# Why do vets like Iams?



## Multiplicity (Nov 17, 2005)

A few months ago I switch my cats on to Nature's Variety. I think 2 out of 4 do not care for it - they seem to be sliming down a bit but nothing alarming. The food seems to last alot longer in the dishes too.
Everytime I have asked a vet to name a good food for cats (and dogs) every vet has told me Iams. Isn't that stuff crap? Do vets have shares in the company or something? My current vet even practices chiropractic and homeopathy and yet she still recommended Iams :!: :?:


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## PrimoBabe (Feb 23, 2006)

Yes, Iams is [email protected] There are some very responsible, reputable stores in my area that refuse to sell the stuff.

At the risk of sounding very cynical, I'd guess that many vets and groomers have promotional deals with Iams. Iams might keep them stocked with freebies in return for recommending the products.


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## moggiegirl (May 15, 2005)

Actually, I think vets profit more from the Hill's company. I think vets reccommend Iams because the company has been around for a long time and they've seen plenty of cats do well on it. Many of the pet food companies that we talk about here, although good, haven't been around for as long of a time as Iams and vets tend to go by how long a company has been around and by reputation. These other foods such as Natura, Wellness, Felidae are considered to be alternative, rather than mainstream big name pet food companies. It will take a while for vets to recognize these foods. And I'm dissappointed that they don't look into these foods because I have found in the past that if I mention a brand like these, they've never heard of these, and they can easily be biased and point to foods they do know without looking into these other foods, probably because they're too busy to bother.

Personally, I think there are cat foods much worse than Iams, like Deli Cat, Kitten Kaboodle, Friskies and 9 lives. If I had to shop in a grocery store and didn't have other choices I would feed Iams. I have choices so I don't feed the Iams dry food, but I do feed an occasional can of Iams among other cat foods and I personally see nothing wrong with doing that. They don't use artificial colors, flavors or chemical preservatives except for in their prescription foods.


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## Sky Eyes Woman (Feb 26, 2006)

Another reason most vets will recommend Hill's is because when they are going to veterinary college they only have a very short one-time class about nutrition, and many of them are given by a Hill's rep so you can see why they favor Hill's so heavily. The Hill's company has a very skilled and effective marketing team, their posters and pamphlets are all over the place. Not just in vet clinics, or the pet store sales floor, but even in the training manuals and employee-only areas of pet stores. I'm sure IAMS has the same type of approach toward getting vets to sell their products.

I also wonder if the courses vet schools give lean more toward using medications and surgery to TREAT problems after they occur and not toward using diet to PREVENT health problems. It's going to take a long time for that to change, but I'm noticing more and more people are taking the time and effort to improve their pets' health with better food. I hope that trend continues so it becomes more widely known that the corn-laden cheap junk brands of cat and dog foods most people think are all right are really not good for their pets.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Iams is the best of the "grocery store" cat foods, and that's probably why vets recommend it when they know you're not interested in the brands they sell in the clinic, or when your cat doesn't need a prescription food. They're not well-informed on the premium foods available at pet stores and so naturally the brands that come to mind are the brands commonly available in grocery stores, and of those, Iams is the best. Certainly there are many cat foods better than Iams, but compared to what most cats get fed, Iams is a pretty decent quality food.


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## NancyC (Aug 1, 2006)

Iams is the only kibble I can find whose first ingredient is actual meat. What kibble have any of you found with a better list of ingredients, and where. I'm willing to switch if I know why.


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## PrimoBabe (Feb 23, 2006)

I buy Wellness kibble for both my cat and dog. The main ingredient is meat, followed by an extensive list of fruits and vegetables. Wellness is almost all nutrition and very sparse on fillers.


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## moggiegirl (May 15, 2005)

NancyC said:


> Iams is the only kibble I can find whose first ingredient is actual meat. What kibble have any of you found with a better list of ingredients, and where. I'm willing to switch if I know why.


