What are the ingredients in IAMS dog food
IAMs Dog Food Ingredients
If youre like most pet parents, you want to provide the best food possible for your furry friend. Thats why so many people turn to IAMS dog food products. But just what makes IAMS so special? Lets take a closer look at the ingredients that go into this popular brand of pet food.
One of the first things youll notice about IAMS dog food is that it doesnt contain any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The ingredients are all-natural and carefully chosen to provide your pup with the best nutrition possible. And unlike some other brands of pet food, IAMS doesnt include any meat by-products or corn in its recipes.
Instead, IAMS focuses on using quality meats as the first ingredient in every formula. For example, IAMS ProActive Health Senior Plus Dog Food contains chicken meal, beef meal, and lamb meal as its first three ingredients. Chicken is lean meat thats full of essential nutrients for your dogs health and well-being. In fact, its considered to be one of the best proteins you can feed your pet. Beef and lamb meals are also considered to be healthy sources of protein, and theyre also high in amino acids, which help keep your canines skin and coat healthy.
Yes, you want to provide the best for your beloved dog. However, sometimes it can be difficult to determine what ingredients make up a quality product. Thats why its best to consult with your veterinarian or other pet care professional before you buy. Theyll be able to evaluate the IAMS products that are available and recommend food that meets all of your dogs nutritional needs.
IAMs Dog Food Ingredients
- Protein: The primary ingredient in IAMS pet food is a high-quality animal protein. In the case of the adult maintenance dog food, that source is lamb meal. For puppies and active adult dogs, our primary sources are chicken meal and beef meal. IAMS features natural ingredients from quality meats, whole grains or vegetables for a complete and balanced diet.
- Carbohydrates: Carbs come from healthy grains, vegetables and whole grains like brown rice, barley and oats. IAMS does not add simple carbohydrates such as sugars to its foods. Proteins and fats provide your dog with energy, while vitamins and minerals help nourish the cells that need them to stay healthy.
- Fiber: Fiber comes from the outer coat of whole grain oats and other natural ingredients. It provides important support for your dogs digestive system, removing toxins that can be harmful if they accumulate in the body of your pet.
- Vitamins & Minerals: IAMS uses chelated minerals ones chemically attached to protein molecules. This makes them easier for your dog to absorb and use. IAMS products contain a combination of vitamins from natural sources, including vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
- Minerals: Minerals are essential nutrients that help promote good health in your pets body. They regulate the various chemical functions that take place every day, which ensure that your dog can get optimum enjoyment out of life. IAMS contains chelated minerals, which are attached to protein molecules to make them more absorbable.
- Fats: Fats give your pet energy and help maintain healthy skin and a shiny coat. Essential fatty acids help keep the skin moist and supple, while vitamins A, E and D help nourish the skin from the inside out. IAMS contains a blend of fats from vegetable oils, which help maintain a natural balance in your dogs body.
FAQs
Q: What are the most popular IAMS products?
A: Depending on your dogs age, size and activity level, IAMS has a number of products to choose from. For example, if you have a puppy or an active adult dog, our ProActive Health line offers food that will provide for all of their nutritional needs. If your pet is a senior, our ProActive Health Seniors line has everything he needs to maintain a healthy weight and support his joints.
Q: How long can I keep the food in my pets bowl?
A: Although there are no health risks associated with leaving food in your dogs dish for an extended period of time, it makes sense from an economic standpoint to remove uneaten food and replace it with fresh food. Try using a small, durable mat under the bowl to keep the food off the floor.
Q: Can I feed my pet any kind of IAMS product?
A: Its always best to consult with your veterinarian or other pet care professional before you make a decision. Theyll be able to evaluate the IAMS products that are available and recommend food that meets all of your dogs nutritional needs.
Q: What ingredients make up a quality product?
A: Although there is no guaranteed miracle ingredient out there, its best to look for food with high-quality animal protein as the primary ingredient. That way, your pet will get plenty of amino acids to help maintain his muscles and other important issues. Plus, it will contain all the nutrients necessary to keep him healthy and active.
Q: What about by-products?
A: Although the term by-product may be misleading because it sounds like a secondary ingredient, it actually refers to an entire animal. For example, by-products could include chicken feet and necks, as well as the organs that remain after butchering. If youre concerned about whats in your pets food, try looking for products made with high-quality animal protein not by-products as the primary ingredient.
Q: How much should I feed my pet?
