Is Iams puppy food a good quality product?

Question

I have read the label and the first ingredient is chicken, also the label says that it is fully 100% balanced and that it contains fish oils. Sound good, but is it?

Answer 1

I'm copy and pasting this information from the 1 star dry dog food section (it goes up to 6 stars) of dogfoodanalysis.com. I recommend this site to look up reviews of dog food from people who know what they're talking about. Vets often aren't nutritionalists and will recommend food based on salespeople who come make bias'ed sales pitches and offer incentives to their offices. Hopefully this info helps you out.



"Pros: First ingredient is a named meat product

Cons: Byproducts, inadequate meat content, mixed quality grains, controversial filler



The first ingredient in the food is a named meat product. This is not a meat meal, but is inclusive of water content (about 80%). Once this is removed, as it must be to create a dehydrated product, the ingredient will weigh around 20% of its wet weight. As ingredients are listed in order of weight, it is thus unlikely that this is truely the first ingredient in the food, but would be more accurately placed much further down the ingredient list as a minor ingredient in the food.





The main grain and main ingredient in the food is corn. Corn is a difficult to digest grain of limited value and that is commonly associated with allergy problems. Sorghum is decent quality, but this product is very heavy in grain content with little meat included for the canine.





The third ingredient is byproducts. It is impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products and these are usually products that are of such low quality as to be rejected for use in the human food chain, or else are those parts that have so little value that they cannot be used elsewhere in either the human or pet food industries. The AAFCO definition of Chicken by-product meal is “a meal consisting of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.





The only true meat ingredient in this food is the 7th ingredient, which is far too far down the ingredient list to make any significant difference to the overall meat content or quality of this product.





Beet pulp is a controversial filler. It is a by-product, being dried residue from sugar beets which has been cleaned and extracted in the process of manufacturing sugar. It is a controversial ingredient in dog food, claimed by some manufacturers to be a good source of fibre, and derided by others as an ingredient added to slow down the transition of rancid animal fats and causing stress to kidney and liver in the process. We note that beet pulp is an ingredient that commonly causes problems for dogs, including allergies and ear infections, and prefer not to see it used in dog food. There are less controversial products around if additional fibre is required. We would prefer to see the use of whole eggs rather than egg product in the food."

Answer 2

Iams Puppy Food

Answer 3

It is not cheaper. And you really need to do research to make sure if you do a homemade diet that you include all their bodies need for nutrition. You would be surprised what supplements you will need to purchase and provide. In addition, this is a puppy and you can not mess around with their development at this age. Best bet - consult with your vet. Get loads of facts - there are some great web sites for those who choose to make the food at home and some great recipes too. Holistic diets are wonderful, if you can afford them, have time to make them and you do not skimp on anything. Otherwise - invest in a good quality puppy food. $50 is a small price to pay for health.

Answer 4

Nope! Iams is one of the worst foods out there. It contains wheat gluten, grains, corn, by-products, etc. Avoid brands such as Science Diet, Iams,

Eukanuba, Pedigree, Purina, Purina ONE, and Beneful. Some of the best dog foods are the ones that aren't heavily advertised. Innova, EVO, Taste of the Wild, Orijen, etc. A good quality food available at Petsmart and I think Petco is Blue Buffalo. The key in choosing a good quality food for your dog is to look for human-grade ingredients.



Hope I helped!

Answer 5

It is a decent quality dog food, definitely not on the bad scale. However, as you have a puppy, I strongly recommend Science Diet puppy food.



It's a bit more pricey, but worth every penny. Puppy stages are the most important stage of a dogs life, and its crucial to get their diet right to ensure healthy growth. Some dog foods aren't balanced enough, and cause the dog to grow faster than normal. You may think this is a good thing, but it's really not. Their bones may grow faster, but joints and other parts of their body do not, which can lead to a lot of damage (and vet bills!) in the future. Science Diet is specifically designed to slow your puppy's growth, allowing all their bones and joints and such to grow at the same pace, making for a healthier dog. They still grow to the same size if they'd have had normal, cheap puppy food, just a bit later.

