Iams Healthy Naturals?

Iams has followed everyone else in introducing a supposedly healthy dog food (which makes you wonder what's wrong with their original formula). It is advertised as being full of fresh ingredients and vegetables. So what's in it?

Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Flax Meal, Apple Pomace, Dried Carrots, Dried Peas, Choline Chloride, Dried Spinach, Dried Tomato, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract

Brewers Rice? That's the stuff thrown out of distilleries when they are done producing liquor. Fresh? Skip down to the end of the list for the veggies, which are found in smaller quantities than the vitamin supplements or even the salt.

I've begun cooking for my own dogs. I'm still working out the recipe, but its something like this: ground chicken parts, brown rice, sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, broccoli, millet. Sula was suspicious of the carrots, but she got over it. And within days all three of the dogs had unbelievable coats and skin.

Comments

Unknown said…
Interesting recipe. I just have a couple of questions:

Where do I find ground chicken parts -- I'm not sure what that means unless that's some sort of fancy speak for cut up chicken thighs, which, by the way, is people food around my house.

Do you cook a batch at one time and feed them for a couple of days or do you cook each time you feed them?
Ken Foster said…
I'm somewhat embarrassed to say: Whole Foods has started selling bricks of frozen dog food "starter" with either a chicken, beef or turkey base. It is mostly made from the unpopular parts. In the case of the chicken, some might call it gizzards.

I'd been cooking a pot every two days, but last time doubled the recipe and froze half of it for a few days. This has worked well, except that Brando seems to have a problem with the frozen batch. Maybe he's spoiled? Could that be possible?
Anonymous said…
Sniff, sadness... we have no Whole Foods up here. However the city is looking to lease about 7 acres to a movie studio and when all those Californian's move in maybe, just maybe...
Anonymous said…
Hi Ken... Ara&Spirit here... still... riding!!!
I have been cooking my buddie's food for a while now... Love your post...
I generally will boil a chicken... tak it apart, use its broth for some brown rice... mix in all a bag of frozen vegetables (NO cans please...). When asked, being a Chef, "does Spirit eat your food?", I generally reply... "NO... I eat his food... true sometimes!!!"
Be well... Ara & Spirit
Anonymous said…
hey there is also some stuff made by Bravo, they have like these "sausage" rolls of ground meats for feeding raw - chicken, lamb etc with no garbage in it - we cooked some here, for a dog of mine that had cancer. She loved it. I think you can order it online - or maybe it's available out there somewhere near you? I got mine from a lady who was a dealer for Bravo.

note the addition of L-carnetine and taurine. I am treating my 14 year old pit with borderline heart troubles with this stuff (human grade, from the vitamin store online) and he is twinkling around like a pup! I'd say go for it and get you some for your dogs - it's nutrition, not herbal, so easy to dose.

oh my - I could go on. I won't though unless someone asks! And Iams is garbage.
Anonymous said…
You really should forget the cooking and go RAW!!!! Then you'll really see the healthy skin, coats, and the dental health will be unbelievable.
Anonymous said…
I know tjey're the new trends now.... raw food diets, or cook-them-yourself meals for our beloved babies... but I have to say that I have been feeding my little ones Eagle Pack, the salmon mix. It's high in omega 3 fatty acids so their coats are just gorgeous (i get compliments all the time). Eagle Pack is hollistic so it's very healthy and perfectly balanced.

I came across this site b/c I was curious about Iams Healthy Naturals and its quality.... Clearly not so good (chicken by-product and minimal veggie quantities - less than the salt content)

Hope this helps!

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