Evanger’s dog food has been providing high-quality, nutritious meals to pets for almost 90 years. The canned food complements the dry food perfectly, all of which is suitable for dogs during all life stages. 

As well as wet and dry dog food, Evanger’s has a range of tasty jerky and gently-dried treats in various delicious flavors. They also sell cat food and a small range for ferrets and exotic pets. 

Read our Evanger’s dog food review to find out exactly what we do like about it as well as what we think you need to consider before deciding whether it is the right food for your pup. 

Evanger’s has an extensive product range. They offer both canned and dry food, with grain-free options plus a variety of flavors to choose from. 

Real meat is the first ingredient in some of the recipes, while in others it’s a meat meal — we’d prefer it if they were all real meat. What we do really like is that many of the recipes feature probiotics to support healthy immune and digestive systems, which is also supported by prebiotics and coconut oil. 

Alongside this, many Evanger’s recipes include omegas 3 and 6 for healthy joints as well as nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables such as sweet potato.

There’s a wide range of canned food to choose from although, worth noting, the majority of it’s grain-free. This does, however, make them ideal for dogs with allergies or food sensitivities. The Classic and Complements ranges are made with 100%, locally sourced pure USDA meat and both go well with the Super Premium dry food and the Vegetarian Dinner. 

The Restricted Diet range is ideal for dogs with specific health needs while the Super Premium is slow-cooked in small batches and the Organic food is GMO, hormone and antibiotic free.

Evanger’s added their hand-packed range of canned food in 2003. As the name would suggest, this food is packed by hand rather than machines and includes whole pieces of meat and vegetables.

Here’s what we really like about Evanger’s dog food and what we’re confident your dog will love about it too. 

While some of the recipes in the dry food range are made with meat meal, real meat is the first ingredient in all the canned food. This food is also highly nutritious thanks to the addition of fresh fruit, vegetables and superfoods. What there isn’t is soy, corn and wheat. 

The recipes are also free of artificial ingredients, harmful additives and other preservatives. Importantly, there are no by-products.

In the canned food range there’s a huge selection to choose from. Not only are there a variety of tasty flavors — that perfectly complement the dry food — there’s also a range formulated for dogs with specific health issues. 

Interestingly, which you don’t often see with pet food, is that a lot of this food is Kosher. While, of course, it’s not Kosher for human consumption, Evanger’s states on their website: “Evanger’s manufactures food that is endorsed by the Chicago Rabbinical Council as acceptable on Passover for dogs and cats in Kosher households.”

They go on to say that they know pets are part of the family and they want to make feeding them as simple as possible during Passover. 

Here are a few things you should be aware of and consider before deciding whether to feed your pup Evanger’s dog food. 

Although it was only recalled once in 2017, it was quite a serious recall. The beef had become contaminated with the deadly drug, pentobarbital. Sadly, one dog did die as a result. While initially only one product was recalled, this did need to be expanded to include further beef-based products. 

This pet food isn’t the most affordable option. However, that is to be expected with higher quality ingredients. It’s also worth noting that they’re on the cheaper side when compared to brands of a similar quality. Plus, many pet parents say they are happy to pay for these premium recipes. 

While there’s plenty to choose from in the canned food range, there’s a little less option in the dry food range, especially when it comes to flavors. You can of course, as mentioned, mix the two together. But, if you don’t want to do this then you do have a slightly limited choice. In the dry food range you do, however, have the option of both grain-inclusive and grain-free.

“Charlie, my Pit Bull/Labrador mix, was having a problem with flakey skin. I tried several 'premium' foods to solve this, but had poor results. Then I found Evanger's Super Premium Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe, and after one 17 lb bag, her coat has become soft, shiny, and flake free!! This is indeed a super premium food — it's great for the dog, inside and out! Charlie loves it and I can't recommend it highly enough!”

“I have a senior dog (with) renal failure. One of the things we were having issues with is finding something she would eat and keep down. After numerous tries of homemade, vet prescription food and other brands of food, my (girl) eats this food well. She licks her bowl clean. Why I chose this brand was the moisture content, as kidney patients need higher amounts of (moisture) in their diet. I will continue to (buy) this for her as long as she continues to eat it.”

“My chihuahua was not able to digest her food properly, which resulted in frequent vomiting. The vet told me that she was allergic to many different types of food and prescribed a brand of hydrolyzed chicken. I didn't like the quality of the hydrolyzed food, so when a pet shop owner recommended that I try switching her to lamb I immediately began trying many different types.

Evanger's limited ingredient lamb and rice dinner has been the best option. It is the one that agrees with her digestive system the most, and she has not had a single episode of indigestion or vomiting ever since I switched her to Evanger's Super Premium Lamb & Rice Dinner.”

Check out more Evanger’s dog food reviews on Chewy.

Evanger’s dates back to 1935 when it was founded by Fred Evanger. He bred and exhibited Great Danes and believed the key to their success in the show ring was wholesome, nutritious food. 

He built a canning factory at his kennels so that he could make his own premium pet food without any harmful additives or preservatives. The brand became dedicated to the wellbeing of pets and set the standard for food that was both nutritious and tasty. 

Today, Evanger’s is still a family-owned and operated company on its original site. They continue to innovate and in 2003 became the first pet food company to pack fresh meat and vegetables into cans by hand instead of using machines.   

There was an Evanger’s recall once in February 2017. They voluntarily recalled specific lots of the Hunk of Beef product manufactured the week of June 6 through June 13, 2016 with an expiration date of June 2020. This was because the drug, pentobarbital, was detected in a single lot.

Pentobarbital can cause drowsiness, dizziness, nausea or even death. Five dogs reportedly became ill as a result and sadly, one died after consuming the product. 

This recall affected five lots of food that was produced from its supplier’s lot of beef, used specifically for the Hunk of Beef product. However, towards the end of February they expanded the recall to Evanger’s Hunk of Beef, Evanger’s: Braised Beef, Against the Grain Pulled Beef manufactured between December 2015 and January 2017 with expiration dates of December 2019 to January 2021.

Product images sourced from the Chewy and Evanger's websites. Copyright Evanger's Pet Food Co., Inc.