IAMs Healthy Choice vs Nature's Recipe

doseedo · 11-28-2007, 02:20 AM

I have a 7 year old Boxer and I've been feeding him Nature's Recipe religiously for the past 5 1/2 years.

I just saw a TV commercial for Iams Healthy Choice and I have to say their marketing is pretty good. It made me want to eat it.

Does anyone have any experience with this stuff? I'm not that into changing foods but I think it is significantly less expensive than what I'm giving Otis now. And, if it's good then...hey why not.

You can watch the commercial at this site:
http://zadzadz.com/Iams_Healthy_Natu...ommercial.html

Renoman · 11-28-2007, 06:25 AM

I don't know the specific ingredients in the IAMS Healthy Choice, but with Iams being significantly involved in this last major recall, I'd stay as far away from it as possible.

If you are really looking to switch foods, there's better choices out there. Just my opinion.

Shaina · 11-28-2007, 08:03 AM

Well my puppy started on Iam's Healthy Choice when I got her in June, and she didn't do well on it. Coat stayed dull (she had been under weight to begin with, keep in mind), itched all the time, stools were always a little soft/runny. So in July we switched her to Nature's Recipe, which cost maybe $2 more per bag for me, any she did better (glossier coat, slightly firmer stool), but she was still itching like crazy all the time (she had been checked by the vet for parasite and skin conditions, etc...wasn't that).

The end of her second bag of Nature's Recipe is when I joined this forum, and decided to try Canidae All Life Stages instead, and it's been great. Fuller, glossier coat, very infrequent itching, and she's just an all-around healthier dog. So for me, this was definitely a good decision.

Also, I actually pay no more/serving than I did with the Nature's Recipe (barring coupons and such). Part of it is because I can buy a bigger bag, but I also end up feeding 1/2 cup less/day, and that's about to become 3/4 cup less (she's getting a little tubby lol).

nlkeple · 11-28-2007, 11:18 AM

I feed Lady Chicken Soup. I did the calculations and it only costs me about 12 cents more per pound to feed her that rather than Iams. If you go to their website it will tell you if anyone in your area sells it.

Most sites including the Iams site have their ingredients listed, this is a good way to look into a food without having to drive a million places to check labels.

adoggonebakery · 11-28-2007, 12:07 PM

I have never feed my dogs natural choice, but have heard good things about it. However, I would stay FAR away from anything Iams. Just the things I've heard, seen, and read scare me. I also found this website which upset me as well - www.iamscruelty.com.

Annamarie · 11-28-2007, 02:54 PM

unfortunately iams doesn't carry the same quality as it once did many years ago. my pup was on it when we got him and didn't do well on it at all. we switched him to innova evo and his dandruff and constant staph infections on his skin went away and he did much better. he now refuses to eat kibble so we've been feeding him wellness canned (duck and sweet potatoe is his favorite) and he's doing very well on that. I also add a multivitamin paste and a tiny bit of sunflower oil to it to keep him healthy and his coat shiny and soft.

TrackInDirt · 11-28-2007, 03:20 PM

I've been feeding IAMS for just under two months, and I hate to say the food has gone so far downhill, I'll never touch it again

I'd heard such about Eukanuba, but apparently its their IAMS formula too. The dogs are having a bad time with shedding (NOT seasonal, their hair is just falling out), and I have most of my dogs on this diet now with some sort of urinary problem. One of my housedogs can't hold her urine anymore, I find her laying in pools of her own pee, and the other dogs are having problems with frequent urination as well. Once a week, like clockwork, its a bout of diarrhea - it clears up, then back again. Ugh. I am pulling them off of it ASAP.

poohlp · 11-28-2007, 03:46 PM

You couldn't pay me enough to feed IAMs, even if they gave it to me free for life and I was flat broke. Any food that tests how bad and un-nutritious they can make their food without having the the animal actually show outward signs of unhealthiness even as they rot from the inside out is not a food I am interested in.

I know some people have claimed that the infiltration of their animal testing plant has been bedunked, but my theory is that if something smells that rotten, there's something shady going on. You can't make lemonade...even the crappy kind... without at least a few lemons.

Just my two cents.

kratos88 · 11-30-2007, 12:57 AM

im not a fan of iams at all. i dont really like any product with byproducts in it, and yet almost all if not all of their products have byproducts in it.

2puppimsmom · 03-17-2008, 01:56 AM

I am anti-Iams. We had 3 dogs that we fed Safeway brand dog food. They were raised on it. then we got an AKC German Shepherd. I had wanted one for a long time. After we got her we started feeding Iams. Our first 3 dogs wouldn't eat it. So I got Safeway brand for them,and fed Iams to ourGS Bear Bear. She loved it. Well we lost Bear Bear before she was 5 yrs old. She had a huge mass in her chest. She had cancer. We had to euthanize her. She had the best care and was fed the supposedly best food. 2 of our other dogs lived to be over 10 yrs. The 3rd one a Dobie lived to be over 15 yrs. We had many dogs before Bear Bear and have had many dogs since. None of them has died from cancer. They have lived to be 10 yrs or older,and most died naturally. I don't recommend Iams dog food for any dog. And Our Dobie I tried on Purina. He had severe diarrhea and vomiting. I immediately took him off of it and he stopped. the other2 dogs wouldn't eat it . So I just stuck with the cheap Safeway brand of dog food for them, three. Diane

Patt · 03-17-2008, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adoggonebakery

However, I would stay FAR away from anything Iams. Just the things I've heard, seen, and read scare me. I also found this website which upset me as well - www.iamscruelty.com.

ITA!! If your dog is doing well on the food he has now then I would not change it. I feed Innova dog food.

swissypup · 03-17-2008, 09:27 AM

I agree that you should stay far, far away from Iams. Not only do they perform inhumane and unethical tests on animals, but their food is of low quality - I believe they were involved in the recalls.
Boycott Iams!!