chicken, with duck being slightly higher in fat. This is balanced by essential carbohydrates from sweet potatoes, green lentils, brown rice, and pearled barley, providing quick energy for active dogs.

Key ingredients like coconut oil promote a healthy coat, digestion, and metabolism, while turmeric offers anti-inflammatory benefits. The recipe includes probiotics, prebiotics, and chelated minerals for complete daily nutrition without compromising on ingredient quality.

Pet owners praise the formulation for its quality, reporting improved coat softness, fewer stomach upsets, and dogs enjoying the flavor.

2. Chicken with Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Recipe

Canines who don’t do well on grains will probably find their ideal match in this grain-free formulation by the brand.

The recipe starts with deboned chicken and nutrient-dense chicken meal, which provides a high level of protein. The addition of fish meal raises the protein content to 33%, making it a protein-rich option for dogs.

Sweet potatoes offer healthy carbohydrates, vitamins, and fiber to aid digestion, while chicken fat, flaxseed, and canola oil supply essential fats and omega fatty acids.

The formula also includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with supplemental vitamins and probiotics for a balanced diet. Although the long list of ingredients can be overwhelming, there are no problematic ingredients aside from the somewhat controversial canola oil, which is highly processed but safe.

Pet owners report positive results, with their dogs enjoying the taste, gaining weight, growing healthier coats, and experiencing fewer digestive issues. The recipe is highly rated by 90% of users.

3. Super Premium Chicken with Brown Rice Recipe

This is a well-balanced meal suitable for all life stages, featuring real chicken and chicken meal as the primary ingredients.

Chicken meal enhances the protein content to 26%, while brown rice and oatmeal provide healthy carbohydrates and fiber. Chicken fat offers digestible fat with beneficial omega-6 fatty acids, contributing to energy, skin, and coat health.

The recipe includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, parsley, and cranberries, along with added vitamins and chelated minerals. It avoids preservatives, artificial ingredients, and byproducts, focusing instead on natural, nutritious components.

Pet owners rate this food highly, with a 97% approval rating, noting improvements in gas, intestinal issues, and overall enjoyment of the flavor.

4. Whitefish & Sweet Potato Recipe with Salmon Meal

This grain-free formulation is designed to provide a balanced diet with high protein and low fat to support ideal weight and energy levels. It is chicken-free, making it suitable for dogs with chicken sensitivities.

It features whitefish meal as the primary protein source, complemented by buffalo meal and salmon meal, delivering a high crude protein level of 30%. Carbohydrates come from sweet potatoes, lentils, and peas, offering quick energy and essential nutrients.

Fats are sourced from sunflower oil, menhaden fish oil, and coconut oil, each contributing to heart health, joint support, and cognitive function. While it has fewer fruits and vegetables compared to some other recipes, it maintains strong nutritional value.

With a lower crude fat content of 12% and reduced calories, this formulation is ideal for active or weight-conscious dogs. The small kibble size suits both small and large dogs, and it has received a high 97% recommend rating from pet owners.

5. Meat Lover's Medley with Rabbit 

This meat lover’s formulation features three unique meats for a sumptuous medley your little carnivore can get behind.

Instead of grains, this recipe relies instead on nutrient-laden vegetables and fruits to provide canines a balanced nutrition. This is crafted to provide complete nutrition for all breeds and life stages.

Pork meal, buffalo meal, and rabbit meal make up the three animal proteins in the food. (Disregard the beef mentioned by the brand and Chewy. Beef is different from buffalo, and the label says buffalo.)

These are three proteins that may be considered novel and not listed in the common triggers for allergy in dogs. If you have a sensitive pet, this meaty food may be best for him.

The recipe starts with pork meal, followed by buffalo meal and rabbit meal, which collectively provide a high protein level of 30% to support energy and muscle health. With no grains, it includes sweet potatoes, lentils, and peas for carbohydrates, fiber, and essential nutrients.

Fats come from sunflower oil, flaxseed, and coconut oil, which are beneficial for skin, coat health, and vitamin absorption.

Noteworthy ingredients include dried kelp, rich in vitamins and minerals, and yucca schidigera, which helps reduce stool odor.

