IAMS ownership falls under the Mars umbrella of pet related companies. IAMS was founded in 1946 and then purchased in 1982 by Clayton Mathile, a former accountant and IAMS employee. He sold it 17 years later in 1999 to Procter and Gamble for $2.3B. In 2014, P&G sold its Pet Care operation in North America and Latin America including IAMS, Eukanuba and the Natura pet food brands to Mars, Inc for $2.9B.
Mars also owns Nutro, Pedigree, Royal Canin, Sheba, Cesar, Greenies, and Whiskas as well as Banfield Pet Hospital, VCA Animal Hospitals and BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital. Mars is privately owned by the Mars family with headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Annual revenue in 2021 was US$40B.
For our IAMS dog food reviews, we’ll look at the food ingredient quality and safety. Our dog food reviews are based on these criteria.
IAMS Dry Dog Food
Score: 2.5/10
Package Ingredients For IAMS Healthy Weight Recipe: Chicken, ground whole grain corn, ground whole grain sorghum, ground whole grain barley, chicken by-product meal, dried plain beet pulp, natural flavor, brewers dried yeast, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, salt, caramel color, dl-methionine, carrots, flaxseed, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, fructooligosaccharides, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, ascorbic acid, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), vitamin B12 supplement, niacin, riboflavin supplement (source of vitamin B2), pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, sodium selenite, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, potassium iodide), l-carnitine, mixed tocopherols and citric acid (preservatives), rosemary extract
Using our evaluation criteria, IAMS Dry dog food is considered a high risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
There are several concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
High In Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates in this line average 49.5% as calculated, which is excessively high. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of low quality foods as it’s often used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance. High carbohydrate diets also lead to a lower protein diet which holds true here with 25% protein, which is half the amount of carbohydrates.
Excessive Added Vitamins And Minerals
This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids
Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive. Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often need to add amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a sign of cheap, lower quality ingredients.
Unnamed Animal Ingredients
Unnamed animal ingredients are another indicator of low quality. Several recipes contain fish oil that can be made from any type of fish. Unnamed animal ingredients are often a less expensive, low quality ingredient that can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Ingredient Safety
Many pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the concerns with IAMS Dry dog food:
Ultra Processed
This line loses significant points for being an ultra processed dog food. The individual ingredients in dry dog foods are heated several times during processing, which can cause a significant loss of enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticides/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients
These recipes contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Sorghum and barley (unless organic) are crops that are spray-dried with Roundup, leaving them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
GMOs In Top 5 Ingredients
These recipes contain known GMO ingredients in the top 5 ingredients, including corn. There are limited safety studies on genetically modified and Roundup Ready crops although they are lacking in nutrients compared to non-GMO foods. GMO crops also strip nutrients from soils, require increased pesticide risk and may be involved in bee die-off.
Rice
Arsenic contamination is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic which often contaminates the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor
Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Color/Dyes
Colors, iron oxide, caramel and titanium dioxide are dyes added to foods to make them look more appealing to consumers. They are often used to hide the grey color of rendered ingredients and are linked to health issues.
Read more IAMS Dog Food Reviews
IAMS Canned Dog Food
Score: 4.6/10
Package Ingredients For IAMS Adult With Lamb And Rice Paté Recipe: Chicken, Sufficient Water for Processing, Chicken By-Products, Lamb, Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Flax Seed, Carob Bean Gum, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Carrageenan, Added Color, Guar Gum, Dried Yam, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Fish Oil, Sodium Nitrite (For Color Retention), Sage, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Using our evaluation criteria, IAMS Canned dog food is considered a high risk dog food. Here are our concerns:
Ingredient Quality
There are many concerns when it comes to ingredient quality:
Moderately High In Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates in this line average 23% as calculated on a dry matter basis. This is considered high for a canned dog food. Excessive carbohydrate is an indicator of low quality foods as it’s often used to keep costs down. Large amounts of starch can increase insulin levels, cause obesity and negatively impact gut balance.
Excessive Added Vitamins And Minerals
This line loses ingredient quality points for excessive added vitamins and minerals. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. Ideally, these nutrients should come from whole food sources. Vitamin and mineral excesses, especially vitamin D and copper, can also result from vitamin premixes.
Added Amino Acids
Protein from animals is more complete in amino acids than protein from plants – plus it’s more expensive. Foods with lower amounts of animal protein often contain added amino acids to compensate, so 2 or more added amino acids can be a marker of cheap, lower quality ingredients.
Plant Protein
Plant proteins are also used as a less expensive substitute for quality animal protein. You want to see animal sources because they’re more digestible and contain a wider array of amino acids than plant based protein sources.
Unnamed Animal Ingredients
Unnamed animal ingredients are a sign of low quality. Some recipes contain fish oil and meat by-products that can be made from any type of fish or animal. Unnamed animal ingredients are often a less expensive, low quality ingredient that can be made from rendered waste of many proteins.
Ingredient Safety
Many of these pet food ingredients are unsafe or are grown using unsafe chemicals. Here are some of the issues with IAMS Canned dog food:
Highly Processed
Canned foods are heated before and during canning, which will cause significant losses in some active enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and phytonutrients. Processed foods are also linked to higher mortality rates in many species.
