What are everyone's opinion on IAMS food?

[ladybug]

My friend is thinking of feeding it to her dog because her neighbour feeds her dog on it and he loves it?? I dont know anything about IAMS so any advice would be appreciated! I dont think I would feed it to my boy but dont really know why!!

[claire]

just had a quick squizz

a) its max 24% chicken (which means it doesnt actual contain that much chicken when you take out the water content)
b) it has wheat and a lot of other fillers in it (sorghum is a new one on me but is a prolific cereal crop in other countries)
c) poultry meal - dried and ground everything (if it stated meat meal then that is preferable!)
d) chicken digest - again thats processed bits of everything

it doesnt have any colourings or preservatives or artifical antioxidants so it wouldnt be at the bottom of the list of brand scale for me but based on the rest of the content i would say it was prob mid scale

T has salmon & rice proplan when he has dry which is the only dry i would say he actually enjoys.

[memphis]

I tried mine on IAMS last year after graduating from puppy food and although he ate it for the first week or so, thereafter he turned his nose up at it. He literally would not touch it and I gave up after a few days. Now he gets James Wellbeloved and he gobbles it down straight away.

[Billymutt]

Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. It's no better than any other mediocre food out there, and IAMS has for years now been involved in cruel animal experiments. (see http://www.******editedbyrich******.com/ for reference, it's also got a list of dog foods from more ethical companies.). Personally I cook for my dogs, giving them a meal with fresh ingredients every day, but I know that this is not always possible. Foods that I would look at would be: Perro, Naturediet, Nature's Menu, CSJ, possibly Autarky.

[ladybug]

Oh my god that is appalling.....I cant believe it. How incredibly sad....I was in tears looking through that. How can people do things like that to animals....especially when they are a companyu producing food for said animals. I want to string them all up

[Nicola]

Another reason Im glad I only feed BARF

The raw meat and bones are sourced from a local butcher, and comes from free range livestock only, so is completely ethical (Im sometimes concerned when people post about buying cheap cuts from the Supermarket as to its whereabouts, and the fact that I despise all the main supermarket chains in any case )

I would urge others to try it

[ladybug]

I would be the same about the cheap cuts.....even when I buy chicken or something from the supermarket just for Dylan I wont buy the cheap battery farmed ones...just cant do it. I wont eat them for myself, so why buy them for my dog as it would still be like saying it is OK the way thosew chickens are raised...if less are bought then maybe supermarkets etc will start stocking more free range.

[cracar]

Well, I'm glad you two are lucky enough to be in a position where you don't have to eat the lower end of the cost scale foods. Some people are not as lucky and if this was all they could afford to buy rather than frozen crap, then sod the chickens, I say!

Don't feed Iams! Is eukenuba not made by the same people? I thought they did testing too?(might be wrong there)

[Nicola]

[quote="cracar"]Well, I'm glad you two are lucky enough to be in a position where you don't have to eat the lower end of the cost scale foods. Some people are not as lucky and if this was all they could afford to buy rather than frozen crap, then sod the chickens, I say!

quote]


Because I support our local butcher I get to feed our dogs for free. I wonder how much some other multi-dog households spend on dog food each month? I dont think luck enters into it. Just managing a budget efficiently

If I could genuinely only afford to eat battery farm chicken I would go without.

I also get lots of game free, because I support shooting, deer stalking and other country sports. Something which lots of people who eat mass produced chicken seem to find unpalatable.

[cracar]

Well, you are major lucky. I get a knuckle bone maybe once a week from my tight butcher and nothing else. The local estates keep what they shoot so I get no luck there. I have got land where I can shoot my own rabbits but can't bring myself to do it and if our bird catches one, she gets to eat it herself. So if it wasn't for the cheap end of the scale meat, my dogs wouldn't get any.
What would you eat yourself instead if you couldn't afford the 'better cuts'? The cheap fruit and veggies which are pumped full of chemicals? or the frozen crap which is just the feet and lips of the 'crap cut' battery chickens?
Sorry, but your two's posts really got my back up as they were so snobby and pretentious. Some folk can't afford to feed their families and you are worrying about the battery chickens. It bugs me too, how they are raised but if it means someone is going to put a nutricious dinner on the table for their kids, then it's OK.

[Billymutt]

Well, you are major lucky. I get a knuckle bone maybe once a week from my tight butcher and nothing else. The local estates keep what they shoot so I get no luck there. I have got land where I can shoot my own rabbits but can't bring myself to do it and if our bird catches one, she gets to eat it herself. So if it wasn't for the cheap end of the scale meat, my dogs wouldn't get any.
What would you eat yourself instead if you couldn't afford the 'better cuts'? The cheap fruit and veggies which are pumped full of chemicals? or the frozen crap which is just the feet and lips of the 'crap cut' battery chickens?
Sorry, but your two's posts really got my back up as they were so snobby and pretentious. Some folk can't afford to feed their families and you are worrying about the battery chickens. It bugs me too, how they are raised but if it means someone is going to put a nutricious dinner on the table for their kids, then it's OK.

What makes you think that the battery farmed chickens aren't stuffed with chemicals though? They have no immune system to speak of, and live in an environment where, if one gets sick, at least 10.000 other birds will get sick too. That's why these birds' food is stuffed to the gills with antibiotics, to avoid them getting sick and cause major loss for the farmer. If you take the birds as living beings out of the equation it makes perfect sense financially.