This all-life-stage formula is designed to cater to sensitive stomachs and picky eaters, providing balanced nutrition with probiotics for digestive health. It has a 91% rating on Chewy, appreciated for its effectiveness with sensitive pups and its suitability for multi-age households.

6. Organics Turkey with Potato & Carrots Dinner

This is a high-quality, protein-rich dog food made with certified-organic ingredients.

Featuring organic turkey as the main protein source and organic chicken broth for moisture, the formula also includes organic potatoes and carrots as digestible, grain-free carbohydrates. The limited ingredient list makes it ideal for dogs with food allergies or sensitivities.

While it offers balanced nutrition and is certified kosher, the food could be improved with additional animal fat and chelated minerals for better nutrient absorption. Overall, it's a solid choice for dogs of all life stages.

7. Classic Recipes Senior & Weight Management Dinner

This wet food is crafted specifically for mature dogs who aren’t very active. It’s a meat-based formula that helps older canines manage their weight while providing them with a delicious meal that will satisfy. 

This grain-inclusive, kosher-certified canned dog food features a simple formula with just six main ingredients, including chicken as the sole animal protein.

Chicken broth adds moisture, and brown rice provides fiber and essential nutrients. The formula also includes guar gum for consistency, dried kelp for added vitamins and minerals, and yucca schidigera to reduce stool odor.

With a crude protein content of 7%, it offers balanced nutrition for older dogs without excessive calories, helping maintain a healthy weight.

Reviewers appreciate its appealing texture and mild smell, and many report positive results, including weight loss in their pets.

8. Grain-Free Hand Packed Whole Chicken Thighs

Evanger's Hand-Packed line features a simple, wholesome dog food with just two ingredients: whole chicken thigh and chicken broth.

The chicken is slow-cooked with bones left intact, which are softened through a special process to ensure they are splinter-free, adding flavor and essential nutrients like iron, calcium, and magnesium. The broth enhances moisture, keeping dogs hydrated.

With 16% crude protein—high for wet food—the meal is nutritious, kosher-certified, and preservative-free. Pet owners praise its recognizable, whole ingredients, and 92% recommend it for its taste and texture, though some mistakenly view the natural chicken fat as grease.

9. Grain-Free Rabbit Formula

This is a grain-free, holistic dog (and cat) food designed to meet nutritional needs with a novel protein source—rabbit.

It contains only four natural ingredients: rabbit, water, rabbit liver, and guar gum. This simple formula makes it ideal for sensitive pets prone to food allergies, offering a high-protein, low-calorie option.

With 337 kcals per can, it's suitable as a full meal or a topper for dry food. Pet owners appreciate its allergy-friendly, single-protein source, especially for multi-pet households. The pate form is easy to serve, and it's free from fillers, preservatives, soy, wheat, and corn.

10. Low Fat Vegetarian Dinner

Done right, vegetarian meals can sustain dogs and even help them thrive. Dogs are omnivores, and they can stay healthy on a vegetarian diet.

This plant-based loaf recipe designed for both dogs and cats, focusing on fruits and vegetables packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

The primary ingredients, sweet potatoes and potatoes, offer fiber and carbohydrates for sustained energy. Brown rice is included for its nutrient-rich hull, while a mix of vegetables and fruits like carrots, peas, cranberries, and blueberries provide balanced nutrition.

This vegetarian formula uses eggs for protein, raising the content to 7%, and olive and vegetable oils for healthy fats, essential for skin, coat, and insulation.

At 276 kcal per can, it’s low in calories, ideal for maintaining or controlling weight without sacrificing nutrition. It’s free from fillers, preservatives, and salt, making it suitable for dogs with meat allergies or those needing low-fat diets.

With mostly positive reviews, pet owners report that dogs with skin sensitivities, upset stomachs, or those requiring low-fat diets thrive on this formula.

11. Nothing But Natural Venison with Fruits & Vegetables Jerky

There’s nothing wrong with making sure that even the treats you dole out are just as healthy as the regular food you supply your pups.

These low-calorie jerky treats are a healthy way to sneak fruits and veggies into your dog's diet. Oven-baked and semi-moist, they're easy to break apart for training or feeding small dogs.