High Pesticides/Herbicide Foods In The Top 5 Ingredients
The recipes in this line contain foods in the top 5 ingredients that are known to carry a large pesticide/herbicide residue. Barley and wheat (unless organic) are crops that are spray-dried with Roundup, leaving them with more glyphosate/herbicide residue than other crops, even genetically modified ones. Glyphosate is an antibiotic that can kill beneficial gut bacteria and has been linked to cancer and other diseases.
Rice
Arsenic contamination is a significant concern with rice since it naturally absorbs arsenic which often contaminates the water it’s grown in. Arsenic is linked to chronic health issues.
Natural Flavor
Recipes in this line contain natural flavor, which is added to make processed food more palatable. But natural flavor is often either MSG or animal digest, both low quality ingredients with limited safety studies.
Carrageenan
Carrageenan is a highly processed derivative of seaweed used as a thickener or texturizer, that may be linked to intestinal inflammation and other negative health effects.
Synthetic Preservatives
Antioxidants are used as preservatives for shelf stable foods to prevent oxidation of fats and degradation of water soluble nutrients. Natural antioxidants like mixed tocopherols are preferred as artificial antioxidants have limited toxicity studies and may be linked to cancer.
Color/Dyes
Colors, iron oxide, caramel and titanium dioxide are dyes added to foods to make them look more appealing to people. They are often used to hide the grey color of rendered ingredients and are linked to health issues.
Read more IAMS Dog Food Reviews
Is IAMS A Good Dog Food?
Both Dry and Wet food lines of IAMS are considered high risk dog foods. The wet dog foods have lower levels of carbohydrates and are less processed so they score slightly better but are still rated within the high risk range.
IAMS states it doesn’t include wheat or soy in its kibble recipes. However, that doesn’t mean they have low carbohydrates. In fact, the dry recipes include combinations of corn, sorghum, barley or rice for average carbohydrates of nearly 50%, which is excessive for any type of dog food.
There is no information on the website about the sourcing or quality of ingredients. In fact, there are no low starch vegetables on the ingredient list for either line. Dried beet pulp and tomato pomace are listed, which are waste by-products from the manufacture of human foods. They’re used for fiber in dog food but there are whole food ingredients that would serve the same purpose and contribute other nutrients. Carrots and yams are listed, but they’re considered a glam ingredient as they fall below salt on the list, meaning they are included in negligible amounts that would provide little or no benefit to dogs.
All of the recipes in both IAMS lines have added vitamins and minerals to balance them to AAFCO standards. This usually reflects poor quality or overly processed ingredients. It’s preferable that most or all vitamins and minerals come from real foods that are more bioavailable to dogs. Some recipes contain 2 or more added amino acids, which is a sign of foods with lower animal protein and often, more plant protein.
There are additional concerns with the dog food and marketing. These don’t affect the IAMS dog food reviews score, but they’re worth mentioning:
Ingredient Splitting
There is ingredient splitting in several recipes. That’s the practice of splitting ingredients into subcategories to make them appear lower on the list. This can also move more desirable protein ingredients higher.
Glam Ingredients
As mentioned earlier, these recipes also include glam ingredients like fruit or vegetables that are listed after salt, which means they’re included in minimal amounts that don’t provide any nutritional benefit.
Does Not State Farmed Vs Wild Caught Fish
Fish oil is used but the company doesn’t specify whether it’s from farmed or wild caught fish. Farmed fish is less nutritious than wild caught fish and does not contain the same healthy fatty acid balance.
Does Not Provide Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio
This omission is true of most foods. However it’s a concern because omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory, and AAFCO allows a very inflammatory ratio of 30:1.
IAMS DOG FOOD RECALLS
IAMS has had a number of recalls dating back to 2007.
08/2013: Recall of 28 products for potential salmonella contamination.
03/2013: Recall because of possible mold growth.
12/2011: FDA recall because aflatoxin levels were above acceptable limits.
06-07-08/2010: FDA recall of cat food because of potential salmonell and low levels of thiamine.
03/2007: Recall of 43 products because of potential melamine contamination.
03/2001: Consumer class-action lawsuit filed against IAMS (and Eukanuba) alleging dogs were losing weight on these foods.
Evaluation Criteria
We evaluate and score dog foods based on two criteria:
Are the Ingredients High Quality?
Here are some common low quality ingredients or markers we look for:
- Is there excessive carbohydrate content, which can cause gut imbalances?
- Does the food contain unnamed proteins, which are low quality?
- Does the food use cellulose (wood pulp) as a source of fiber instead of real food?
- Are there excessive vitamins and minerals added in place of real food nutrition?
- Are there excessive added amino acids or plant proteins instead of expensive meat protein?
- Does the food contain inflammatory processed seed oils?
How Safe Are the Ingredients?
Many ingredients come from unhealthy, inflammatory sources or are full of pesticides so we look for:
- How processed is the food?
- Does the food contain known genetically modified foods?
- Does the food contain ingredients known to be high in pesticides?
- Does the food contain natural flavor, which are often MSG or animal digest?
- Does the food contain rice, which is high in arsenic?
Each food is objectively evaluated by these criteria and a score is assigned using the average of ingredient quality and safety. This is NOT a paid list and there are no affiliate links. Dogs Naturally has partnered with DogFoodReviews.com to make sure dog owners have unbiased, objective criteria to help them choose the best dog food on the market. You can view the full Evaluation Criteria at DogFoodReviews.com.