Iams Archives - MomStart

IAMS Behind the Paw Day 2 P&G Pet Health and Nutrition Center Tour

May 29, 2012 by Momstart 15 Comments

By Connie:

The next day we visited the P&G Pet Health and Nutrition Center. It’s where the research is done and the pets being studied are housed. It’s recently been expanded and we toured the new buildings and had the chance to meet some of the animals. I was surprised to find that dogs can be kept in the program up to 6 years and during that time they’re housed in dog runs with solid surface floors but they do have access to a small outside run. I did appreciate that they’re housed in pairs and the runs are designed so that they can see and interact with other dogs, but there’s one location in each run where they can lay and have some down time.

Each dog is taken out into a fenced outdoor space a minimum of 30-minutes each day where staff interacts with them. They may also be given a walk by a volunteer, or they can be “checked out” by a P&G employee overnight or for the weekend. They assured me that the pets are well cared for and they are healthy, happy, normal pets when they are ultimately adopted out.

Surprisingly the dogs are all obtained by breeders and they’re purebred and not mixed breeds. Their cat population is maintained by an in-house breeding program and dogs and cats are exposed to a simulated home environment before adoption to assist them in the transition.

Testing is done on the animals and as Dr. John Burr explained it to us; they will conduct studies on animals if a healthy human being has ever done the same. P&G has a complete policy on their site which includes:

We do not fund studies that require the loss of life of cats or dogs. We only conduct dog and cat studies that are the veterinary equivalent of nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people, including: urine, feces, blood and immune cell analysis, allergy tests, and skin and muscle biopsies. – Source: http://www.iamstruth.com/truthArticles.do?pi=RP&method=articles&articleID=2

While the buildings had a daycare feel, they were stark compared to my dog’s comfy lives. And yes, I’m a very passive vegetarian so it was hard for me personally to see the small enclosures; staff members were quick to remind me that not everyone sees pets as family members like I do, and many pets are left home alone 8 hours or more a day.

We then visited the Leipsic Ohio P&G plant where their dry kibble foods are made, bagged, and shipped. The plant makes over 80 different types of kibble with over 1000 SKUs and it’s obvious that every one of the employees we met with were very proud of their safety record and the precision with which the plant operates. We donned hairnets and hardhats and toured the bagging area first, then the distribution section, and finally the mixing area. Of course it smelled like raw meat and dog food which evidently employees are able to get accustomed, but for me I was glad that part of the tour was quick.

I was surprised that one of the top staff members didn’t know what a GMO was and wasn’t aware of whether or not the corn used in their product was genetically modified or not. I did find out subsequently from upper management that it likely is GMO corn in their products with the exception of their newly acquired line of natural or organic foods which are not made at that plant.

While they manufacture their own kibble, their wet foods and treats are made and packaged to their specifications by another company at a different location.

The final day of the trip we travel to the P&G Pet Care Headquarters in Mason, OH. A modern building set in a park-like setting, employees need never leave the building – they’ve got everything at their fingertips. A bank, gym, convenience store, wellness center and more are within minutes from their desk. There’s also a dog park out back and dogs are welcome in many areas of the building.

We met Griffin, P&G’s Vice President of Canine. Griffin is a Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen – a breed I’d never come across before. They chose the breed because it’s a medium sized dog that’s sturdy, well-mannered, and has a gentle personality. Griffin needs to be able to handle throngs of children and overly affectionate bloggers.

We heard from several different department heads and then it was our turn to be interviewed by the P&G staff. They asked questions about our buying habits, what we wanted from the brand, and more. The one thing I wanted them to hear was that I wanted natural and/or organic ingredients and I was happy to discover they’ve acquired a new line that may be what I’m looking for.

I left the event with the feeling that the employees truly believe they are doing what they believe is best for pets and they’re comfortable with the way the company is run and how they’re handling the difficult subject surrounding animal testing.