If you think of all the intensive farming related health scares of the last decade: CJd, swine flu, bird flu, I really struggle to think of meat as something nutritious that should be part of a daily diet. Obviously I am waiting for soya flu, tomato pox or mad cucumber disease, but so far we're in luck

[Nicola]

Well, you are major lucky. I get a knuckle bone maybe once a week from my tight butcher and nothing else.

This I dont understand - Butchers have to PAY to have the bones taken away, if he is refusing to give them to you then he must have another outlet, ie a pub using them for stock - have you tried asking him for chicken carcasses, or pig trotters?



The local estates keep what they shoot so I get no luck there. I have got land where I can shoot my own rabbits but can't bring myself to do it

That is YOUR choice and no-one else's. Many people would be extremely grateful to have access to free Rabbit meat both for the table and for their pets. I understand your being unwilling to shoot and prepare it yourself, is there no-one that could help you with that?

and if our bird catches one, she gets to eat it herself. So if it wasn't for the cheap end of the scale meat, my dogs wouldn't get any.

The Pet mince we buy costs 50p per pound, which is within the reach of most people and is surely cheaper than the Supermarket?


What would you eat yourself instead if you couldn't afford the 'better cuts'?

We dont eat "better cuts" where did I say that? Last night we ate pigs liver and bacon, we have lots of stews and casseroles. What I did say is that the meat we have is ethically produced from free range livestock. I didnt say it was "better"


Sorry, but your two's posts really got my back up as they were so snobby and pretentious.

And your not sounding too nice yourself right now. Judgemental? much?

Some folk can't afford to feed their families and you are worrying about the battery chickens.

Actually, in my job, as a debt advisor, I find time after time, that these problems are of a budgeting manner and not income. Very few people, in this country genuinely cannot afford to feed themselves, once they have their priorities in order.

It bugs me too, how they are raised but if it means someone is going to put a nutricious dinner on the table for their kids, then it's OK.

Well, luckily we all have different piorities

[Nicola]

[quote="Billymutt If you think of all the intensive farming related health scares of the last decade: CJd, swine flu, bird flu, I really struggle to think of meat as something nutritious that should be part of a daily diet. Obviously I am waiting for soya flu, tomato pox or mad cucumber disease, but so far we're in luck [/quote][/quote]


Exactly. In fact *We* (OH and myself) dont even eat meat every day, although we are far from Vegetarian.

[Billymutt]

Crikey! Me and a hunter agree - who would've thunk it!

[Nicola]

Crikey! Me and a hunter agree - who would've thunk it!

Billymutt, when I read about these awful intensive farming methods I totally "get" why you Guys feel so strongly about eating meat

OH and I made a decision long ago that we felt we would struggle to go Veggie, but morally we would only eat meat that we felt had been produced ethically

Hence if we go out for a meal, ie Indian or chinese, we go for the Veggie option - lol

And yes, we are "Hunters" but I would far rather eat something that has lived well and died quickly than, well, the other stuff.



In fact, the older I get the more I realise, Veggies I can get along with, its Hypocrites I dont like

[LisaBC]

umm not sure I want to join this debate be nice pleassseeee!
As I spent 7 years with 2 very young children on my own before all the so called tax credits ect. I had a morgage, 2 under 5's no payments from absent father who gave up work to avoid. All I got was free this and that and an £12 per wk single parent allowance and I had to manage so my kids were bought up on the cheapest food I could get and im proud of it as this left enough for them to go to football, brownies, swimming and everything else. I could have had my house repossed and joined the single mums in provide accomadation, living on the state which would have been easier but No muggings here went it alone, We had to eat cheap end of!
I now longer buy like this but thats because I dont have too but if I did sorry I could eat anything if I was hungry
I have had enough shot spitting experences as this was the only meats I had as a kid, what my dad shot or what I caught with ferrets and nets. I think its terrible the way so animals are treated but if there is a need through low wages and lack of jobs then I would not judge anyone for buying cheap cuts nor would I feel it snobby to buy better, I just wish the animals involved could all be treated a little better when alive.
I also have a problem getting much from my butcher, there is so many people now asking for bones and offal it is nolonger available unless you are lucky, I wasnt this week so mine im afraid have the cheap wings and offal from the supermarket (Im going to hide now)

[Nicola]

LOL Lisa

[LisaBC]

LOL Lisa

Umm but I havent changed Just been on the phone to the A.A about the cost of my renewal and got a wopping £70 knocked off lol so how Ive managed to get from Iam's to the A.A i dont know but a little advice to you all, HAGGLE!
Im hope Rich dont notice and sorry to the original poster Now going to do sky

[memphis]

that made me smile

[Richard]

BOys and girls, can we all keep this sensible and friendly.......

ive deleted the weblink to the Cruelty site as it is a PETA site, PETA are entilted to thier opinions, but no ned to send web traffic thier way.

its a thread about a brand of pet food, lets not get on high horses or soap boxes

Richard

[LisaBC]

What did I miss? really must keep up!
Forget that I just worked it out, how dumb am I. Dont answer that