# I just want to warn everyone about IAMS!!



## Beach (Sep 30, 2010)

Here is what just happened to us:

A few weeks ago we purchased a new bag of Iams mini chunks dry dog food (in the green bag). Late last week I noticed that my dog was having loose bowls. I didn't attribute it to anything serious and fed him some pumpkin, which is a common remedy. I felt something was just not right with him, and I watched him for a few more days. He started panting for no reason and then his diarrhea became very bloody. I was horrified!! We immediately contacted the vet and took in a stool sample. The vet found no parasites, but said that the amount of mucous/slime in the stool was a result of an inflamed colon which most likely indicates a food problem. At the same time, I started doing internet research and saw recent identical stories to mine after dogs had eaten the same Iams dog food!! I'm also reading that some dogs have died! Also, one owner put their dog down, before they knew it was the Iams, because they couldn't bare to see their dog suffering. I only want to get the word out there that there is something very WRONG with this food so that other dogs/owners don't have to go through this. My dog seems to be doing OK now, but I will never know if he has been permanently harmed.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

have you always fed this food?


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## Beach (Sep 30, 2010)

Keechak, yes we have always fed our dog Iams. I always thought I was feeding him good food. :-(


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Most people here know not to feed that kind of stuff to our dogs!


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## camoreno (Sep 16, 2010)

Wow, what a scary time you and your dog went through! Thank you so much for sending out the warning about IAMS. So many dog owners are unaware of the dangers in commercial dog foods and think that they're giving their dog good food based on the commercials and marketing that the manufacturers and distributors put out there. Since our rottweiler had a sensitive system since she was a pup, we fed her only what our breeder suggested, and even at that, we had to do a little searching to find what agreed with her. As she got more mature, we found that Innova was a good food as well as Wellness CORE which is what we are giving her now. 

I recently came across this warning that I will pass on here. Three ingredients in commercial dry food that are really BAD in dog food:
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Etholyquin (EPA-regulated pesticide)


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## Beach (Sep 30, 2010)

katielou said:


> Most people here know not to feed that kind of stuff to our dogs!


Katielou, thanks for making me feel even worse. When we bought our Cocker from a very reputable breeder 9+ years ago, I asked about Eukanuba and Iams (thinking it was good food) and she said it was fine. So, as just a lay-person, I thought I was doing the right thing. My Cocker has been on Iams for 9+ years and has been very healthy until this happened.



camoreno said:


> Wow, what a scary time you and your dog went through! Thank you so much for sending out the warning about IAMS. So many dog owners are unaware of the dangers in commercial dog foods and think that they're giving their dog good food based on the commercials and marketing that the manufacturers and distributors put out there. Since our rottweiler had a sensitive system since she was a pup, we fed her only what our breeder suggested, and even at that, we had to do a little searching to find what agreed with her. As she got more mature, we found that Innova was a good food as well as Wellness CORE which is what we are giving her now.
> 
> I recently came across this warning that I will pass on here. Three ingredients in commercial dry food that are really BAD in dog food:
> Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
> ...


Camoreno, thank you. We have another dog with lots of allergies and have tried different foods for her. We found that Natural Balance venison and sweet potato works for her. Have you heard of that?



katielou said:


> Most people here know not to feed that kind of stuff to our dogs!


Katielou, I am just a lay-person and when we bought our Cocker 9+ years ago from a very reputable breeder, I asked about foods...Eukanuba and Iams... and she said they were fine. (maybe they were then) My cocker has been on Iams for 9+ years and has been very healthy until this happened.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I am so sorry this happened! This was something wrong with the batch of kibble, Iams doesn't usually make dogs sick like that. Any company can have a problem like that at any time. It is how fast they realize there is a problem and get the word out that counts. 

Most people believe the ads and don't look any further for nutritional information for the dogs. I hope you are now aware that kibbles are not the same now and sometimes you get more if you pay more.


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## Beach (Sep 30, 2010)

Kathyy said:


> I am so sorry this happened! This was something wrong with the batch of kibble, Iams doesn't usually make dogs sick like that. Any company can have a problem like that at any time. It is how fast they realize there is a problem and get the word out that counts.
> 
> Most people believe the ads and don't look any further for nutritional information for the dogs. I hope you are now aware that kibbles are not the same now and sometimes you get more if you pay more.


Iams newest recall is a limited list and doesn't even include the type which made my dog sick. If not for my vet and the internet, I might have lost my dog, as others have. That is why I have been trying to post on every dog blog I can find. Iams is not getting the word out!


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## l2andom (Aug 30, 2010)

Wow I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully your dog gets better and this passes through with no problems. Keep us updated on your buddy.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

I'm so sorry that you have gone through this with your dog. I've heard several horror stories from people who have their dogs on IAMS. My sister currently feeds her dog Iams. Unfortunately I haven't been successful in convincing her to switch.

Thankfully you did not lose your dog. 

I'll share your story with my sister and hopefully she'll soon be convinced to make the switch before something terrible happens to her dog.

Good luck to you. BTW Natural Balance is a very good food for dogs that have allergies.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

This is a post hoc fallacy - temporal succession doesn't equal causal succession. 

Iams may not be the best food but you def. can't say for sure that this was the cause just because your dog got sick after it ate the food. If you want to pay to have the food tested I think it could be arranged (if you still have the bag).


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## grab (Sep 26, 2009)

I do not feed Iams (nor would I) but if you've been feeding the food for 9 years, barring a contaminated batch (and I think those have all been pulled already) I doubt it was the cause of your dog's stomach woes. Bloody stool with mucous is a sign of intestinal distress, but it can be from many things...did the dog eat too much grass? snag a piece of garbage? etc. It can vary from dog to dog.

That's not to say, certainly, that there are not a wealth of better dog foods out there, but if the stool issue continues, I'd look into what else the dog may have eaten or have further testing done.

I'll note that my elderly dog has a very sensitive stomach, and has for years. She gets bloody, nasty stools at any sort of food change...this can mean she snagged a fry that fell to the floor or that a variety of her food didn't agree with her. In her case, because this is a long standing issue and because all xrays, bloodwork, fecal tests and the like have all been fine, we know to just manage her diet. If we do this successfully, she rarely has a problem.


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