In the United States, the best dry cat foods you can get are:

Innova
California Natural
Natural Balance(Please do not get weight control, weight control has less protein)
Life's Abundance
Felidae
Nutro Natural Choice

Life's Abundance is only available from this site. www.healthypetnet.com
Natural Balance and Nutro are available at Petco. Innova, California natural, and Felidae are available in smaller, more independent pet supply shops and on line.

Innova and Nutro Natural Choice have probiotics added to them. Natural Balance comes in original and Venizon and Pea allergy diet(but you can feed it to any healthy cat). Natural Balance also makes foods for zoo animals which I find impressive. California Natural is a simple formula without crappy fillers, made of just chicken, chicken fat, brown rice, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, vitamins and minerals and that's what I feed my cats and lately I've been mixing in the trial packs of regular Natural balance. California Natural is not as high in calories as Natural Balance, Felidae or Innova but has plenty of protein and a moderate level of fat so if you have an indoor cat that's pretty sedentary, that might work well for you and your cat. I don't reccommend the Nutro indoor formula as indoor formulas and weight controls generally have more carbohydrates which are not good for cats in excessive amounts, in fact they contribute to weight gain.

Some people will reccommend Wellness which has a bit of garlic and that's a debatable issue but I listed the brands that I think are considered the top foods you can buy in the U.S.

It's much more affordable to look for these products in stores but just in case you decide to shop on line here's a site that sells all kinds of pet food including the brands listed. www.petfooddirect.com


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## jazzel69 (Sep 13, 2006)

Hi, 

I've been to the pet store today for senior food, and was disappointed with the choice. There was Iams, Hills, and then just Pedigree Petfoods Whiskas, oh and an own brand senior range. Oh, I think there was Natural Balance?? in dry food which I hadn't heard of, so was unsure. 
I can't believe I haven't pais closer attention to dietary issuses before, I am a bit out of date.


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## moggiegirl (May 15, 2005)

jazzel69 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've been to the pet store today for senior food, and was disappointed with the choice. There was Iams, Hills, and then just Pedigree Petfoods Whiskas, oh and an own brand senior range. Oh, I think there was Natural Balance?? in dry food which I hadn't heard of, so was unsure.
> I can't believe I haven't pais closer attention to dietary issuses before, I am a bit out of date.


Great Britain, where you live, I've read before in this forum doesn't have the foods we have in the U.S. But if you now have Natural Balance, that's great!!!. I thought they were specifically a U.S. company. Otherwise if the foods we talk about are not available in the UK, just get the best food you can. Don't worry about what we say.


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## jazzel69 (Sep 13, 2006)

Hi again, i thought that was the case, i will have to go and look again - it might have been Natural Choice. I must admit I thought 'mmm..not heard of that'


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## blackeyedgurl (Jun 29, 2006)

I really like Eagle Pack's Holistic Formula's. They list meat as their first ingrediants, and my vet highly recommends the stuff (he also refuses to sell IAMS or Hill's so that should tell you something about him. He only sells Eagle Pack and Felidae (and the dog equivalents)), and my cats go crazy for the duck and oatmeal formula. Their coats have gotten beautiful, shedding is reduced and I have had fewer hairballs barfed around the house. 

Where to find better quality food: Feed Stores! I know it sounds strange but most animal (large animal) feed stores carry lots of varieties of specialty cat and dog foods. Mine sells Feliae, Royal Canin, California Naturals, Nutro, Wellness, Eagle Pack, Natural Balance, you name it, they probably carry it! I was shocked to find all these brands at a horse feed store, but the owners told me that most feed stores carry specialty pet food, just most people don't know about it!


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## kallielynn (Sep 15, 2006)

*best dry cat fod*

everyone has a different opinion as to what is the best dry cat food.
for me I go with wellness super5mix.