Made without artificial ingredients, soy, wheat, corn, or grain, they're suitable for all dogs, including those with sensitivities.

Venison is the primary ingredient, providing a lean protein source that’s less likely to trigger allergies, with a 17% minimum crude protein content.

Potato flour acts as a binder, and chicory root adds probiotic benefits. Additional ingredients like gelatin support joint health, while palm glycerin helps retain moisture.

The treats also include blueberries, carrots, cranberries, and peas, offering added nutrition. Each treat contains just 6 calories, making them guilt-free for frequent snacking without weight gain.

With a 98% recommendation rate, reviewers praise the treats for their quality, affordability, and suitability for weight-conscious pets.

12. Nothing but Natural Beef Hearts 

These gently-dried treats with the tagline of Nothing but Natural are composed of only one ingredient! It’s about as simple and pure as you can get when feeding your furry pet, especially those who are finicky or with food sensitivities. 

There absolutely no preservatives included, natural or otherwise. The hearts are preserved through the company's special drying process. You can also use these as rewards, snacks, or toppers. They can be given dry or reconstituted in water for dogs who might prefer softer food.

The star of this treat is beef heart, a nutrient-dense organ meat rich in essential amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, and phosphorus, supporting healthy bones and reducing oxidative stress. With a high protein content of 67% and 1% fat, it's both nutritious and highly palatable, appealing even to finicky pets.

These treats are ideal for dogs with food allergies due to their single-ingredient formulation and lack of preservatives. They can also be given to cats, making them versatile for multi-pet households. With a 92% recommendation rate, they are easy to break up, making portion control simple.

Made in the USA?

The Evanger’s company is a U.S.-based company that has been producing and manufacturing pet foods for more than 75 years. What began as a small one-man operation has blossomed into a major pet food company, though its pet products are still made in the company’s original canning facility at the original site.

The business is headquartered in Wheeling, Illinois, which is also where its product are made. Not only does the company make its own products in the company-owned cannery, but it also manufactures some private label pet foods as well.

Where do they get their ingredients from?

Evanger’s states that its products are made with human-grade, highly nutritious and palatable ingredients. The company website states that the products are free from corn, wheat, and soy ingredients as well as harmful additives, artificial ingredients, preservatives, and by-products.

Evanger’s is adamant that its production processes are superior to those of other pet food manufacturers, citing the fact that its canned foods are hand-packed with raw, natural ingredients in their own natural juices.

What the brand doesn't say is exactly where it gets its “raw, natural ingredients”. Evanger’s talks about the wholesome nutrition of its products but doesn’t go into detail about the ingredients that go into those products.

Recall History

In February 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated an investigation of a manufacturing plant owned by Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co. Inc.

This was the result of a report that a dog died after Evanger’s Hunk of Beef canned dog food. The resulting testing found that the dog’s stomach and the can of food the dog had eaten from contained pentobarbital, a barbiturate used in euthanasia. 

According to the FDA, when ingested the drug can cause side effects such as dizziness, loss of balance, drowsiness, excitement, nausea nystagmus (jerky movement in the eyes), inability to stand and coma.  

Evanger’s issued a limited recall, which was expanded into a full recall encompassing three different varieties of pulled-beef by Evanger’s and Against the Grain (a dog food line manufactured at the affected Evanger’s plant).

The recalls involved the following:

• Evanger’s Hunk of Beef (Item #776155)
• Evanger’s Braised Beef (Item #776150)
• Against the Grain Pulled Beef (Item #776107)

Are their products expensive?

The Evanger’s brand is a little more expensive than your average kibble, primarily because it is made with quality ingredients and it is hand-packed.

Because the brand offers so many different types of canned food, you can find one that is affordable for you. Prices vary from one recipe to another, but the cost for a 33-pound bag of their dry food is about $50 to $100.

Cans of the wet food vary in size and price from one product line to another. For the Grain-Free line of products, 6-ounce cans come in 24-packs for $40 to $68 and 12-ounce cans of Grain-Free Hand Packed recipes come in cases of 12 for $38 to $53. The Classics line of recipes is the most affordable, averaging about $2.10 a can.

