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Iams

reviewed by cynthiaw

Iams premium nutrition helps promote healthy vitality throughout the life of your pet. Iams offers three families of products: Iams ProActive Health, Iams Healthy Naturals, and Iams ...
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cynthiaw
10/14/2009

Iams 5

Iams has been an excellent food for my Golden. They base their formulas on research not hype. Many bad reviews are from people with an agenda...not folks that actually used the food. Iam's made my Golden's metabalism much heatlthier.  He was less hungery throughout the day (less begging) and his weight became healthier.  He loves the stuff.  His coat and skin improved with Iams.  Iams is supposed to be less quality compared the the other food made by Iams, Eukanuba...but I see little if any difference in the ingredients.  I suggest people look up the Iam's site...it is interesting to learn about their research and the changes made to their formulas because of it.  They don't mistreat dogs or cats.....

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Official Response Jenlovespets responded 38 days ago

Thanks for the great review. I wanted to give a little more background on The Iams Company and the most common questions we get:

Why do you use corn in your products?

Corn is an excellent carbohydrate source. The entire corn kernel, finely ground and chopped, makes up ground corn or corn meal. The outside covering of the corn kernel, the fiber portion, is called corn bran. Corn grits are the starch or carbohydrate part of the corn kernel. And corn gluten is the protein portion of the corn kernel.

We use high-quality corn that is finely ground (breaking up the outside bran covering), and cooked. When prepared in our manufacturing facilities, corn is highly digestible and provides dogs and cats with high-quality carbohydrates for essential energy.

What are the facts on by-products?

Chicken by-product meal may include stuff that people have a cultural aversion to eating; but that doesn't make it a bad source of protein. It is an excellent and complete source of protein because it provides each of the amino acids that are essential to good nutrition for dogs and cats.

Not every chicken by-product meal is as good as ours. Our chicken by-product meal is muscle and internal organs (including intestines) that have been cleaned, dried, cooked, and ground.

In addition to the superior quality specifications we set for our suppliers, we take additional steps to ensure our chicken by-product meal is the best. We put it through a proprietary screening process to further improve its protein quality. This quality assurance process costs more, but it's part of what makes our chicken by-product meal different.

If you look at how wolves and lions eat in the wild, one of the first things they eat after they've killed their supper is the underbelly of the animal. We may think it's gross to eat intestines, but these ancestors of the dog relish that part of their dinner.

Do you do any type of animal research?

Unfortunately, there is highly inaccurate and misleading information circulating on the Internet regarding our feeding studies. We are passionate about cats and dogs, with a deep commitment to their health and welfare.

Please review the links provided to get the facts on animal testing:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/en_US/jhtmls/home/IT_Home_Page.jhtml?li=en_US&pti=HP

You can also see what the ASPCA has to say about Iams at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExk5nJY6…

We recently invited bloggers to visit The Iams Company as well as our research facility. To see in their own words what they had to say, please see:

On Catser:
http://blogs.catster.com/the-cats-meow-a…

On Dogster:
http://blogs.dogster.com/vet_blog_inform…

Can you tell me more about the science behind your formulas?

Our nutritional philosophy is based upon fundamental and unique scientific research in protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and fat nutrition that has resulted in numerous nutritional breakthroughs. We are a leader in nutritional research. Our research is published and presented at scientific and veterinary medicine forums around the world, and we have pledged to continue to learn additional nutritional truths to further enhance the well-being of dogs and cats.

We make our decisions based on the well-being of dogs and cats and we continue to develop and offer products that truly enhance this well-being. For us at Iams, cutting edge research and breakthrough products are a top priority.

The ingredients we use are tailored to the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. We use only high-quality animal protein sources in our formulations. We don’t use artificial flavorings, colorings, or other questionable fillers. Our formulas are complete and balanced to meet the specific life stage and lifestyle nutritional needs of your pet.

You can be confident that Iams scientists will provide the technology to develop new diets, and to continuously improve existing products that ensure optimal nutrition for dogs and cats.

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puppyloverkb commented 940 days ago.
Actually, Iams has done a great amount of research for their dog and cat food. It is just a shame that they don't follow said research. This is from their site "Proteins are found in both animal-based and plant-based ingredients. Animal-based proteins contain all the essential amino acids dogs and cats need, whereas plant-based proteins may contain only some essential amino acids. Dogs and cats need animal-based proteins to achieve optimal health." This is very true, however, in ALL of their formulas, their main protien source comes from corn and soy!! Those are plants. As there is very little protien in by-products and most of their foods start out with a meat not in meal form (that would make it 7th or 8th on the list once you take out the water)their next few ingredients are corn, corn gluten (now under inspection as it may contain melamine) and sorghum. Iams litterally did all the research and then through it out the window when they made their product. You are right that there is little difference between Iams and Eukanuba. Both are horrible foods. For a Golden, I would try Nature's Variety Instinct. I actually use this food and I can tell you from experience that your dogs will not eat as much since it has extremely high protien levels. He also won't poop as much either. Your dog will live a much longer/healthier life if you get him off of Iams.

cynthiaw commented 939 days ago.
I appreciate your respectful response. Actually their is no corn gluten in the ingredient list. I am wary of that. They tout that the meat source should be the main protein source, so I am willing to believe that they have done that and there is enough fresh meat to sustain that claim. Actually, though the ingredient list is the same or close, Eukanuba might have more meat....it does have more protein. I see no soy either...which I'd rather not have. Corn is the carbenhydrate source and iams says that it metabalises better then rice, making it a good source of carbenhydrate for over weight dogs. Because of my results, I'm willing to believe them on that. I will be happy to try Nature's Variety to see if it works for my dog. I'd rather have a food free of corn as I worry it is more prone to afloxen toxin. Thanks.

