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Dog Food Insiders Rating
3 1/2 PAWS
You can find detailed information about Iams Dog Food, made by Procter & Gamble (P&G), in our main Iams Dog Food review. There you will also find information about how the food is made, recalls, and their quality control.
Iams produces a tremendous range of products for all ages, sizes of dogs, and dogs with different health needs. They emphasize nutrition in their foods but many people who look at ingredients will balk at the corn and other grains used in them. Some of their foods are popular grocery store brands and others can be found in pet stores or bought online. The veterinary formulas have to be purchased through veterinarians.
Eukanuba is the sister company of Iams. Ingredients in the two foods can differ and Eukanuba is generally sold online or in pet stores but the two companies rely on the same nutritional research.
Product Overview
Iams produces a tremendous range of products for all ages, sizes of dogs, and dogs with different health needs. They emphasize nutrition in their foods but many people who look at ingredients will balk at the corn and other grains used in them. Some of their foods are popular grocery store brands and others can be found in pet stores or bought online. The veterinary formulas have to be purchased through veterinarians.
Dry Foods
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Chunks
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Lamb Meal & Rice
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Large Breed
- Iams ProActive Health Adult MiniChunks
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Small & Toy Breed
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Weight Control
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Weight Control Large Breed
- Iams ProActive Health Mature Adult
- Iams ProActive Health Mature Adult Large Breed
- Iams ProActive Health Mature Adult Small & Toy Breed
- Iams ProActive Health Senior Plus Over 50 Lbs
- Iams ProActive Health Senior Plus Under 50 Lbs
- Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Large Breed
- Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Original
- Iams ProActive Health Smart Puppy Small & Toy Breed
- Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food
- Iams Premium Protection Puppy
- Iams Premium Protection Mature Adult
- Iams Premium Protection Senior Plus
Veterinary Dry Food Formulas
Veterinary formulas are available only through veterinarians.
- Iams Veterinary Formula Glucose and Weight Control Plus Optimum Weight Control
- Iams Veterinary Formula Intestinal Plus Low-Residue Adult
- Iams Veterinary Formula Intestinal Plus Low-Residue Puppy
- Iams Veterinary Formula Joint Plus Joint
- Iams Veterinary Formula Prostora Max/Canine
- Iams Veterinary Formula Renal Plus
- Iams Veterinary Formula Skin and Coat Plus Response KO
- Iams Veterinary Formula Skin and Coat Plus Response FP
- Iams Veterinary Formula Weight Loss/Mobility Plus Restricted Calori
- Iams Healthy Naturals Adult Lamb Meal & Rice
- Iams Healthy Naturals Adult Weight Control
- Iams Healthy Naturals Adult with Wholesome Chicken
- Iams Healthy Naturals Puppy with Chicken
- Iams Sensitive Naturals Ocean Fish, Rice & Barley Recipe
- Iams Simple & Natural Chicken, Rice & Barley Recipe
- Iams Sporting 29/18
Canned Foods
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Chunks with Beef & Vegetables in Gravy
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Chunks with Chicken and Beef in Gravy
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Chunks with Chicken and Vegetables in Gravy
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Chunks with Chicken in Gravy
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Ground Dinner with Beef and Rice
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Ground Dinner with Chicken and Rice
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Ground Dinner with Lamb and Rice
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Ground Dinner with Turkey and Rice
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Ground Mixed Grill with Chicken and Beef
- Iams ProActive Health Puppy Chunks with Chicken and Beef in Gravy
- Iams ProActive Health Puppy Ground Dinner with Chicken and Rice
Canned Food Veterinary Formulas
(Veterinary formulas are available only through veterinarians)
- Iams Veterinary Formula Intestinal Low-Residue/Canine Canned Formula
- Iams Veterinary Formula Maximum Calorie Plus Maximum Calorie
- Iams Veterinary Formula Skin and Coat Response FP/Canine Canned Formula
Snacks
- Iams Veterinary Formula Weight Loss Rewards Plus Restricted Calorie Rewards
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Lamb Meal & Rice Biscuits
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Large Biscuits
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Small Biscuits
- Iams ProActive Health Adult Weight Control Biscuits
- Iams ProActive Health Puppy Biscuits
- Iams Tartar Treats for Large Dogs
- Iams Tartar Treats for Medium Dogs
- Iams Tartar Treats for Small Dogs
Savory Sauces
- Iams Shakeables Soft & Chewy Treats for Dogs
- Iams Savory Sauce Adult Active Maturity Roasted Beef
- Iams Savory Sauce Adult Country Style Chicken
- Iams Savory Sauce Adult Pot Roast
- Iams Savory Sauce Adult Roasted Beef
- Iams Savory Sauce Adult Sizzlin’ Bacon Flavor
- Iams Savory Sauce Puppy Roasted Beef
Review Of Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food
[su_note note_color=”#ffffff”]Dog Food Insiders Rating
2 1/2 PAWS
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Ingredients in Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food
Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Potassium Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Fructooligosaccharides, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Calcium Carbonate, Flax Meal, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Vitamin E Supplement, Dried Chicken Cartilage (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Beta-Carotene, L-Carnitine, Marigold, Citric Acid, Rosemary Extract.
