Iams Tortures Animals

[ginastags2315]

Has anyone else heard about this? I found this website: http://iamscruelty.com/
Here is an article on the website:
For nearly 10 months in 2002 and early 2003, a PETA investigator went undercover at an Iams contract testing laboratory and discovered a dark and sordid secret beneath the wholesome image of the dog- and cat-food manufacturer: dogs gone crazy from intense confinement to barren steel cages and cement cells, dogs left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no veterinary care.

Iams lied to PETA with promises to improve the conditions for animals in its contract laboratories, even assuring us that enrichment programs were already in place, but our undercover investigator saw otherwise. She fought for six months to have a single cheap, rubber toy placed in each cold, lonely kennel. This is Iams’ idea of enrichment.

Our video footage shows Iams representatives touring the facility and witnessing dogs’ endless circling in barren cells, sweltering in the summer heat. Iams knew the truth yet did nothing to protect the animals.

The dogs and cats in Iams’ tests are no different from our dogs and cats at home when it comes to deserving companionship, play, a stimulating environment, and the right not to be tormented in painful experiments.

Luckily, caring consumers know that advances in nutrition don’t have to come at the expense of animals in labs. Help PETA force Iams to end these painful and unnecessary tests, as many compassionate companies have already done.


I emailed Iams and here's the letter I got back:
Thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding our research and feeding studies. We are passionate about cats and dogs with a deep commitment to their health and welfare, so we understand how important this issue is to you.

For several years misleading and inaccurate information has been circulating and I appreciate this opportunity to provide you with the facts.

To ensure that our products are safe and wholesome, we have the responsibility to pet owners to feed our products to dogs and cats. Over 70% of the dogs and cats in our feeding studies live in consumers’ homes; however, some of our feeding studies require a controlled environment and are conducted at our own Pet Health and Nutrition Center or at an organization where pets are already residing—like animal shelters, or groups that train and provide assistance dogs.

The controlled studies are the veterinary equivalent of nutritional or medical studies acceptable on people. These studies are monitored by our own staff of veterinarians, behaviorists and independent experts. Our dogs and cats get the most advanced pet nutrition and health care as we develop formulas to help all cats and dogs live longer and healthier lives.

At our Pet Health and Nutrition Center , dogs are housed with a companion (because dogs are pack animals). Each kennel has a doggie-door that takes them to an outside run, so they have plenty of room to run and play. Each dog is provided with his or her own toys (rotated on a regular basis) and their very own comfortable bed to sleep on. There is also a dog park adjacent to the kennels where the dogs play and interact each day in play groups.

Our cats are housed in compatible play groups. Each room is furnished with beds, toys (to stimulate play) and several perches, which allow the cats to observe things from a higher viewpoint. They also have a very large window, which has a platform for the cats to lie in the sun or just sit and watch the birds feeding at the outside bird feeders.

If you’re interested in reading more, please copy-and-paste the following URLs to your web browser. Please make sure you copy the entire URL, due to different formatting the link can sometimes be broken. If you are unable to open these links, please visit www.iamstruth.com to read the following articles.

Our Research Policy:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/e...RP&articleID=2

Videos of dogs and cats at our facility:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/e...i=en_US&pti=CV

Facility reports:

http://www.iamstruth.com/iamstruth/e...rticleID=20#a1

You can also read about our nutritional studies and our facilities from the viewpoint of an independent animal welfare organization by utilizing the following URL: www.aspca.org/iams.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. If you need further information or have specific questions, please contact us at 800-525-4267. We’re very happy to speak with you about this very important issue.


Sincerely,

Tina
P&G Pet Health and Nutrition




I'm not sure if I should believe them. My friend emailed them and got the same response. On http://iamscruelty.com/ there is a video that the PETA investigator took of the animals in the Iams testing laboratory. I used to feed my dogs Iams but after hearing about this I switched to Science Diet.

[KennelMom]

Whenever I see PETA's name attached to something I usually roll my eyes and run far, far away. PETA isn't exactly credible in my opinion. Ever wonder how many animals PETA kills every year?????

At any rate...I DO believe Iams. I believe that some of the reports are true and I believe, when the abuse was brought to their attention, they rectified the situation.

We don't feed Iams, but if we did I would continue to do so.

[calgal]

I would never ever buy a product from any company that did any type of animal testing.

[Pondwader]

Originally Posted by KennelMom

Whenever I see PETA's name attached to something I usually roll my eyes and run far, far away. PETA isn't exactly credible in my opinion. Ever wonder how many animals PETA kills every year?????

At any rate...I DO believe Iams. I believe that some of the reports are true and I believe, when the abuse was brought to their attention, they rectified the situation.

We don't feed Iams, but if we did I would continue to do so.

Ditto.

[Swiftwind]

I have mixed feelings about this controversy... I don't know whether to believe it or not. But like Calgal, I would NEVER by a product that came from a company that tested on animals.

[Beryl]

I'm mixed also. Their PR film doesn't convince me that they are doing right by animals. However, the level of cruelty in the PETA film is a bit incredible. I'm not feeding IAMs and don't plan to start.

[mom2cocoa]

I also have mixed feelings. I don't exactly believe everything PETA claims. However, I don't use products tested on animals no matter what it is. Therefore, I don't use any products by the Proctor and Gamble company whether it's dog food, cleaners, etc.

