This is just a note to let you know, that there is some very
disturbing news regarding the Eukanuba/Iams line of foods. What I am
saying is FAR from the normal "mushers gossip", that can run rampant, as
we all know! (the power of suggestion can be an awesome thing! )
However, since mushers MUST watch their nutrition so carefully, they
have been among the first to pick up on the problems that have arisen
when feeding food from this line. Though I am not experiencing all of
the symptoms in my dogs, (at present, only four..), I am personally
experiencing the classic "food allergies" that are not only
uncomfortable for the dogs, but can be dangerous as well. I am empolyed
in the mushing industry, and therefore, am in constant contact with
dogs, mushers, people who just love their pets, and much information,
both reliable , and not so reliable! I am also a "retired vet tech" of
many years, and am now in the holistic healing field, doing "energy
work, distance healing, and other modalities" for our wonderful
4-leggeds who accompany us on this "journey"... I am not prone to
jumping to conclusions, but this news is indeed disturbing, and if you
know of anyone who is experiencing any allergy -related symptoms, while
feeding this line of foods, please urge them to investigate further!
Earlier in 1999, Iams was purchased by Proctor and Gamble. Changes
were made in the formulation of the foods, WITHOUT notifying
retailors, pet owners, or vets. Even the mushers, whom they "sponsor",
I believe, were unaware of these changes. The changes do NOT have to be
reflected in the labeling for 6 months, thereby giving them a legal
smoke screen! One of the main changes in the formulation, that they DO
own up to, is switching from rice, to barley.. And, while I am not,
by any means, an expert in canine nutrition, I do know this is not a
good idea! It is also my PERSONAL opinion, (and not a documented fact!)
that when the decision was made to put this line of food into the "club"
stores, such as Sams, Costco, and the Walmarts, K-Marts, and grocery
stores, in order to be able to do this, the quality of ingredients was
LOWERED, CHANGED, AND DEGRADED, in order to produce the food more
cheaply! This is, in my own opinion, where the allergies are stemming
from, as just barley being added, shouldn't really cause all these
symptoms! Most retailors do not make much on a bag of dog food, and
this will cut into their markets considerably...but, this is not my
concern.... my concern is with the dogs, and their welfare! Now,
whether this means Iams is using a by-product of substandard quality, or
is possibly, "outs-sourcing a contaminated ingredient, adding or
subtracting a vital part of the recipe, I can't say. But what I can
tell you, is that my person experience, and that of probably 8 out of 10
users of this food line, here in Alaska will tell you, is that they are
experiencing, intense itching problems, brittle, poor quality coats,
skin problems such as rashes, and hot spots, "BLOWN COATS" at a time of
the year, when this can be extremely dangerous for the dogs, (this has
been a MAJOR symptom!), and, in the mushing community, during times of
intense training, and racing, there is a "stress diarrhea", that in some
cases, is extremely difficult to eradicate. There is also the fact that
there is increased amounts of stool, coprophagy where there seemed to
be none present before, the need to feed "more", as the dogs are still
hungry. People have noticed these symtoms within these last few months,
and are just now mentioning it to others, and the correlations being
made, and evidence gathered. Probiocin and Blue Heron, are well used
remedies here, and are helping greatly, along with changing food, but it
is still some thing that is not acceptable! We all know that there are
many other factors that can cause this type of allergic symptomology,
but the one common thread, the ONE thing that correllates in all areas,
is the Eukanuba, Iams food link!
When I was able to switch to Euk last fall, I was thrilled with the
idea! I thought I could finally use this top quality food, now that I
had been assured that the company no longer used ethoxyquin as a
preservative! I switched my dogs, and didn 't notice a change for about
a month. Then all of a sudden, there was "abnormal shedding", itching
of forearms, and paws, then on the face, then, spread over the whole
body. Now, it has developed into brittle coats, that are being "blown"
in a time when it is -30 to -50! I have also heard mention among some
people, of a weird "depression", that just doesn't make sense.. Of
course there are many factors that could contribute to this last
symptom, just as in the diarrhea, but, in all fairness, it can also
come from a food allergy, and I wouldn't be surprised it it is related
also. I switched foods immediately upon the onset of the symptoms, and
am presently supplementing with OMEGADERM, MISSING LINK, and of course
INTRASOUND, in order to get my dogs back on track!
Due to the fact, that mushers use varying amonts of dry food, along
with different meats, and oil supplements, depending on training/racing
requirements, it took a while to pin down the common link among all the
symptoms. But now the pieces seem to be falling into place, and the
evidence is unrefutable. Iams/Euk reps have even been somewhat
"uninformed" on these changes within the company, and have not been a
whole lot of help, but we are hoping this will soon change. I have
mailed the company of my disgust and dissatisfaction, and they have
asked me to please call them to discuss my concerns. It is my feeling,
that though the company says they tested these formulas extensively,
these tests were done in the lower latitudes, where there are MANY more
factors that can cause food allergy symptoms, (grasses, pollens, fleas,
etc..) that this was not picked up! And, in all fairness, I do have
one dog that was not seemingly affected, though he was on the food too.
But he is also, a "special child", with a lot of other internal things
going on, that kinda puts him in a whole different league!