About Connie

Connie blogs about being a vegetarian who cooks for her meat-loving hubby, OAMC, DIY home decor, gardening, and more. She’s a middle age mom to two adult boys and wife since 1983 to one terrific man. She’s been doing online reviews since 2002 and is in the top 100 Most Popular Authors at epinons.com. She’s the owner of Princess Time Toys, an online princess store selling quality children’s dress-up costumes and toys.

P&G Covered transportation and meals and lodging, while also giving us permission to use the photos

IAMS Behind the Paw Eukanuba Blogger Event in Ohio Day 1

May 29, 2012 by Momstart 15 Comments

By Connie:

I recently attended the 3^rd annual IAMS Behind the Paw event in Ohio on behalf of MomStart. The Behind the Paw event is meant to give bloggers a look at the inner workings of IAMS and Eukanuba.

In the spirit of disclosure I would like to note that I fed my dogs IAMS from puppyhood to adult hood. There were a few food trials I did with my pup for my blog that lasted from 3-6 months, but for the majority of their lives they were fed the mini kibble IAMS. Why? Because IAMS was a dog store brand I could find in my grocery store and compared to the other foods on the shelves at the time, it was a superior product.

My oldest dog was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year and I switched all three of my pups to an organic food and while I still think IAMS is superior to many other foods in the supermarket, there are better choices for my pups that fit their current needs.

So, back to the trip. The first evening was held at the Dorothy Lane Market Cooking School where we were divided into teams and paired with a DLM teacher. Each team was given a course and at the end a “celebrity” judge determined the winners. It was a fabulous way to meet each other, have some fun, and enjoy some great food. I’ve already made a few of the dishes here at home, they were that fabulous.

About Connie

P&G Covered transportation and meals and lodging, while also giving us permission to use the photos

The Reason For #BehindthePaw

May 21, 2012 by Momstart 18 Comments

We all love our pets…

I miss my dog, Abby. For us right now a dog just wasn’t a good decision. We didn’t have enough time to play with her like she deserved. Maybe one day we will get a dog again. They so quickly become one of our children. We spoil them, love them and want nothing but the best for them.

I’m excited to see what @Iams and @Eukenuba are up to as we probably further in the future will get a dog again. For now we love playing with the dogs in our neighborhood. And Connie, Summer, Christine, and Ashley all have dogs. So the odds of my readers you guys having dogs is pretty high!!!

I wish I was there but look forward to watching #BehindthePaw through these bloggers :

Diane from To Dog With Love, @ToDogWithLove, @CosmoHavanese

Wendy from PetSide, @PetSide

Kathleen from Examiner, @RileyRants

Susan from Best in Show Daily, @BestinShowDaily

Sandra from Alasandra, the Cats and a Dog, @AlasandraAFSS

Dorian from Your Daily Cute, @YourDailyCute

Dr. Huston from Pet Health Care Gazette, @LorieAHuston

Michele from Pet News and Views, @PetNewsandViews

Connie on behalf of MomStart, @miscfinds4u

Alison from the Ontario SPCA, @OntarioSPCA

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, @kitchenpuppies

Deborah from Raising My Boys, @Mom2Michael

Iams Home 4 The Holidays Gift Basket

October 22, 2011 by Momstart 930 Comments

You know we’re already working with Iams right? Summer picked out a charity and arranged for Iams to give us 1000 meals. And we’re at about 300 something comments. So we have a long way to go. Take a minute and help us reach 1000 comments. Now if that wasn’t enough charity for you then that’s great. Iams has even more giving up their sleeve.

I remember hearing about this program last year. Continuing its relentless dedication to ending animal homelessness, Iams Home 4 the Holidays, one of the world’s largest pet adoption programs, is kicking off its annual adoption drive with the goal of finding homes for 1.5 million orphaned pets! Orphaned pets are some of the sweetest dogs in the world. I know from experience. Now in its 13^th year, the program, which runs from October 1, 2011 through January 3, 2012, has already helped 5.8 million pets find loving families across the globe. And we can help even more!

