Iams or Hills?

Question

Which is better for my 5mo Brittany puppy? Iams or Hills? Or is there an even better food out there?

Answer 1

Both are excellent diets, that have been researched and tested way more than the lesser known brands.

Answer 2

Neither, they are pretty much crap in a bag with a higher price tag than most store brands. I feed my dogs Canadae. It is a wonderful product. 40# bag is $44.00. But lets break that down. I have 3 dogs, (2 bichons and a 96# lab mix) I purchase a bag once a month. So, I am feeding 3 dogs for a little over $1.00 a day. My family and I eat good food, and let me tell you it cost more than $1.00 to feed all 5 of us.

I used to be a devoted Iams person. But, when I made the switch to Canadae, my lab eats til he is full, and doesn't eat again the rest of the day. When I fed them the other product, I was purchasing 2 30# bags a month, I was actually spending the same amount, but they were eating a lot more often, With the Canadae their stools are firm, and my dogs are thriving. They aren't over weight. They are getting a well rounded diet without all the unneccesary fillers, such as corn.

On the site I posted below, there is not one purina product that has a good rating. By this I mean 4 stars or better. 6 being the best overall rating. Iams, Eukanuba and SD also have poor ratings. I know that people swear their dogs are getting a good diet, because television tells us so, but check out the site below and make your own judgement.

Patti

Answer 3

It's sort of a shifting tide in that, someone will come out with a new line of food with the best ingedients, then when it's popular, they will sell out to a large corporation. The corporation in turn, is owned by investors who could give a damn about the nutritional well-being of your pets, and the corporation is well aware of this. Their goal is to maintain the inegrity of the product name while lessening the overall cost of the food itself, while retailing it for as least as much as they did before to make more money for the investors.
Where chicken, beef or liver might have been the first ingredient before, they'll sometimes start to substitute this with chicken protein (ground up chicken parts) to save money and on down the line. When they are done with the "reformulation", the product is not what it was designed to be and the pet owner is forced to start looking for something new.
That being said, it's not a bad idea to take advice from animal nutritionists or people that work at vet's offices. Just get a few opinions and don't always take just the advice of someone that sells a certain line of foods. I have heard some good things about the new Purina products also. Best of luck.

Answer 4

Both foods contain corn and chemicals which are definitely not good for your pet. These ingredients can lead to long term health problems such as allergies, early on-set arthritis, anxiety issues, gas, intestinal problems, and a wide array of other health problems. Look for a food such as Wellness, Innova, Timberwolf, Eagle Pack, Natures Variety, Natura, and any other food that does not contain corn or any meat-by-products. These food can be found at most pet stores and will not cost any more that what you would pay for Hills or Iams, but will give you the peace of mind that you are setting you puppy up for a healthier life.

Answer 5

I would not use Iams. Iams has been known to conduct cruel tests on dogs in labs. There is well documented information concerning this. Also, I would not necessarily use Hills either. Both Iams and Hills are considered over priced, low quality types of dog foods. Ask any dog behaviorist. Certain vets that carry Hills in their office are biased towards Hills. I have been told it is because they get good kick-backs (profit) for selling Hills. Honestly, you just need to do your own research on this, but in my opinion, I would avoid Iams and Hills. Candidae, Timber Wolf Organics, California Naturals, etc are considered by those not receiving profit on the food to be good quality pet foods.

Answer 6

Most vets push Hill's because I think they get endorsements for it. I'd look for more natural stuff. My dog is on Natural Choice (Nutro). The cost isn't THAT bad, plus the company gives a lot of coupons.

At petsmart, for a 20lb bag, it's on sale for 20 (23 normally). If you are military, at the commissary it costs 13.00 (where I get it!!, with coupons, it's a great deal). But if there's somewhere that sells Innova around your area, I would get that instead. It's even better than regular stuff they sell in pet supply stores. Or even get Bill Jac or Blue.

Answer 7

personally i prefer hill's. my dog had GI trouble with iams, and pooed more. my personal preference for price and quality is purina pro plan. but that's just my dog and her preferance also. she's healthy and has a nice looking coat on this. but both are fine foods. are you planning on hunting the dog? if you are you might want to check into a performance formula for the season and training times. and pick a maintenance formula from the same maker for the off times. good luck.


omg. vets do not get paid to reccomend hills. most people will buy hills from petsmart instead since they can offer it cheaper than your vet, because of the bulk they can buy it in. hills has taken the time to research differenty types of food for dogs with other conditions such as kidney, liver, GI and other medical issues. while the other foods such as innova are fine too. but if i had the time i might write a book about them killing dogs with their food so i could make a buck. sure would be a whole lot more money to be made in badmouthing a popular food, than just making the usual 10% markup most vets do for the food they sell. which won't even cover the staff pay used to stock it and sell it to you.

Answer 8

Your puppy is lucky that you are wantng to feed the very best!
I bought two five year old dogs, that had been raised in Science diet. both had poor coats, dry skin, and poor dental health.

There are many high quality dog foods available these days..I used to feed Nutro MAX and Nutro Chicken/Rice...My pups grew great, and, as my breed is long-coated, they had gorgeous coats in no time...
However, their teeth were always stained..I never knew why, but they seemed to need constant prefessional cleaning, to be ready to show..

So, I switched to Eukenuba, and they had better teeth, and nice coats..but bowels were always loose...

I fed Abady's for 2 litters, and liked what it did for the pups..but it stank.(fish) .and was too un-handy....

I fed Purina Pro Plan when it came out..Pups did well..no complaints...

However, my supplier recommended Canidae 21/2 years ago..WOW! I never knew that my oldsters could be so rejuvenated! Suddenly they were putting on gorgeous coats, and acting as puppies..full of play..dancing as we walked...It just blew me away...
Then I took a 10 year old to have a cyst removed, and the vet came out amazed at her blood-work..he said that it was that expected in a 4-5 year old...He also said that he always cleans teeth while they are 'under', but that her teeth were absolutely clean..

I took another in to be spayed, at 7 years old, and the vet was amazed at how white and clean her teeth were..and then when he took out stitches..commented that she healed so fast that the incision was already hard to see...

All my dogs have just thrived on Canidae, and I would sure recommend it..It is made from all human grade ingredients, and natural preservatives..
there are other foods that are likely as good..but, as Canidae is easy to find, and they are doing so well, I wouldn't want to switch..
Other great dog foods that you can find most places, are Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Wysong, Natural Balance, Royal Canine...

Answer 9

personally i think Iams and hills are both garbage. I like eukanuba or royal canin. they have their first ingredients are meant and very little fillers . Fillers are not good for dogs . It bloats them up and causes gas . Well any way the higher end dog foods are better . good luck.

Answer 10

The best brand that you will find at most vetrianry clinic is Purina. Purina is a well rounded diet, with different foods for different types of dogs. If you want the highest quality food, Purina, and even better Purina Pro Plan, which is a top iof the line Purina food.

Answer 11

Neither of those, they are all but poison to dogs. Science Diet is equally bad.
Read "Foods Pets Die For" by Ann N. Martin to discover all the gruesome details. You will be shocked and amazed!

Look into Innova, California Natural, Wellness, Artemis, and Canidae. All are good, all have websites.

Read food labels. Skip ones containing any corn or wheat, beef or chicken, and "animal digest"(read the book, it's nasty).

"Vet recommended" doesn't mean anything by the way. Vets are paid to recommend and sell it.