Does anyone here feed their pet IAMS?

[Samirella]

I feed my cat IAMS cat food and was sent this link by a friend. I am rather disturbed by it and am thinking about switching to a different brand. DO NOT watch this if you get sick easily.

Click video link below, then click on the large picture of the dogs face:

http://www.iamscruelty.com/iams-video.asp

The happy dogs bounding across a field in Iams dog food commercials are light years away from the dogs in the laboratory that Iams hired to conduct nutritional studies. An undercover investigation for PETA took a job in the lab and found the following:

-Iams dogs dumped on cold concrete flooring after having huge chunks of muscle cut out of their thighs

-dogs and cats gone stir-crazy from confinement; dogs and cats in windowless, dungeon-like buildings

-a coworker who instructed her to hit the dogs on the chest if they quit breathing; another coworker who talked about an Iams dog found dead in his cage, bleeding from his mouth

-a dog who limped in pain from Lyme disease

-cruel studies done by Iams involving sticking tubes down dogs.he removed them when he was told that the lab was going to be inspected because he knew they were illegal

-workers talking about dead dogs lying in their cages

-dark, dungeon-like kennelsthat were stifiling in the summer and frigid in the winter

-dogs circling endlessly in their small prisons from lonliness and boredom

-veterinarytechnicians with inadequate training and inexperienced invasive procedures

This investigation videotaped (link above) Iams representatives visiting the laboratory, witnessing the animals in these dreadful conditions - and doing NOTHING! The pleas from the undercover investigator that the dogs be given resting boards, toys, and
the socialization that they so desperately needed were ignored. To her horror, the lab director even ordered that the dogs' vocal cords be cut because their frightened and lonely barking irratated him.

When Peta went public with this evidence, Iams officials lied and said that they had no idea what conditions were like inside the laboratory that their own staff regularly visited. Iams then cut ties with the lab. But Iams and its owner Procter and gamble, still do business with dozens of outside laboratories that might just
be as bad as the one that was investigated. Iams also conducts studies on dogs and cats in its own facility, which it refuses to allow PETA representatives to see.

THESE ANIMALS COULD BE YOUR PET!!! Visit www.IAMScruelty.com for more information, what the alternatives are for animal testing, how you can help, etc.

You can also visit www.peta.org for other gruesome (but true) videos

 

[Serena]

I actually don't listen to anything PETA says, sorry.

 

[phillybeth]

I actually don't listen to anything PETA says, sorry.

Me either.

Iams is a decent quality, readily available pet food.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Well, because of PETA I buy only cage free eggs and don't eat lamb and don't wear fur and try to avoid personal item products tested on animals.

They don't take humans into labs and try out new foods on them in this manner--why is it necessary to treat animals this way. I'm glad IAMS cut ties with the lab.

If it wasn't for groups like PETA--then many more animals would needlessly be sacrificed for humans and other businesses wouldn't be as enticed to try more humane conditions to handle their animals in food production.

 

[Hagred]

I have to agree with the other posters. I feel PETA has gone too far on the radical side for me to ever listen to them again.

My animals have always had IAMS and have never had any adverse reactions like other people's pets have had with store brands. I think my cat has had one hairball in her entire life and that was during a hard winter when she grew a great deal of fur.

I feel those images and descriptions were designed to provoke a perscribed response (namely, to stop buying IAMS) and I don't feel like being manipulated that way.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I am an avid animal rights person... I don't even step on bugs...

But Peta is a radical organization and many of it's members only see the good they do, unfortunately and not the bad. I used to listen to them until one of my neices witnessed her mother who was wearing a faux fur coat (faux being the key word) get red paint tossed on her and horrible things said to her by some of their looney members.

I would not take anything Peta says seriously. If they had it their way, dogs and cats would all be vegans as well. I work with a guy who is a complete loon who only feeds his cat veggies. That cat is not going to live very long.

 

[bekkiz]

I generally agree with the above views of PETA, the important parts of their message get lost amongst their crazy and disturbing actions.

However, regarding IAMS, it actually is <B>not</B> a good dog food. There are much better ones, that are not more expensive. IAMS contains a high amount of corn products, which cause allergies in a large percentage of dogs. The protean sources are also generally by products or fat, not the most healthy of proteans. Compared to many grocery store brands, however, it's not a terrible choice.

Some of the better ones that you can find in Petco etc are Solid Gold, Wellness, and a few others I can think of right know You want to look for foods what have protean as the first ingredient, and do not have more than 1 or 2 grains in the first few ingredients.

 

[poohandwendy]

PETA has lost credibility with me on so many different levels, I take their scare tactics with a grain of salt...