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## Mishkasmom (Sep 13, 2006)

After reading that groomers and vets must be compensated for the recommendations they give for Iams, I'm not sure I'd like to recieve anymore information from this forum. I'm very new to the Forum and have browsed many questions and answers. My curiousity of what others had been told by their pet "professional" had led me here, and the null opinions of some who seem to like that they are awarded by how much time they sit on their computer, will be the reason of my departure. My family (except for myself) are all pet professionals, and they are educated by books, not by links. You should not pass your opinion as truth. Otherwise, we'll all be daft.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Mishkasmom said:


> After reading that groomers and vets must be compensated for the recommendations they give for Iams, I'm not sure I'd like to recieve anymore information from this forum. I'm very new to the Forum and have browsed many questions and answers. My curiousity of what others had been told by their pet "professional" had led me here, and the null opinions of some who seem to like that they are awarded by how much time they sit on their computer, will be the reason of my departure. My family (except for myself) are all pet professionals, and they are educated by books, not by links. You should not pass your opinion as truth. Otherwise, we'll all be daft.


So what do your pet professional family members say is the reason that vets recommend Hills and Iams, when there are clearly better foods available?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Mishkasmom said:


> ... You should not pass your opinion as truth. Otherwise, we'll all be daft.


Everything you read here should be taken as opinion unless otherwise backed up with reputable citations. And I think most members know that.


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## Sky Eyes Woman (Feb 26, 2006)

Somebody that spent a total of 10 days as a member here and made exactly 6 posts doesn't like how a lot of people here don't agree with "the professional's" opinion of Iams and Hill's? Ooooo. I'm all a-tingle! 

That comment about getting information from "books and not links" makes me laugh. Getting information from the internet is fine for news, parenting advice, children's book reports for school, and finding a new house or love interest but not for deciding on the best food for your pets? OOOOOOOKAYYY...whatEVER, June Cleaver! (Pssst- it's not 1955 anymore!)

So sorry you're not coming back! :roll:


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## moggiegirl (May 15, 2005)

Mishkasmom said:


> After reading that groomers and vets must be compensated for the recommendations they give for Iams, I'm not sure I'd like to recieve anymore information from this forum. I'm very new to the Forum and have browsed many questions and answers. My curiousity of what others had been told by their pet "professional" had led me here, and the null opinions of some who seem to like that they are awarded by how much time they sit on their computer, will be the reason of my departure. My family (except for myself) are all pet professionals, and they are educated by books, not by links. You should not pass your opinion as truth. Otherwise, we'll all be daft.


Not all links on the internet are baloney. Some are backed up by some very good sources of information and can be traced to books and experienced veterinarians. The internet is a very useful tool and can be used as library of resourceful information if you know what sources the links come from. I have also seen books that I have strongly disagreed with before. To say that "*the null opinions of some who seem to like that they are awarded by how much time they sit on their computer*" this comment is snobbish and uncalled for. And we have every right to wonder why vets are reccommending certain brands over and over again while being so unfamiliar with other premium foods.

These are some very informative internet links, not necessarily inferior to books.
www.catinfo.org
http://maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Well, I wasn't going to, but I just can't help myself...
Mishkasmom, I'm not really clear why you seem so offended by what people have said here about "pet professionals", Iams and Hills. You seem to be under the misconception that no one on this board is in animal health care and that's simply not true. The fact is, a lot of people here have done a huge amount of research (from books as well as the internet) and several do work or have worked as animal health care providers. Obviously, which food is best is somewhat subjective but, if you have done any studying on feline nutrition, it would be very clear to you that Science Diet and Iams (which is marginally better) are not the best foods on the market, to say the least. Just look at the ingredients. Just to name a few: by-products (I suppose that's debatable) but read on, corn starch, powdered cellulose, corn/ wheat gluten meal, chicken liver flavor, caramel color, corn syrup, titanium dioxide and rice/wheat/corn flour and the list goes on into the unpronouncable! The fact is their products are full of fillers, colorings and preservatives. Not a healthy diet by any standards.
Vets, just as most mds, unfortunately, don't tend to know much about nutrition. The sad fact is that they generally only get about 2-4 hours (at most) of nutrition classes in vet school and those (unless it has changed very recently) are, in fact, taught by Hills reps. I think my vet is great but, even he admits, he knows very little about nutrition. The reality is, they just don't have time, in med. school, to go very deeply into it. And, yes, Hills reps do show up at hospitals on a regular basis and do give incentives for their product to be sold. Them's just the facts, not opinion.
It's a shame that you've decided to prejudge the people on this forum because, if you stuck around, you'd find that we aren't a bunch of yahoos just spouting off our opinions, but many of us are people who have done a lot of reading and and research, have worked or are working in animal health care and can back up our opinions. That, by no means, implies that you, or anyone else, have to agree with them. Nor do any of us think we have all the answers.
Good luck to you.