Understanding that not everyone is in the position to adopt, Iams is also helping homeless pets by donating bowls of food to animal organizations in need. New this year on Facebook.com/Iams are easy ways to get involved and make a difference in the lives of orphaned pets, such as customizing adoption announcement cards that, when shared, will see Iams donating a meal to participating animal organizations through its Bags 4 Bowls program.

Also, For every person that enters this giveaway, Iams will donate 10 bowls of food to an animal organization in need.

This giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the winner, ellen.

All rules can be found under giveaway rules.

Iams Simple & Natural and Sensitive Naturals Dog Food: Leave A Comment For Charity

October 12, 2011 by Momstart 515 Comments

By Summer:

Our “first children” had fur and four legs. They are of the Jack Russell Terrier variety and don’t favor us a bit. But we love and care for them, and offer food I won’t mind feeding my two-leg children, especially because my children have been through the crawling stage and do sometimes play dog. NOTE: As recommended by the FDA, dog food is not recommended for human consumption and hands should be washed after handling animal food and treats.

I’m very happy Iams has a premium “Naturals” label. Iams is now offering a Simple & Natural and a Sensitive Naturals line dog food. Both are designed for adult dogs 1+ years old.

Simple & Natural offers a Chicken, Rice & Barley Recipe containing chicken as its first ingredient with no corn, no wheat, and no soy. So what’s inside:

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Monosodium Phosphate, Salt, Dried Apple Pomace, Dried Carrots, DL-Methionine, Dried Peas, Choline Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Dried Spinach, Dried Tomatoes, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Brewers Dried Yeast, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Sensitive Naturals offers more of a “vegetarian” cuisine with their Ocean Fish, Rice & Barley Recipe. Fish is the number one ingredient and the formula contains no chicken, no corn, no wheat, and no soy. Here’s a look at what’s in the bag:

Ocean Fish, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Ground Whole Grain Barley, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Dried Beet Pulp, Fish Digest, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride,Salt, Dried Apple Pomace, Dried Carrots, Dried Peas, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Dried Spinach, Dried Tomatoes, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

My two Jack Russell Terriers loved trying both Iams Simple & Natural and Sensitive Naturals. From the way they dug right in, I could tell they loved the flavor. I have snobby dogs! They won’t just eat anything; for example they won’t accept dog biscuits, they only will eat chicken jerky for a treat. SNOBS! They will also refuse certain people food (like green beans which they use to gobble up) in hopes that something better will fall off the table. Truly snob dogs!

I also knew Iams Simple & Natural and Sensitive Naturals were a hit because we free feed out dogs and as soon as Iams’ new natural lines were presented they began to dig in! No joke, see them chowing down!

I had some fears presenting my Jack Russells with new food as it might not go over well and I was wrong. They each enjoyed both Iams Natural products. I was also please with Iams Naturals as neither dog had gas and all functions have been working normally. I hate relaxing at night with my husband and smelling dog farts. If you have dogs, you know what I mean; let’s be real about.

On top of Iams Natural being a great brand of my dogs, Iams is also a perfect brand for me. I love to work in ways that give back. Iams and their parent family Procter & Gamble are going to be giving back to Mom Start’s local no-kill shelter, Homeward Pet Adoption. For each unique comment made by each unique person, Iams will give Homeward Pet Adoption Center a meal for a dog up to 1,000 meals (which equals 25 bags of food). All we need to do here at Mom Start is your comment and send a friend or two to do the same!

Pick a topic to comment about; tell Mom Start and Iams either:

· what you think about the new Iams Naturals

· what do you think about pet food nutrition

· ways you keep their pet healthy

or all of the above. And tell a friend to come and comment so Mom Start can help earn as many meals as possible for Howard Pet Adoption thanks to Iams.