 

[Shugardrawers]

I am the world's biggest animal lover and I don't always agree with PETA either. I have no idea how much truth there is to that article but I personally doubt most of it. If you are looking to switch foods anyway, Science diet is the best you can get.

 

[bekkiz]

Not to be pushy, but Science Diet is even worse then IAMS (at least the orginal and small bites formulas) Here are the first 4 ingrediants:
Corn Meal
Chicken by-Product
Soybean Meal
Animal Fat Preserved with BHA, Propyl Gallate and Citric Acid

There are far better foods on the market, for the same price, or cheaper. (The Science Diet Lamb and Rice is okay, as there's no corn, and lamb meal is somewhat better then chicken by-product)

 

[chadfromdallas]

Gonna repeat what others have said here....

PETA is a bunch of hypocritical ****S and I don't believe much of anything they say.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I am the world's biggest animal lover and I don't always agree with PETA either. I have no idea how much truth there is to that article but I personally doubt most of it. If you are looking to switch foods anyway, Science diet is the best you can get.

Science Diet is one of the WORST foods you can buy. But there are lots of great foods, besides IAMS (Which is not a good food, either).

I do think PETA is a bit too radical, unfortunetly, because alot of good could come from them - they just have taken it too far. But regardless of whether or not their info is true, there are better quality foods than Iams out there anyways.

 

[Randi]

I have researched PETA and find that they are very good at what they do best: appeal to the emotions of animal lovers (truthfulness doesn't matter, they have been known to doctor pictures and testimony) to separate them from their money - LOTS of money
Find out where that money is going. It's not going to help animals. It did however build a nice headquarters for PETA.
Find out what their real agenda is. How far do they want to take their radical ideas? Think about the pets you share your life and home with.
I am a strong animal lover, but I believe the opposite of abuse is welfare not necessarily rights. My cats may have the right to go outside but I keep them inside for their welfare.

 

[Samirella]

Thank you everyone for the input. I have never really paid much attention to PETA before. I just had this sent to my by a friend. I think I'll just stick with IAMS as Science Diet was what I was thinking of swiching to. My cat has never had a problem with the IAMS, either. Thanks again for the input.

 

[chrissyk]

Thank you everyone for the input. I have never really paid much attention to PETA before. I just had this sent to my by a friend. I think I'll just stick with IAMS as Science Diet was what I was thinking of swiching to. My cat has never had a problem with the IAMS, either. Thanks again for the input.

I don't feed my pets IAMS or any other commercial petfood. That stuff almost killed my cat! If you REALLY want to know what is in commercial petfood, read "The Foods Pets Die For". I believe that Ann Martin is the author. We stick with clean foods for our pets. Their health is worth it, and these foods are NOT more expensive than foods like IAMS.

 

[Chattyaholic]

crissyk: clean foods??

 

[chrissyk]

crissyk: clean foods??

Antibiotic free, hormone free, preservative free, dye free and mostly (or totally) certified organic. Honestly, these brands are NOT any more expensive than the supermarket stuff, ounce-for-ounce.

 

[Jynohn]

While I too take everying PETA says with a grain of salt, I do agree with the other posters who have said that IAMS is basically junk. I raise Great Danes and because they are sometimes prone to bloat and allergies, have studied diet for several years.

Most commercial foods on the market today are horrible for our pets. That includes those foods that marketing has led us to believe are "quality" products. (Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc.) Another poster suggested reading "Food Pets Die For" and I agree that it's a great article. It can be found easily on the net with a google search.

I believe the best way to feed dogs is the Bones and Raw Foods (BARF) diet, which is closest to their natural diet. However, it requires a fair amount of research and is somewhat inpractical for most dog owners. The next best thing is to buy a quality, holistic food. Wellness, Innova and Natural Balance are some that I like. They are slightly more expensive, but my dogs haven't been to the vet for anything other than routine checkups in years so I think I've gotten my money's worth!

 

[Christine]

I also feed my dogs Innova. After reading about the junk dog foods out there, I decided that I wouldn't feed my animals anything that I wouldn't eat myself. The meat by-products in Iams and Science Diet and be labeled "not fit for human consumption." They are from sick animals that have been rendered and cannot be put into the human food market. While feeding your pets Iams and Science Diet may not give any immediate ill-effects, I think in the long-term these animals will have higher rates of cancer and chronic illnesses.

 

[totalia]

Until I see an official announcement about this, I'm still buying IAMS for my cat.

Sorry but the SPCA or any of these other petfriendly societies are extremely biased and I wouldn't put it past them to manipulate things to better their own position.