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## NancyC (Aug 1, 2006)

I think what some of us would like is specifics. Not the specific brand to buy; not all are available where everyone lives. I'd like to be as well informed about cat chow as I am about dog kibble.

I know what I want is the following:

What percentages of what and why. _I know not to use puppy food because the hight protein affects growth for my breed._ 
What ingredients should not be in the food. _I know to avoid corn (other than oil) because my dog can't digest it. It is included in the analysis, which only makes that analysis useless. And it creats excessive poop. _
What ingredients are more and what are less likely to cause allergies or intestinal problems.


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## Multiplicity (Nov 17, 2005)

Wow, look what I started! :twisted: 

My other concern with Iams is their horrible reputation in regards to animal testing. They have been exposed and their behaviour was deplorable. Has this practice changed? Even if it is top food I could not support their mode of research and testing on animals if they have not yet changed their ways.

As for my kitties I picked up some samples of Innova and they seem to like it so I am now in the process on changing them over. 

And for the individual that bashed this forum, although I am not in the profession now, I did take a 3 year program in Veterinary Technology. We did not have 1 single course outlining diet and nutrition.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

Nancy - most if not all of your questions can be answered by browsing through past threads in this section. The posting history of this forum is very educational. Unfortunately, most people don't take the time to look through it. The search function is useful when looking for something specific.


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## moggiegirl (May 15, 2005)

I'm not going to get into this too much as it provokes passion and debate but Iams is not currently doing horrible animal testing. In fact they're backed up by the ASPCA and they've had a very humane research policy for years which only involves feeding studies. They don't even keep their cats and dogs in cages, it's much more like a home environment with toys, interaction with pet loving people, window perches, cat furniture, and adoptions after the dogs and cats complete the feeding studies. I do think it's very likely that Iams has had some connection or involvement with animal testing in the past but it's not happening now and they are seeking alternatives to using animals in research, even though their policy right now is very humane.

www.iamstruth.com

I think the bottom line is that there are now more premium foods on the market than Iams, Eukanuba, and Science Diet and many vets are not up to date with this. I don't think Iams is the worst. People who buy their pet foods in grocery stores, Target and Walmart won't find anything better.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

blackeyedgurl said:


> Where to find better quality food: Feed Stores! I know it sounds strange but most animal (large animal) feed stores carry lots of varieties of specialty cat and dog foods. Mine sells Feliae, Royal Canin, California Naturals, Nutro, Wellness, Eagle Pack, Natural Balance, you name it, they probably carry it! I was shocked to find all these brands at a horse feed store, but the owners told me that most feed stores carry specialty pet food, just most people don't know about it!


I buy Innova at a Feed Store also!!!  The only other place I can find it is at my vets office!


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## Sky Eyes Woman (Feb 26, 2006)

moggiegirl said:


> Iams is not currently doing horrible animal testing.


That's great! I can't look at or read about that very much because it upsets me greatly. And I mean greatly. There is a picture I've seen plastered all over the Web of a cat in some kind of apparatus and it makes me cry just to _think_ about that picture, let alone look at it. The pain and fear in the cat's eyes really tears me up. My only comfort is that the cat must be dead now and not suffering anymore.

Animal testing isn't the only reason I won't give my cats Iams, though. I want them to eat foods with no by-products, no corn and no menadione and Iams uses all 3. They have reformulated some of their canned food without those things but I haven't tried them yet.


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