I’ve chosen Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food as a representative food for Iams. On their web site they say that this food is their most advanced Iams nutrition. It receives 4 ½ out of 5 stars on their site and I liked the fact that they allowed people to post less than favorable reviews.
As usual, here’s my caveat about the food I’m reviewing. I fed Iams MiniChunks for about 14 years when I first started showing dogs. At that time it was a pet store food. This was before the company was sold to Proctor & Gamble. It was a terrific food and my dogs always had fantastic coats and skin. No health problems ever. I didn’t even know about the sale of the company but I started noticing that my dogs were losing weight and their coats were looking bad. I knew something was wrong with the food and they had changed the ingredients. Then I found out about the sale and the food was being sold in grocery stores. I had to change foods. As soon as I changed foods, my dogs were fine again. So, I think Iams used to be a great food but I’m a little wary about it now. (This is also why it’s hard to say a food is “good” or “bad” – you never know when a smaller company will be sold to a bigger one and the food quality will change.) On the other hand, that was a long time ago and Iams has lots of new foods since then. They could be perfectly good for your dog.
Ingredients Breakdown
Looking at the first several ingredients in Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food, the first ingredient is Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine). By-product meal is high in protein which is a good thing; and it’s a named source – chicken – so that’s good too. By-products are not as good as whole chicken or chicken meal, but it could be worse. They are “the whole chicken including the flesh, skin, organs and bones that have been cooked down and ground” or, put another way, “the dry, ground, rendered clean parts of the chicken carcass.” And it is a natural source of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, that’s true. These components are believed to be good for the joints. So, that’s not a bad start for the food.
However, the next three ingredients will concern many pet owners. They are:Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley. These are all grains and they all provide quick energy. Dogs are not able to digest these ingredients as well as animal protein so you’re probably going to have a lot of waste with this food and you have to wonder how much nutrition your dog will be able to get from these ingredients. Be prepared to scoop a lot of poop.
The next three ingredients are interesting: Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken, and Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E). Fish meal is good for your dog and it’s a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids keep the skin soft and supple, they are good for heart health, and they do lots of other good things for the body. Fish oil also appears later in the ingredients. It’s nice to see chicken here in the ingredients, too. Chicken fat is also a good ingredient. It’s a named fat and it’s preserved with a natural preservative. So, these are good ingredients.
Another ingredient to note here, fairly high up in the list, is Dried Beet Pulp. Iams makes special mention of Beet Pulp on their web site and they have some patents related to this ingredient. Some people object to beet pulp in pet foods but their use is widespread and most objections are based on their use in horse feed. Beet pulp is a by-product of sugar beet processing. It is what’s left over after the sugar is removed from the sugar beets. It is an insoluble fiber source that is moderately fermentable. So the fiber from beet pulp adds bulk and moisture to animal stools and it adds some energy to the food. It is used to improve the health of the animal’s colon. As a slow to moderately fermentable fiber source, it is considered a very good source of fiber for pets.
Based on these ingredients, this food has a mix of good ingredients and more grain than many people will like.
