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Providing your dog with a balanced diet of nutritious dog food will ensure they get adequate amounts of protein, fat and fiber. All three are essential to your dog’s health and happiness — and all three can be found in every IAMS™ product we produce. Learn more about how these three vital elements can support your dog’s whole-body health.
Protein Protein helps keep your dog’s muscles strong.
Protein helps keep your dog’s muscles strong. It also provides the amino acids necessary to build and repair proteins in their body. Many of these amino acids must be acquired through a dog’s diet.
Recipes contain animal-based proteins that provide the essential amino acids dogs need. Plus, we conduct special refining and quality assurance tests to ensure we only use high-quality, highly digestible protein sources for increased digestibility.
Fat gives your dog energy and helps nourish their skin and coat.
Fat provides energy. Your dog needs two types of fatty acids: omega-6 andomega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in chicken fat and corn.Omega-3 fatty acids are found in ingredients such as canola, fish meal or oil, andflax. Both types help nourish and support your dog’s skin and coat.
Fiber and prebiotics help support your dog’s digestion.
IAMS™ dog food recipes feature a tailored blend of natural fiber from ingredients like beet pulp, as well as prebiotics to help support your dog’s digestion. Research has shown that moderately fermentable fiber, such as beet pulp, enhances intestinal health.
Feeding your dog a balanced diet that contains the right amounts of protein, fats and fiber is one of the most important ways you can care for and nourish them. To see the di!erence a healthy diet can make in your dog, feed them an IAMS recipe that’s tailored to their unique dietary needs, such as their size, age and breed. Are you ready to See the Wow?
Like any companion or roommate, dogs — for all their love and cuteness—have habits we just don’t understand. One question dog owners often ask their pets: “Why? Why would you eat poop?”
When we polled* dog owners recently, most thought it was because a dog is lacking nutrients (49%), they’re anxious (43%) or they just think it tastes good (40%).
Dogs are significantly more likely to eat the droppings of another species (e.g., horses, rabbits) than their own.
We held our noses and got to the bottom of the issue with the help of some experts.
While those in our poll thought this was the number-one reason for the behavior, it has actually never been proven. “It’s a myth dogs eat poop because they’re seeking nutrients they aren’t getting. There’s no evidence to back this,” says
Opens a new windowDr. Jo Gale, BVetMed CertLAS MRCVS, Senior Manager, Global Science Advocacy at Waltham Petcare Science Institute.
According to
Opens a new windowDr. Tammie King, Applied Behavior Technical Leader at Waltham Petcare Science Institute, “It can occur where there is lack of environmental enrichment. You see this often in dogs who are kenneled and have a lack of opportunity to exhibit normal canine behavior.” So if you need another excuse to get out and play with your pooch, this is a good one.
Believe it or not, this is the main reason dogs eat poop. Dr. Jo Gale explains: “Dogs are scavengers by nature and use any opportunity to eat what they can, when they can. They consider it a ‘tasty snack.’” Dr. Tammie King adds that “[Dogs eating poop] is a learned behavior. They’ve done it, enjoyed it, and that behavior is repeated.”
We love our dogs so much that we’re willing to trust our best friends on this. Maybe we should come out with a line of doggie breath mints though. Hmm.
“Ingesting feces from any animal increases potential for ingesting parasites and pathogens,” cautions Opens a new windowDr. James Serpell BSc, Phd Professor of Humane Ethics & Animal Welfare at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. He went on to say, “[It’s] not something humans should ignore, but it's not worth getting too excited about it.”
All the experts we consulted said that if your dog occasionally eats poop, it’s nothing to be overly alarmed by. Just keep an eye on the frequency and their overall health. And as always, make sure they’re getting a nutritious diet and plenty of exercise and attention. If you have any concerns contact your vet.
Despite dogs liking the taste of poop, we’re going to stick with the healthy range of more traditional flavors offered in all IAMS dog foods.
*Surveyed U.S. dog owners, age 18+
Sample Size: n=201
Fielded May 8 to May 10, 2020
