Iams Adult Dog Food Chicken > Reviews (3)

Product: 'IAMS Adult Small Medium Breed Rich Chicken'
----------------------------------------​----------------------------------------

Iams is a high quality dry dog food from Procter & Gamble Petcare. Our dog thrives on it, just as our previous one did on Eukanuba, which is actually manufactured by the same company, as a ‘superior’ nutrition.

The Iams range is promoted in the UK under the strapline ‘Good for life’, as a complete daily nutrition solution for dogs (and cats). This line is described as a ‘Proactive medium [with] succulent roast chicken’ and seems anything but inferior!

When we collected our ‘new’ rescue dog, Lilly, from the Dogs Trust we were kindly provided with an initial supply of Ardern Grange hypoallergenic dry dog food. While this range is available online, for practical reasons we decided first to investigate local alternatives. Iams looked quite promising, as a familiar product from a well established company.

There is a bewildering range of quality dog foods available from larger and specialist suppliers, with varying claims to fame. For example, Eukanuba carries the slogan ‘Extraordinary nutrition’, at a price…

Price, quantities and availability

Iams is widely available online and on the high street. It may not be the cheapest option but by my calculation it’s, at the very most, just over £3 per kilo (kg) and is currently on offer at Asda for considerably less:

• Asda : 3kg special offer - down from £8 to £5
• Pets at Home : 3kg for £9.18 or 15kg for £33.69
• Amazon : 3kg for £9.46 or 15kg for £31.99

(Eukanuba equivalent up to £5.17 per kg)

Also available in 1kg and 7.5kg bags. Other supermarket prices vary, but these prices are indicative.

A 1kg bag of IAMS Adult Small Medium Breed Rich Chicken should be sufficient for 15 servings on average. By my calculations, that’s just 20 pence per meal, or almost half as much while Asda’s current offer lasts. We’ve just stocked up!

Exact quantities required depend on the size and nature of the dog, naturally; weight needs to be monitored and adjustments made if necessary. We’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this.

There may be cheaper alternatives - but not necessarily better value for money.

The mix

Iams claims to provide a complete, balanced feed. For the sake of completeness, the ingredients are listed as follows:

‘Chicken (>24%), maize, wheat, animal fat, poultry meal, sorghum, barley, dried beet pulp, chicken digest, fish meal, dried whole egg, brewer's dried yeast, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, sodium hexametaphosphate, DL­methionine’

To quote the Iams website:

‘As well as a high content of animal-based protein, Iams also contains:

• No added colours, flavours or preservatives
• Prepared with high levels of succulent chicken: for outstanding taste and excellent overall condition.
• Quality ingredients and optimal levels of vitamins and minerals: helps support the body's natural defence system and overall health.
• Special fibre: promotes healthy digestive system, small stools and easy clean up.

• With Omega-6&3 fatty acids: promotes superb skin and coat condition.'

… to which ‘kibble’ we tend to add a little ‘wet’ dog food for variety and, yes, the occasional treat!

The proof of the ‘pudding’

The bottom line, as they say, is a happy, healthy dog. In our experience so far, the manufacturer’s claims appear to be valid, in terms of overall health, skin, coat, teeth and digestive system etc.

I’m very pleased to report that Lilly goes from strength to strength on this diet, combined with regular fresh air and exercise, particularly in the parks reviewed here recently. It seems reasonable to suppose other dogs may do as well.

An added bonus

Recently we’ve taken to keeping back a handful of kibbles to put in Lilly’s ‘Kong’ toy for some amusement later. This is a bonus as it provides further entertainment at no extra cost, either financial or dietary. In fact, these toys are probably worthy of a separate review.

Help and support

There’s a fair amount of nutritional and product information on the Iams website, in addition to the clear instructions on each bag. See link below.

Verdict

Not the cheapest or the dearest option but good value for money, the reward being a fit, happy and healthy dog. Let’s hope she does at least half as well as our previous rescue dog who was with us for some 15 years after we rehomed her…!

Related links

Iams website : www.iams.co.uk
Eukanuba : www.eukanuba.co.uk

[© SteveS001, 2011. This review may appear on other review sites]