[DogLover8]

Originally Posted by KennelMom

Whenever I see PETA's name attached to something I usually roll my eyes and run far, far away. PETA isn't exactly credible in my opinion. Ever wonder how many animals PETA kills every year?????

At any rate...I DO believe Iams. I believe that some of the reports are true and I believe, when the abuse was brought to their attention, they rectified the situation.

We don't feed Iams, but if we did I would continue to do so.

I agree.

I have hard time believing PETA reports about anything. I have mixed feelings about animal testing in general.

[Pondwader]

By "tested" for most food companies it's not like they are doing something horrible to the dogs. They are trying different food blends to see what works best for the dog's health. It wouldn't be any worse than me trying a grocery store brand for a month and then trying a premium brand for a month and comparing the differences.
I wouldn't want a food that wasn't proven to be good for my dog.

[misdemeanorsmom]

I also have to look twice when PETA is involved. You know, when I was a teenager back in the '70's (peace, love, rock & Roll!!! ) I was an avid PETA supporter (save the whales ), but over the years I withdrew my support because they get pretty wacked. I saw that article too, and was angry enough to e-mail Iam's and ask what the heck was up with this story and got the response posted above. I've been feeding my pets Iam's for decades, and I was distressed, to say the least. My dogs have ALWAYS done excellently on their food. If anyone else remembers "back in the day," when Purina and Kal-Kan were the norm, dog food had NO nutritional value whatsoever. That's when Science Diet, Iam's and one other company came out with these premium dog foods that surpassed anything available to consumers. It strikes me odd that a company that was at the forefront of bettering the industry would be so callous to their "cash cows." If it wasn't for those 3 companies (I WISH I could remember the 3rd name!! Anybody?) we would still be feeding our pets crap: grain, by-products, and god knows what. The best part of the whole deal is that they forced every other dog food manufacturer to improve their products, and we learned how to buy dog food and read the ingredients list. This carried us to the next level of "dog parenting." Anyway, I have to question the accuracy of the details. PETA has never been hesitant to lie through their teeth to gain their objectives. No matter how good your intentions, anytime you get skewed too far in any one direction, you lose credibility. I sure hope it's b.s. anyway. If it is proved to be true, I would never buy another product from them.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by misdemeanorsmom

I also have to look twice when PETA is involved. You know, when I was a teenager back in the '70's (peace, love, rock & Roll!!! )

We are of the same generation and you make an excellent point. My dog did quite well on Eukanuba & even Iams in the 80s and 90s which was a whole lot better than Alpo and similar products.

Yep. Iams helped get the message out that dogs deserve quality meals.

[Pondwader]

Originally Posted by Beryl

Yep. Iams helped get the message out that dogs deserve quality meals.

I agree, and fed Iams for 20 years. For the last 2 years I have been trying several new foods, and haven't been happy with any.
My first reason for switching was all the rumors about Iams being one of the worst now, switching their formula to be more cost effective and losing a lot of quality in the process. They DID switch their formula some time ago, and it IS more cost effective, but how much quality was really lost? My dogs still did fantastic on it.
Part of me just wants to switch back to Iams, it was the only food I knew reliably my dogs did great on, all the time. The other part of me really needs to know exactly why it isn't considered a good food anymore. Is it just because of PETA propaganda? Is it because they reduced the cost of their food making it less appealing to the "posh"? Is it because it truly is a crap food now?
I don't care if my dog food is $20 a bag, or $80 a bag, I just want them to enjoy it, do well on it, be healthy and happy, and I want it to be available to me.

[misdemeanorsmom]

I know what you mean Pondwader. I hate to mess with the program when my dogs have consistantly done so well on Iams. I've ALWAYS gotten compliments from my vets on my pets' condition. Just recently, though, I started giving Missy Beneful mixed with the Iams. My brother-in-law's dog is gorgeous and healthy and has always eaten the Beneful. And it's about 1/2 the cost of the Iam's, so I figured we'd save a little money and give her a little variety. She likes them both equally. I could not, in good conscience, continue to purchase Iams' products if it were proved that they have done these things, though.

[Pondwader]

Originally Posted by misdemeanorsmom

I know what you mean Pondwader. I hate to mess with the program when my dogs have consistantly done so well on Iams. I've ALWAYS gotten compliments from my vets on my pets' condition. Just recently, though, I started giving Missy Beneful mixed with the Iams. My brother-in-law's dog is gorgeous and healthy and has always eaten the Beneful. And it's about 1/2 the cost of the Iam's, so I figured we'd save a little money and give her a little variety. She likes them both equally. I could not, in good conscience, continue to purchase Iams' products if it were proved that they have done these things, though.

I am in full agreement with feeding your dog what works, but I'd really have to question a food like Beneful, or dog chow etc...
I posted a "How To Grade Your Food" and some results of several popular and not so popular foods for comparison in the Health section, Beneful only scored 17 out of 100, the absolute lowest score of any food in terms of quality. Here is a link if you want to take a look:
http://www.globalpaw.com/dog-health-...d=1#post200500

[c0_re]

Unfortunately the extremists at PETA have basically lost all credibility for the organization