puppyloverkb commented 939 days ago.
HI, I appreciate your respectful response too. It's nice to talk about different foods without without people being rude (I usually get a lot of that on this site). My apologies as well, I meant corn meal, not corn gluten meal. Although corn metabolizes better than brewers rice and white rice, it does not metabolize better than brown rice. Watch out what bag your on for Iams as a lot of the different flavors contian Corn Grits as well as corn meal. Sorghum is another ingredient to watch out for, it is extremely hard to digest and really does nothing more than add extra carbs to the food. Good luck on trying Nature's Variety. I think your Golden will really enjoy it...plus, this june, they are coming out with two new flavors so you can rotate the different tastes for him (that way he won't get bored). Nice to talk with you, Kate

petanarchist commented 935 days ago.
After viewing the www.iamscruelty.com site I was appalled! Regardless of how you view the value of this food, *please* look at this site. You obviously love your Goldens, so you must be informed. PETA is a bit far left for my taste most of the time, but one cannot deny obvious abuse.

cynthiaw commented 935 days ago.
Peta and like animals groups have zero credibility with me. They will cheat, lie, steal, and terrorize to achieve their goals...which is to put humans and animals as emotional and legal equals. They don't want dogs humanely treated in labs. They want them out of labs. Iam research labs are open and organizations walk in the labs unannounced all the time.

petanarchist commented 931 days ago.
Cythnia, I agree, PETA has not garnered a lot of respect for mainstream folk; however, both the ASPCA and the Humane Society have documented this problem. Those organizations are as mainstream as you can get.

cynthiaw commented 930 days ago.
I haven't seen this aspca documentation your talking about. I seen them "nitpik" on a few things...like too few toys and the like. But I've not seen anything serious in the present. But I know ASCPA make impromptu visits and the results are available...online I believe. I think the Iam's site links directly with ASCPA. So people should be able to look up the findings . I'm also sure that with the vast amount of labs, it is possible that things did happen, but I don't believe it a systematic problem. I think there is enough info on the web to get both perspectives and make a decision based on that. At this point, I just don't find anything PETA says credible...I think they are too agenda driven.

cynthiaw commented 930 days ago.
Oops I was wrong...Iams had independent experts make impromptu visit and then the findings are published on the Iam's site. Its worth reading. Also Iam's had a reponse to the accusations and that is worth reading as well. Then its just a matter who you trust more.

TeresaG commented 719 days ago.
I always tell people to use food that THEIR dogs like and that they are comfortable with. I appreciate your comment on my rate, BUT GROUND corn IS the cob and the corn please read the Pet Food Journal. It is very informative, and will give you complete and solid answers to any questions. If Iams is your preferance and your dog does well, by all means, stay with it. All I can say is that I will not feed it to my dog. There is NOTHING on the market that is HARMFUL to your pets ~ it just a matter of good, better and best. I appreciate the fact that a lot of people CANNOT purchase the high quality dog foods due to the economy, but at least read ALL info!!! I also help a lot of people who would rather Cook for their dogs ~ hey, have at it! I am not going to sit here and tell you do this or that. I do not work in a pet store or promote any particular food ~ just try to teach people the benefits and drawbacks of each ingredient. Do more research (not on dog food companies sites!!). If you need further assistance, I am available.

cynthiaw commented 719 days ago.
"""Ground Corn - AAFCO - Ground Corn is the entire corn kernel, ground or chopped.""" I think "kernal' has been misconstrued as "cob" by people who are prone to demonize an ingredient out of emotion rather then fact. I could find no collaboration of the "cob" theory even on Holistic sites. I think its fine to feed what works for your dog, and I appreciate your respect, but this is how harmful rumers are started as people automatically believe what they read and follow the most outragious claims.

TeresaG commented 612 days ago.
FYI ~ The Pet Food Journal is an independant magazine put out by The publishers of Dog World. It doesn't favor one food from another ~ just gives you the facts. If you are happy feeding your dog heads, feet and intestines ~ so be it. But bottom line ~ ground yellow corn is corn, the huck and the cob ground together ~ no matter what you say!

cynthiaw commented 612 days ago.
Teresa....believe what you want to believe. It should clue you in that your claim isn't substantiated ANYWHERE else. Plus, you are saying the AAFCO is lying. That's fine but people who do a little research will see a big red flag with that claim.

ben1988 commented 610 days ago.
I rated this comment funny just like the rest of your reviews. Cynthia is the bigges proponent of feeding poor quality pet foods. You don't need to do research in a lab to figure out that iams and eukanuba are very grain heavy and poor quality foods. Just read the ingredients. What do you have to say about each ingredient in both foods. PLease tell me why each ingredient is good in both foods, I have yet to hear you say anything other then "those companies do reasearch".

cynthiaw commented 610 days ago.
Glad you having a good time Ben. You have my permission to feed what you feel comfortable with.

gmvt08 commented 55 days ago.
(Edited 55 days ago)
Any of you with questionable dog food should check out Dogfoodanalysis.com
This will clear up what food is good and what is bad. I personally don't like Iams. I think that the lack of high quality human grade meat is concerning and I don't like to see corn, wheat, or soy in any product.
Try these brands
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/
http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
http://www.artemiscompany.com/products.asp?cat=fres h_mix


Also please check out
The pet food list - http://www.thepetfoodlist.com/petfoods_pg1.htm
personally if a food has been recalled once... I don't trust it at all. I also don't trust anything made by or produced by Menu Foods

sheltervt commented 49 days ago.
For the record, AAFCO isn't the final word on dog and cat food... It's not a regulatory comittee, really, but an advisory board. An advisory board made up of feed company executives and other people with a vested interest in the status quo. They don't set regulations or restrictions.
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