To make a long story short, if you know or are aware of people who
are seeing these symptoms, please ask them to check their food! It may
be a prime source of the problems they are experiencing! Due to the
fact that these changes within the Iams company came within the last 9
months, people who have been feeding with what they considered a top
quality food, would see the symptoms, and not make the correlation! The
dogs have always done well on it before, "why would this be a factor in
any of what they may now be seeing??? " This is also a problem that is
now being corrected, as the word of this gets out ! And, it is even
being seen in cats who are being fed the Iams line. It is my belief
that not ALL animals on this food will become affected. There will be
some who don't, but as well all know, that they are just like us, and
while there are some among us, who seem to be "bullet -proof" as far as
food goes, most are not, and the more sensitive among us, will be
affected the most!
Thank you for taking time to read this lengthy letter, Joanna. It
seems from your website, that you are well-connected in the world of
dogs and mushing in Canada, and though word spreads like wild-fire when
it comes to these things, I feel it is important for the animals, to
make as many people aware of this as possible...and that even if you do
not feed this food, you may know others who do, and could benefit from
looking into these issues. Iams has not been honest, or generous with
information so far, and has done the old "PR, and B____S____ lines",
but, as I said, I hope this will soon change. I have tried to provide a
complete explanation, so that you may decide for yourself, the validity
of these things, and investigate from there! It is a shame, when good
products are degraded, and no one is made aware, that this change can
affect those they love and care for ! It is in this vein, that I am
passing along what information I have~~~Good luck, and many blessings to
you, and those precious little ones you are soon expecting! Sincerely,
Name with held for privacy reasons
Reprint with permission granted
Update on Iams 2002
IAMS, the pet food company owned by Procter & Gamble, carry out horrific animal experiments
Visit this site for detailed information* updated *
|
Keith Zech
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 We lost our Shepherd/Husky/Sharpei mix, Lizzy, in August 2005. All 3 of our dogs had 'blown coats', our mother dog, Sheba (a shepherd mix), went blind in about May of 2005 and our male, Spike (pup to Sheba, as Lizzy), developed very bad arthritis and 'puss balls' on his left foreleg. We had been feeding the dogs IAMS about 2 years before Lizzy died and had switched ti IAMS for the mother's health. Pamela from IAMS tells me that IAMS has never heard that their dog food has been the reason for dogs having problems. If you don't mind, We would like the article about IAMS Dogfood affecting dogs, after the ingredients change. We are not sure what we can do for other pet owners and their pets, but we can't believe what has happened to our dogs since we switched from IAMS. Sheba and Spike both have nicer fur/deeper color to it, Sheba can see a little out of one eye and Spike can now sit (before he would only lay, or stand and constantly whine). Anyway, this is our story and we feel terrible that we may have been the reason for our dogs' ill health and Lizzy's death, we had started to use IAMS. Thank you in advance for forwarding the article about the IAMS ingredients change and any other information about this subject. Keith & Joanne Zech |
From: Mindy Thomas
THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting the letter about the changes in
Eukanuba/Iams!!
I live in Missouri & when I got a new pup March 2002 (german
shepherd/australian shepherd or border collie mix) I started her on Euk
puppy food, & my 10 yr old Afghan & 11 yr old Greyhound on the Euk senior.
The pup developed urinary problems (even peed in her sleep!), and the old
sighthounds developed symptoms similar to thyroid problems, poor coat, coat
loss (and Afghans don't shed!) itchy skin....I suspected the food, &
switched the Greyhound to regular adult Euk, which helped, & the Afghan was
put on LD by the vet because her liver levels were slightly off. The pup
also had corraphagia (sp?) & had a food obsession & put on much weight! I
was concerned w/the corraphagia that she wasn't getting nutrition she needed
& that she was looking for every food source possible.
A year later I got her a 6 month Border Collie to help me keep her moving to
get weight off....funny thing, on the Euk puppy food, the Border Collie
started to show urinary problems. Then when a heartworm/wellness test showed
thyroid level problem in the Greyhound, I had had it. I switched to Wellness
brand food. 17 days later, before she had her teeth cleaned, I asked them to
do another blood workup as an "experiment". Test back from Mich State were
great. No more thyroid issue. I have also started cooking for them along
with giving them dry Wellness food. I recommend a book titled "Food Pets Die
For" (available thru Amazon.com). After reading I am so upset & angry that
I've been feeding this sh*t to my babies!!
I've spent a fortune now trying to figure out what was wrong with them & am
also going the holistic route with accupuncture as well. ($$)
I have ordered extra copies of the book to gift to my vets, & will include a
printout of the letter on your site, as well as a note of my experiences.
Thanks again
Mindy Letter Dated Dec 14 2004
I ran across your website during a search and wanted to share my story about
our felines to let you know we've experienced the same poor quality in Iams food.
We have a small private cattery with 17 cats.
We were Iams consumers for about a year and 6 months until every feline started vomiting
one day after I purchased a bad of hairball control from Iams.
It happened overnight - every feline got sick.
It was clear there was something wrong with the food. We tried going to back to the regular Iams
and it was fine for about 2 months. Then,it happened with the regular Iams food!
Each time the sickness occurred was after I had purchased a brand new bag of food.
We went to Science Diet and haven't experienced any illness.
Iams is putting something really bad in their food!
Linda M., Oklahoma
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