[BJSalz]

Last night I went to the pet store to get more puppy Iams. The breeder recommended Iams. I was talking with another customer about food brand choices. She recommended Natural Choice then the owner of the store joined our conversation and I asked him what he personally feeds his dog (a 5 month border collie). He said it is made by Blue and he lifted the bag to show the ingrediants. It sounded healthy!! He said that Iams has alot of by-products.

What is best? I'd like to start doing a transition of a better quality brand of food.

Any thoughts on particular brands? What do you feed your pup/dog?

 

[Ash]

Its my personal prefrence to avoid ingredients like corn, wheat, by products, beet pulp and other fillers. I feed Acana and have been extremely happy with it. My dogs all look wonderful not just their coats but their skin, breath, eyes and they have energy to burn (sometimes I wish not sooo much). Different things work for different dogs.

 

[BJSalz]

Thanks for your reply.

I did end up buying a bag of the Blue brand and another bag of Iams to do the transition but I wanted to make sure it was a recommened brand before opening it; otherwise I'll exchange it. Here is the bag I got:

http://www.bluebuff.com/products/dogs/lp-large-puppy-chick.shtml

 

[tippykayak]

Iams is a great food. There's an anti-corn and anti-wheat bias out there on the internet that's not really supported in nutritional science. If you like the Blue Buffalo or something better, or you feel your dog thrives more on it, by all means feed it, but lots of dogs are very, very healthy on Iams.

My dogs get Eukanuba, which is a pretty similar food to Iams and owned by the same company, and my dogs are shiny, healthy, and very high energy.

 

[jwemt81]

Iams is a great food. There's an anti-corn and anti-wheat bias out there on the internet that's not really supported in nutritional science. If you like the Blue Buffalo or something better, or you feel your dog thrives more on it, by all means feed it, but lots of dogs are very, very healthy on Iams.

My dogs get Eukanuba, which is a pretty similar food to Iams and owned by the same company, and my dogs are shiny, healthy, and very high energy.

Totally agree. We have had Tucker on Iams for several months now and he has done MUCH better on it than he did on any of the other brands we tried him on, including grain-free. Those foods were just way too rich for him and his stools were like pudding and impossible to clean up. We recently started alternating between Eukanuba and Iams and we couldn't be happier with the results.

 

[BJSalz]

If you like the Blue Buffalo or something better, or you feel your dog thrives more on it, by all means feed it, but lots of dogs are very, very healthy on Iams.

He's never had anything but Iams. That's why I got paniced because the store owner made it sound as if I'm feeding him crap. Should I switch or keep him on Iams? I'm so confused.

 

[jwemt81]

He's never had anything but Iams. That's why I got paniced because the store owner made it sound as if I'm feeding him crap. Should I switch or keep him on Iams? I'm so confused.

As Tippykayak said, Iams is a perfectly good food that has been around for years and years and many dogs do very well on it. It's the only food that we feed our cats and Tucker has been on it since April without a single problem. We spent months trying to find a food that worked well for him and we finally gave Iams a try. It solved all of his stool problems and he has a ton of energy and a very soft and shiny coat. If your dog is doing well on the Iams, there is absolutely no reason to change it at all. You are NOT feeding him crap.

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

I would never feed Iams to my dogs. I think Blue is a good food, and it would definitely be my choice.

 

[Swampcollie]

What is best? I'd like to start doing a transition of a better quality brand of food.

Any thoughts on particular brands? What do you feed your pup/dog?

O.K. just slow down for a few minutes and think about this. What have you seen with your dog thus far? Is the pup healthy? Does it have a nice coat, clear eyes, clean teeth and lots of energy? What does your Vet say about your pups' condition?

If all of those things are good, why change?

99 9/10% of people don't know enough about canine nutrition to have a clue about what is right for your puppy and you. Take their comments with a grain of salt. Iams is a good food with a long track record of success. Your breeder recommended the product, they most certainly have reasons why, ask them.

The true measure of a food is the results it delivers. If Iams is getting the job done, there is no reason to change.

As the old saying goes "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[HovawartMom]

Both my dogs ate Iams,Purina one and beneful for the 1st,2 yrs of their life and did well so,in the long run,it has more to do with yr dog and what you can afford!.

 

[TobysDad]

Purina for us

Our little guy had very loose stools on Iams and an all-natural one whose name I forget. The vet suggested switching to something like the Purina One, and his poop hardened up nicely (how gross is that for a visual?) He's 75 pounds and (too) full of energy, so I think it's working for him!

 

[Sunny Delight]

We actually use Kirkland

Hi,

I've been using Kirkland (Costco's brand) Chicken and Rice for 3 years now for both my dogs and love it. The first 10 ingredients are: chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, cracked pearl barley, chicken fat (eh, I don't love this ingredient), egg product, beet pulp, potatoes, fish meal, flaxseed, natural flavor (hmmm... natural dog food flavor?)brewer's yeast, millet, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, and then the list goes on with glucosamine and other vitamins and minerals. OK. So that was more than 10!

Anyway, no by-products, no corn and the dogs' coats are wonderful and the price is great. $22.99 for 40 pounds. They also have a lamb and rice formula that my neighbor uses for her chocolate lab because he has intestinal issues with chicken.