List of Evanger's Products

The Evanger’s brand began as a wet recipe company and, while it has expanded over the past few decades, wet foods remain the company’s specialty. In addition to offering a wide variety of canned foods for dogs, they also offer a limited selection of dry foods and treats.

Many of the same products available for dogs are also available for cats, and Evanger’s is unique among pet food manufacturers for offering products designed for ferrets as well.

Dry Products

Evanger’s is  primarily a canned food company, though it does offer a limited selection of dry foods. These products are all made in the USA with quality proteins and digestible carbohydrates – no by-products or harmful additives. Here is a list of dry food recipes:

• Super Premium Chicken & Brown Rice
• Super Premium Game Bird Recipe with Coconut Oil
• Grain-Free Chicken with Sweet Potato & Pumpkin
• Grain-Free Whitefish and Sweet Potato
• Grain-Free Meat Lover’s Medley Entree

Wet Products

Compared to the brand’s dry food offerings, the variety available in its canned foods is enormous. The wet recipes can be divided into six different product lines, each one made with quality ingredients.

Many of its products are grain-free and all of them are rich in premium proteins. Some of the canned foods are even formulated for both dogs and cats. Here is a list of the wet recipes:

Classic Dinners Recipes:

• Senior & Weight Management
• Chicken & Rice
• Cooked Chicken
• Beef & Bacon
• Beef
• Beef with Chicken & Liver
• Beef with Chicken
• Lamb & Rice
• Puppy

Super Premium Recipes:

• 100% Duck & Sweet Potato
• 100% Beef Dinner
• 100% Lamb & Rice
• 100% Chicken Dinner
• 100% Venison & Beef Dinner

Grain-Free Game Meats Recipes:

• Beef
• Buffalo
• Chicken
• Duck
• Rabbit
• Pork
• Pheasant
• Quail

Grain-Free Hand Packed Recipes:

• Whole Chicken Thighs
• Hunk of Beef
• Roasted Whole Chicken Drummets
• Braised Beef Chunks
• Whole Uncut Sardines
• Chunky Chicken Casserole

Organics Recipes:

• Turkey with Potato & Carrots
• Cooked Chicken
• Beef Dinner
• Chicken & Turkey Dinner

Signature Series Recipes:

• Slow Cooked Beef Stew
• Slow Cooked Chicken Stew
• Slow Cooked Lamb Stew
• Slow Cooked Turkey Stew

Treats

In addition to all of those canned foods, Evanger’s offers two different types of dog treats – jerky treats and freeze-dried treats. Here is a list of their treats:

Nothing But Natural Jerky Treats Recipes:

• Grain-Free Pheasant with Fruits & Vegetables
• Cage-Free Quail with Fruits & Vegetables
• Grain-Free Organic Chicken with Fruits & Vegetables
• Grain-Free Buffalo with Fruits & Vegetables
• Grain-Free Venison with Fruits & Vegetables

Freeze-Dried Treats Recipes:

• Raw Gently Dried Beef Liver
• Raw Gently Dried Beef Tripe
• Raw Gently Dried Wild Salmon
• Raw Gently Dried Beef Lungs
• Raw Gently Dried Beef Hearts
• Raw Gently Dried Beef Tongue

Parting Words

This dog food brand offers a variety of products, including grain-free, organic, and limited-ingredient recipes, appealing to dogs with dietary sensitivities and specific nutritional needs.

Their use of novel proteins like rabbit and venison, along with nutrient-rich ingredients like organ meats and vegetables, provides high protein levels and balanced nutrition. The brand focuses on natural and minimally processed ingredients, avoiding common fillers, preservatives, soy, wheat, and corn.

However, some formulations rely on synthetic supplements rather than natural sources, which may affect bioavailability. Despite this, their products generally receive positive feedback, with high customer ratings for palatability and suitability for dogs with allergies.

Evanger's also stands out with its kosher-certified options and hand-packed product lines that emphasize whole food integrity. Overall, it is seen as a solid choice for those seeking specialty diets, though some areas, like ingredient sourcing transparency and the reliance on certain additives, could be further improved.