IAMS Proactive Health Reviews, Ratings, Recalls, Ingredients!
About the Company
IAMS is a company that creates a wide variety of products that can be purchased in grocery stores or vet offices. The line we’ll be looking at today is their Proactive line, which is aimed at addressing specific health issues.
The idea is that a dog with a healthy inside will be healthy outside, too, and that’s what IAMS is trying to do. This review will see if they are accomplishing that goal.
After being at the center of a large recall debacle back in 2007, IAMS has put quality at the forefront of their message to consumers. Their products now go through more than 100 different kinds of quality-control checks as they are being manufactured which should be leading to a consistent, quality product.
Dry Food
Food | Quality | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
B+ | ||
A+ | ||
A | ||
A | ||
A+ |
Rating
IAMS Proactive Health Reviews
While not every food in the line is the best food out there, they are mid-quality foods at good prices, which is a good food for many owners on a budget. Reviews like this one can help you see the pros and cons that you should consider when deciding if IAMS ProActive is right for you and your dog.
Pros
Variety Of Formulas In The ProActive Line
Since the ProActive line is aimed at specific health stages and problems in dogs’ lives, there is good variety within the line. There is a food for mature dogs, for puppies, for large breeds, and for those with sensitive stomachs, among others. This variation will allow you to find a food that suits your dog’s size, life stage, and health condition.
Commitment To Quality
As I mentioned in the introduction, IAMS has been very committed to quality for a long time, and they have been working hard to reaffirm themselves as a safe dog food company ever since they lost the trust of many consumers. Truly, IAMS has been committed to quality since the beginning:
Understand Dog Health Issues
Some dog food brands only make one or two formulas per line, or they just switch out the proteins. The balance of ingredients in the different ProAcitve foods is actually adjusted to match the dog they are meant for, which is great for owners who are concerned about giving their dogs food that is loaded with ingredients they do not need.
Cons
Use Of Grains
As always, I am disappointed by the inclusion of corn components as the source of carbohydrates in this food. It’s very common to find corn in inexpensive foods. However, corn does not provide much nutritional value to dogs, so I don’t like to recommend feeding it to your dog if you can afford a grain-free option.
Use Of Controversial Ingredients
Beyond grains, there are a few other ingredients in the products in the ProActive line that are controversial. These ingredients are not necessarily bad, but they may not work for many dogs. Some examples include beet pulp, whole grain barley, and rosemary extract. Because of their finicky inclusion, I include this as a negative.
IAMS Proactive Health Analysis of Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at IAMS ProActive Health Adult Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Dry Dog Food, one of the most popular foods from the IAMS Proactive line.
- Crude Protein (min) 22%
- Crude Fat (min) 12%
- Crude Fiber (max) 5%
- Moisture (max) 10%
The main source of protein in this food is lamb meal, which is a good source of non-chicken protein. Some dogs are not tolerant to chicken, so this would be great for those with sensitive stomachs. Chicken fat is actually the main source of fat in the food. While that’s not good for dogs with fully-formed chicken allergies, named chicken fat is actually a great ingredient.
Where this food falls short, however, is in the next ingredients. Corn meal, rice, and other corn components are all in this formula’s recipe. While there are good mineral and nutrient levels, I don’t love that these are included. Brewer’s rice, in particular, is a low-quality ingredient with no real nutritional value.
Overall, this food is fairly nutritious, but ingredients like corn grits and brewer’s rice make it less appealing. If you dog has a sensitive stomach, this might work for them, or it might not. It’s an average food.
IAMS ProActive Health Recall History
There have been no IAMS ProActive Health dog food recall issues recently.
However, IAMS is still known for the part they played in a huge number of recalls in 2007. The recall was not entirely their fault, however, and they were not the only brand affected.
What happened was that the producers of some of the ingredients in China laced the food with a protein-like plastic which dog food companies did not pick up on, leading to mass health issues and recalls. This, however, is in the past now.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the ProActive Health line seems to be an average line of food that I will recommend to those who think it fits their budget and needs appropriately. It seems to have a bit of variety in the quality and formulas between products, so make sure to look at the ingredients list before you purchase a different product from the line.
If the IAMS ProActive line went grain-free or offered a grain-free option, their ranking in my mind would shoot up immediately. However, that is still not the case, so I will stick to a four-star rating for IAMS ProActive. This food is good, but not fantastic. Be sure to take care when choosing it for your dog.
