Innova Puppy Dry v.s California Natural Puppy Dry. Which is better to feed to a Dalmatian?

I think California Natural is hard to beat. It is quite expensive, though. However, I wouldn't recommend the vegetarian diet one.

Both brands are very good...if you can afford the VERY best, I would recommend the KARMA made by California Natural..It is 95% organic, even using free range chicken..but costs about twice as much.

I feed my crew Canidae. It is very close to Innova, but Innova doesn't leave teeth as clean..I give my oldster innova now and then when she becomes a little constipated, as it has several fruits that Canidae does not..but, I can quickly see a difference in her teeth..It leaves a film on them.

I would say it really depends on which formulas of the 2 brands you are looking at. My dobie was on the Innova EVO Red Meat and loved it. She was finally able to add those last couple pounds to finish filling out. It had been quite difficult to maintain her weight, let alone get her to gain a few lbs. Both are awesome choices, I never tried the puppy formulas (my dog is allergic to some of the ingredients), but for the adults I really like the blends Innova offers more than the ones California Natural offers. With dalmations being a very high energy breed, I'd stick with the Innova so when they become an adult you can get the high protein varieties they sell. It all comes down to personal experience. You may want to try buying a small bag of both and seeing how it goes for a few weeks on each dog food (I'm sure you know about blending the foods to gradually switch over, so I won't get into that). You puppy may simply really like one more than the other.

California Natural and Innova are made by the same company...Natura. So when you see the ingredients you can be 100% reassured that they are high quality, fresh, human grade, ingredients.

Here is the difference you need to consider...

Innova is a holistic diet. It contains top quality meats, grains, fruits, vegetables and lactose free dairy products...all food groups! This is great for anyone who wants to feed a high quality, well rounded diet.

California Natural on the other hand is more geared for people who need hypoallergenic foods because of allergies. California Natural is the BEST food on the market to use as an elimination diet (besides cooking yourself) because each of its foods contain only two or three ingredients. Other brands claim to be hypoallergenic but if you really look at the ingredients, the foods are disgusting and often contain trace amounts of the ingredients you don't want.

So, Kudos to you for chosing a higher quality food. I would recommend you start with Innova as it is the best all-round diet. Keep California Natural in mind if you ever run into problems with allergies...it really is the best.

Note: Chetco, I respect your answers and always give you thumbs up...had to give you thumbs down because I'm pretty sure CN does not have a vegetarian diet. Do you have information I don't??? It's not on their website and my distributor has never mentioned it.

My spitz breed is on Innova Adult food & its great - has hi protine content which he requires so he doesn't get ill - only praise for Innova although its a bit pricey it's worth it !!

If you would like to compare ingredients side by side and protine percentages, ect. you could check out this site:

www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Both foods seem pretty good. I'm having a hard time finding something I like as I am very limited on the supply of higher quality foods in my area. Good luck!