Quality Of Ingredients
The quality of the ingredients in Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food look good. You may find the Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, and Ground Whole Grain Barley objectionable, and they may not be as easy for your dog to digest as animal protein, but the ingredients in the food are from named sources and there are many good ingredients in the food.
Special Concerns
Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food does have some ingredients that cause concern. Fish meal, unless noted on a dog food company’s web site, will contain ethoxyquin as a preservative. Ethoxyquin is not allowed for human consumption except in minute quantities in spices and it’s not good for your dog. Dog food companies are not required to list it in the ingredient list if they do not add it to the fish meal themselves and most fish meal is preserved with the substance prior to coming to the dog food manufacturer. This is true throughout the pet food industry.
The food also contains Fructooligosaccharides which are artificial sweeteners. Your dog doesn’t need artificial sweeteners. These are added simply to affect the taste of the food but they aren’t really good for your dog.
You also find Flax Meal in the food – a source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. However, it’s not as good a source for these fatty acids as fish oil and if you breed dogs you may want to avoid giving your dogs flax meal or flax seed oil as it has been linked to infertility in some dogs.
The product also uses Rosemary Extract as a preservative. This is not uncommon in many dog foods today. It’s not usually a problem unless you have a dog with epilepsy in which case you will want to avoid rosemary which seems to trigger episodes in some dogs.
Finally, the food contains Marigold. Some dog foods have started adding marigold recently, perhaps because it contains lutein (a beta-carotene), but this is really kind of a gimmick.
Guaranteed Analysis
- Crude Protein minimum: 27.0%
- Crude Fat minimum: 12.0%
- Crude Fiber maximum: 4.0%
- Moisture maximum: 10.0%
- Vitamin E minimum: 300 IU/kg
- Beta-Carotene minimum: 12 mg/kg*
- L-Carnitine minimum: 40 mg/kg*
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids minimum: 1.75%*
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids minimum: 0.25%*
- Glucosamine minimum: 400 mg/kg*
- Chondroitin Sulfate minimum: 40 mg/kg*
*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for Maintenance.
Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food provides 27 percent crude protein (Minimum), which is well above the government’s recommendations (18 percent for adult dogs). Much of this protein probably comes from the corn meal, sorghum, and barley in the food, but the chicken by-products are also high in protein, and so is fish meal, so your dog will be able to use a lot of this protein. The food has 12 percent (Minimum) fat which is also well within the government’s recommendations (9 to 15 percent) for an adult dog. Considering the plant protein and the dried beet pulp, the food has a nice, low 4 percent (Maximum) fiber content.
Company Reputation And Quality Control Issues
Iams was deeply involved in the 2007 pet food recalls and their company reputation took a big hit at that time. The situation was largely beyond their control, however. Manufacturers in China who provided corn gluten meal to pet food makers in the U.S. laced the product with something called “melamine” to make it seem to have more protein. Melamine is a plastic but it has protein qualities. When the corn gluten meal was shipped to the pet food makers in the U.S., they used it in pet food without having any idea that it had melamine in it. As a result, many cats and dogs died, especially pets who ate canned foods. Iams was one of the first companies affected. Iams, and many other pet food companies, now have testing procedures in place so they can tell if an ingredient has been tampered with before it is used to make pet food.
Since that time, Iams has a reasonably good record with regard to recalls. They have had several very small, isolated recalls that affected a few lots of their foods but nothing large-scale.
Bottomline
Iams Premium Protection Adult Dog Food seems to be a moderately good food. It does have some good meat and fish sources of protein. However, you may not be happy with the high levels of corn, sorghum, and barley. You could find that your dog does not get as much nutrition from the food as you would like.
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My dachshund lived for 17.5 years eating Iams in the green bag, between 1996-2013.
Paul Iams created his dogfood in 1946. It came on hard times in 1970s. Employee Clay Mathile bought the company in 1975. The company grew from $100k to $900 million in 1999 and Mathile sold it to P&G. in 2014, Proctor & Gamble sold their European division to Spectrum Brands and the North American and rest of the world business to Mars Inc for $2.9 billion.