Answer 6

Puppy Food Reviews Uk

Answer 7

Fully 100% balanced is a load of bullshit, especially when it comes to pet foods. How can it be balanced when it doesn't resemble anything a dog would naturally eat? Dogs are predators, meaning they can hunt, pounce, and eat things - what part of that sounds kibbley? Iams is pretty nasty stuff, but then again, the vets recommend it because they simply don't know better. Yes, the go to college for it, but most vet schools only require one course in nutrition. And that nutrition class is paid for and sponsored by the people who make the most well-known kibbles (Science Diet, Iams, Purina, Eukanuba, etc), so they simply promote their product, not what's actually healthy. And then the vets leave after being brainwashed and start a clinic, often with the same kibble companies offering to let them sell their brand with a kickback per bag. Sick isn't it?



Ideally, the very best thing for your puppy is raw. But vets hate this, once again, because they're uninformed. I just don't tell my vet what my dogs eat because they'll tell you how healthy and wonderful your pup looks, but as soon as you mention raw, they start pointing out flaws that they didn't see before.



Other kibbles are pretty good too, but you want to focus on the high-end ones - often called "premium" brands. Orijen, Taste of the Wild, Innova EVO, Canidae, Blue Buffalo and other brands like that (go to the dog food analysis site that other people linked to and try to stay within the 5-6 star area).



I'm not sure what type of Iams she's been eating, but here's the review for Proctor & Gamble Iams ProActive Health Puppy (yes, Proctor and Gamble. The same people who make detergent, shampoos, house cleaner, baby supplies, etc.). Well, its linked at the bottom since its way too long xD



Kinda icky, right? To contrast, here's the ingredients for Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers' Soul (what my 3 month old is currently munching on):

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, ocean fish meal, cracked pearled barley, whole grain brown rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), white rice, oatmeal, millet, potatoes, egg product, tomato pomace, duck, salmon, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, salmon oil (source of DHA), choline chloride, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.



The first few ingredients are the most used ones, so you can definitely see a difference there. No corn, where Iams has it as the 2nd ingredient. Corn is a huge filler that isn't even digestible, not to mention the other crap they include.



Good luck picking one ^^

Answer 8

I would check out Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul because it is a high quality feed choice. Also, it’s made in the US with no chemical additives or hormones and they list all the ingredients and nutritional info clearly on their site.

Answer 9

Vegetable is not only a clinical term, it is a cooking term. So the qualifications as a vegetable are not very coherent, which is why we have cases like the tomato: people argue both ways.

Answer 10

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Answer 11

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Answer 12

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Answer 13

100% balanced with factory floor by products & Chemicals



Try Orijen (6* rated on the review site)

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=2299&cat=all





Iams

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1765&cat=all

Answer 14

No, it is not a quality ingredient. It may say 100% balanced but that does not its healthy, at ALL. It's crap!



Plus, when it's just "chicken" or "fish", it means it's usually only 80% water. You want chicken MEAL.

Answer 15

It is as good as you can get - but it also is just about the most expensive too..



There are many good quality puppy foods, so I'd look around if I were you..



It might be worth talking to your vet about the real benefits of buying an expensive food, versus the savings gained by using any other brand..

Answer 16

i feed my dogs Iams and they are fine. my Lhaso had anal gland problems before puting her on this and now its fine and has been for 6 years. i also feed it to my GS - she can have stomach problems, but not with Iams. keep an eye on your local supermarkets - its expensive food but every now and then they knock 25% off the price, thats when i stock up :)

Answer 17

Well saves me writing 'Ben R' says it all.

Answer 18

It depends on who you talk to. Several vets I have spoken to recommend Iams highly. If you talk to pet stores, or search online, you will see that they compare Iams to the cheapest of dog foods.

Answer 19

Yes. Iams is healthy and nutritious.

Answer 20

Yes it is but the best is the science diet.It is better for your dog and improve their health

Answer 21

it is one of the better dog foods