A: Its important not to overfeed your pet by giving him more food than he needs to maintain his weight. Thats why its best to adjust the amount you feed him based on his age, activity level, breed and size.
Q: Are there IAMS dog recalls
A: At this time, there are no IAMS dog food recalls. You can read about past IAMs Dog food recalls here.
Iams Proactive Health Dog Food Review (Dry)
The Iams product line includes the 14 dry dog foods listed below.
Each recipe includes its AAFCO nutrient profile: Growth (puppy), Maintenance (adult), All Life Stages, Supplemental or Unspecified.
Recipe and Label Analysis
Iams Proactive Health Minichunks Chicken & Whole Grain Rice was selected to represent the other products in the line for detailed recipe and nutrient analysis.
Ingredients Analysis
The first ingredient in this dog food is chicken. Although it is a quality item, raw chicken contains up to 73% water. After cooking, most of that moisture is lost, reducing the meat content to just a fraction of its original weight.
After processing, this item would probably account for a smaller part of the total content of the finished product.
The second ingredient is corn. Corn is an inexpensive and controversial cereal grain. And aside from its energy content, this grain is of only modest nutritional value to a dog.
The third ingredient is sorghum. Sorghum (milo) is a starchy cereal grain with a nutrient profile similar to corn.
Since it is gluten-free and boasts a smoother blood sugar behavior than other grains, sorghum may be considered an acceptable non-meat ingredient.
The next ingredient is chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. Its made from whats left of a slaughtered chicken after all the choice cuts have been removed.
On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.
The quality of this ingredient can vary, depending on the caliber of the raw materials obtained by the manufacturer.
The fifth ingredient is beet pulp. Beet pulp is a controversial ingredient, a high fiber by-product of sugar beet processing.
Some denounce beet pulp as an inexpensive filler while others cite its outstanding intestinal health and blood sugar benefits.
We only call your attention here to the controversy and believe the inclusion of beet pulp in reasonable amounts in most dog foods is entirely acceptable.
After the natural flavor, we find flaxseed, one of the best plant sources of healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Provided theyve first been ground into a meal, flax seeds are also rich in soluble fiber.
However, flaxseed contains about 19% protein, a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.
The next ingredient is dried egg product, a dehydrated form of shell-free eggs. Quality can vary significantly. Lower grade egg product can even come from commercial hatcheries from eggs that have failed to hatch.
In any case, eggs are easy to digest and have an exceptionally high biological value.
The ninth ingredient is chicken fat. This item is obtained from rendering chicken, a process similar to making soup in which the fat itself is skimmed from the surface of the liquid.
Chicken fat is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid essential for life. Although it doesnt sound very appetizing, chicken fat is actually a quality ingredient.
From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.
But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this Iams product.
With four notable exceptions
First, caramel is a natural coloring agent made by caramelizing carbohydrates. Its used by pet food manufacturers to impart a golden brown tint to the finished product.
However, the concentrated version of this ingredient commonly known as caramel coloring has been more recently considered controversial and found to cause cancer in laboratory animals.1
In any case, even though caramel is considered safe by the FDA, were always disappointed to find any added coloring in a pet food.
Thats because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his food is?
Next, this recipe contains fructooligosaccharide, an alternative sweetener2 probably used here as a prebiotic. Prebiotics function to support the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine.
In addition, this recipe contains sodium selenite, a controversial form of the mineral selenium. Sodium selenite appears to be nutritionally inferior to the more natural source of selenium found in selenium yeast.
And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Chelated minerals are usually associated with higher quality dog foods.
Nutrient Analysis
Based on its ingredients alone, Iams Proactive Health Dog Food looks like an above-average dry product.
The dashboard displays a dry matter protein reading of 28%, a fat level of 16% and estimated carbohydrates of about 49%.
As a group, the brand features an average protein content of 28% and a mean fat level of 15%. Together, these figures suggest a carbohydrate content of 49% for the overall product line.
And a fat-to-protein ratio of about 54%.
Which means this Iams product line contains
Above-average protein. Near-average fat. And near-average carbs when compared to a typical dry dog food.
Even when you consider the protein-boosting effect of the flaxseed, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing a notable amount of meat.
Our Rating of IAMS Grain Inclusive Dog Food
Iams Proactive Health is a grain-inclusive dry dog food that uses a notable amount of named by-product meal as its dominant source of animal protein, thus receiving 4 stars.