I also find the recommended feeding amounts quite reasonable, suggesting something like 2-2 1/2 cups per day for my 50-60 lb dogs. Foods with lots of fillers recommend large amounts of food, making the food more expensive than it seems in the long run.

My sister-in-law has always fed Iams, and whenever I care for her dog, I give him my food because he likes it a lot better.

 

[tippykayak]

He's never had anything but Iams. That's why I got paniced because the store owner made it sound as if I'm feeding him crap. Should I switch or keep him on Iams? I'm so confused.

Like I said, I don't think there's a lot of scientific support for the bias against "byproducts" and grains. Grain free food can be too rich for many dogs or otherwise not the right choice, and "holistic" foods are often no different from "traditional" ones. "Holistic" doesn't have a binding legal or industry definition. Neither does "premium."

Grain free does work for some dogs, and it's certainly possible for a dog to be sensitive to a particular ingredient, so eliminating it does help. Most dogs, though, digest corn and wheat just fine in appropriate amounts.

If somebody is putting down Iams as a food, ask them for the actual nutritional research behind their claims. If they have nothing, don't sweat it. If they have something, read it and see if it's really comprehensive. Make those decisions for yourself as you see fit, but don't let a store owner make you feel guilty for not spending more on food. He's hardly an unbiased source, right? Iams has been producing dog food for a very long time and has engaged in countless studies to make sure the dogs thrive on it.

My theory is that if the dog is thriving, there's little benefit in changing the food because of some theory about grains or wolf digestive systems. If you're stressing anyway, why not feed him low-fat, low-sugar people food when you cook it? Our dogs love getting leftover chicken or other "real" meat as treats and snacks here and there. Check the list of human foods that are toxic to dogs before you do that, but if you're careful about that small number of dangerous ingredients, it's a great thing to do.

 

[BJSalz]

Thanks for everyone's posts. I'm really nervous about making and keeping our pup healthy. Our last dog was a mixed rescue and was put down just before her 2nd birthday because all sorts of health problems - the biggest being hip dysplasia, meds hurting her liver and on & on. I'm just paranoid but I appreciate all your advice!!!

I feel better! :doh:

 

[egcc]

Ellie is eating Blue Buffalo. She loves it and we do, too. I also get really stressed about food, so I sympathize.

 

[Bock]

Blue Buffalo is a good food. I don't particularly favor or recommend Iams but that's just me.

 

[tippykayak]

Thanks for everyone's posts. I'm really nervous about making and keeping our pup healthy. Our last dog was a mixed rescue and was put down just before her 2nd birthday because all sorts of health problems - the biggest being hip dysplasia, meds hurting her liver and on & on. I'm just paranoid but I appreciate all your advice!!!

I feel better! :doh:

The best thing you can do for a dog to limit the chances of HD are multigenerational clearances. The best thing you can do to limit HD in a dog you already have is keep her really trim. There are some joint supplements that can help too, but a healthy weight can sometimes prevent an at-risk dog from developing it at all, and it lessens the problems in dogs that do develop it anyway.

 

[LuckyPup]

My vet recommended Iams (as their third choice). She said it was a perfectly good food. I did a lot of reading on dog foods (trying to understand it all.....still do not think I have it). Anyways, Blue Buffalo was definitely ranked pretty high but so was Iams. I would stay on Iams. Your dog is happy and healthy. It is NOT crap!

Now on a side note, I was speaking to the dog food specialty place I get my dogs food. She said she usually switches hee dogs food. Sometimes stay with the same brand but different flavors (which made sense) but she said she would switch brands. That was news to me and I guess I am going to have to do reading on and the benefits of doing that (which proves I did not learn near enough on my research of dog food).

 

[kercolano]

Our vet told us that we could start transitioning Hazel over to adult food around 4 months...are you all still feeding puppy food at this age? She is doing great on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy. Our vet, who has a puppy from the same breeder is going to switch his over to Purina One, based on cost and being easier to find. The pet stores that sell "special" dog food are about 30 min. from our house.

Opinions? I hate to change brands when she's doing so well on the Eukanuba, but it would be great to be able to grab her food from the grocery store instead of making a longer trip. Am I a bad mommy?!?!?

 

[garyfdl]

Thanks for everyone's posts. I'm really nervous about making and keeping our pup healthy. Our last dog was a mixed rescue and was put down just before her 2nd birthday because all sorts of health problems - the biggest being hip dysplasia, meds hurting her liver and on & on. I'm just paranoid but I appreciate all your advice!!!

I feel better! :doh:

I've been wondering the same thing. We lost our 2nd Golden in 18 years sudeenly about two months ago, and pick up our new pup on Tuesday. Since it's been 8 years since we last had a 'yapper', I started researching to see what's changed in terms of nutrition, and came across this paper:

http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/vth/sa/clin/cp_handouts/Nutrition_Growing_Puppy.pdf

The only negative I've ever heard about foods like Euke, Iams, Science, etc. were the cost. Breeders/trainers I've known over the years generally stayed away from them for that reason. They told me you can get the same quality for less, if you read and compare labels. Just remember, the emphasis is on nutrition, not price. And as already mentioned watch the stool to see that the dog is digesting the food properly.