I have been reading thru this section this afternoon and I have a few questions.

I am feeding Hoosier (3 1/2 years old) IAMS large breed. He gets 3 cups in the evening with a little broth or something else yummy mixed in. Takes him about 3 minutes to eat it so he obviously likes it. He looks great and I always get compliments about how pretty he is. But the rating in another thread isn't that great for IAMS, is it a good food?

We have been running every other morning and we are up to 2 1/4 miles, should I give him a little something after our run, or just stick with the evening meal. He acts starved at meal time, but he also is in very good condition, so I think the amount is fine.

I also feed my cat and small dog IAMS for small breeds (another story with the cat eating dog food), Hoosier is very good about not eating their food until they walk away from their bowls and he never gets more than about 1/4 cup of it, should I not let him finish their food?

Overall, I am very happy with how my animals are doing on the IAMS, but want them to be as healthy as possible. I am thinking "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Just curious about the real quality I am feeding.

"if it ain't broke don't fix it."

You got it!
There are better foods, but every dog reacts to foods differently, so if he's doing really well on it...don't mess!

As for the running thing - if you are just going jogging for < 10 miles, he'll be just fine on an empty tummy.
Don't feed 30 minutes before or after exercise.

I am thinking "if it ain't broke don't fix it."

Exactly :tup2: Honestly I had to step down myself in what I regarded in premium foods. My dogs just didn't thrive off any 5-6 star foods. I found one that works well and it's 3 stars. So what, it works. With so many problems that you can run into trying different dog foods I'd stick with what works. We all want to feed the best but ultimately it depends on what your dog can tolerate. I'll be curious to see how others feel.

I feed Natural Balance right now, which is rated as a 4 star food. This probably sounds quite prissy of me but I always fret over whether I should be feeding my dog something better or not. Partly it is because I want to give her some variety in her diet but partly because I am just constantly worried that the food I give her isn't good enough.

But you know what? She seems to like it and her coat is nice and shiny.. and the poops are pretty good (aside from her stint with giardia) .. so I am trying to remember, it isn't broken, don't mess around with it.

I have never been able to find any link between ingredients and how dogs do on as chow. Iams is widely used in service dog programs Nobody has more resources to determine what works and more incentive to give their dogs the longest possible active life.

All my cats eat indoor Iams. My dogs eat Avoderm, but Hugh was on Iams weight control up until I switched him to a Senior formula. We never had any problems. I agree with the others, each dog is unique and if it is working for you don't change. Although I will caution about letting the dog finish the others pets food, you do not want him to become overweight. I am glad you have a healthy happy furry family.

You say your cat is eating dog food, and I'm sure there is a good reason for that, but please make sure your cat is getting enough taurine - something cats need more than dogs and is usually found in their food. This is the reason cats should never be made to be vegetarian or vegan - they are carnivores!

After experiences over the last few years, I am less judgmental than I used to be about midgrade foods like Iams. If he's doing well on it (good coat, good appetite, good weight, good ears, good poops, etc.) I wouldn't necessarily suggest changing foods.

I would strongly encourage you to feed your cat foods formulated specifically for cats, though.

Since they are an entirely different species, they have entirely different nutritional needs from dogs, and as obligate carnivores, they are genetically designed to eat the tissue of other animals to thrive, and have a very poor ability to digest and utilize carbohydrates.

Iams is one of the foods higher in carbohydrates than many of the brands preferred by many members of this board.

We all want the best for our dogs so naturally we want to feed them the best. I know I got a little neurotic reading this section when I first got my pup. Sometimes I think it's more about us and what we "perceive" as premium food :)

Many dogs do have food sensitivities, but if yours is thriving (sounds like he is) I'd avoid the food rollercoaster....

I agree with "if it aint broke don't fix it". I fell into the Premium Brand hype. I was driving all over town and paying ridiculious amounts of money to get my dogs the "best" food. I was constantly changing because she didn't seem to do well on any of the premium brands. No matter what we tried, she would have soft pudding poops.

I went full circle and started feeding her Purina Pro Plan selects and her poops firmed right up. The Purina Pro Plan selects Salmon and Rice becames scarce at our local petsmarts, so I started feeding Taste of the Wild. That's the only premium brand that she did good on. Once again I got tired of driving 30 miles and paying almost 50 bucks for a 30# bag of dog food. I ran across Natural Life Lamaderm that's sold at Walmart. It was lamb and rice and didn't contain wheat, corn, soy beef or chicken. I bought a 20# bag for 17.88 and all 4 of mine loved it. They stayed on that for a couple of months until the price went up. I just started the switch from Lamaderm to regular Pro Plan for sensitive skin and stomach. It's a good thing because when I went to Walmart tonight they weren't carrying the Lamaderm anymore. They still had the cans for dogs and cats, but there was none of the kibble on the shelf. In it's spot was a whole half an isle of Iams formulas.

I know many that feed Iams and love it. I've since learned that corn and wheat isn't bad for your dog unless they have allergies to it. Most people I talk to have never heard of Canidae, Eagle Pack, Wellness, EVO, Orijen and other premium brands. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever talked to anybody that's heard of those brands. The 3 vets Noel has seen over the last 20 months have never heard of those foods. Don't feel bad feeding your dog something it thrives on even if it's a grocery store brand.

Your dog really needs to be TWICE a day instead of the 3 cups all in one sitting.

Labs are prone to a very serious condition called "bloat" if they are fed too much at one time.

It is much healthier for your Lab to eat twice a day, morning and evening. Just take the total amount you feed daily and split it into 2 meals.

Your dog really needs to be TWICE a day instead of the 3 cups all in one sitting.

Labs are prone to a very serious condition called "bloat" if they are fed too much at one time.

It is much healthier for your Lab to eat twice a day, morning and evening. Just take the total amount you feed daily and split it into 2 meals.

this was my concern as well. and if he's fed twice a day he might not 'wolf' down his food as much as being fed only once a day. and that decreases the chances of bloat also.

just dont forget to not exercise just before and after his feedings.