IAMS Dog Food Reviews

IAMS has 2 different product lines. The Dry food line has 12 recipes with a score of 2.5/10 so they are considered high risk dog foods. IAMS Canned line has 6 recipes that score 4.1/10 and are also considered high risk dog foods. Dry foods are ultra processed while the canned foods are highly processed, but both involve several stages of heating that cause a loss of nutrients and result in lower scores.

IAMS states it doesn’t include wheat or soy in its kibble recipes. However, that doesn’t mean they have low carbohydrates. In fact, most recipes include corn, sorghum, barley or rice for average carbohydrates of 50%, which is substantial for any type of dog food. 

Canned foods generally have lower carbohydrates but IAMS Canned has an average of 23% carbohydrates which is higher than we’d like to see. 

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-grade 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 benefit to dogs. 

All of the recipes in both IAMS lines have added vitamins and minerals, and some amino acids, 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. 

IAMS also uses unnamed animal proteins that are often a less expensive ingredient that can be made from rendered waste of many proteins. Plant protein is another low quality ingredient in some recipes. 

Regarding ingredient safety, 10 of the 12 kibble recipes score 0/10. In addition to being ultra processed, concerns include use of high pesticide and GMO ingredients, rice which has potential for arsenic contamination, added color, and natural flavor, another low quality ingredient.

The canned foods score a little better on ingredient safety due to slightly less processing and no GMO ingredients. But they also include high pesticide ingredients, rice, added color, natural flavor, carrageenan which may be linked to intestinal inflammation, and synthetic preservatives.

IAMS doesn’t state the omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their recipes. While this is true of most companies, it’s unfortunate since AAFCO allows a very inflammatory limit of 30:1. They also don’t mention whether fish ingredients are farmed or wild caught. Wild caught fish is more nutritious and has a better fatty acid profile.

The average score of each IAMS line is listed below. Click on any line to view the individual foods and scores.