Things Iams Don't Want You To See

[lizbud]

I know that there are a few folks on PT that spring to the
defence of these conditions and want to excuse Iams and
attack the messenger. In this case PETA. Weather you agree
with PETA'S sometimes brash approach to presenting matters
of animal abuse or not, at least to open to the facts of life for
thousands of dogs & cats just like our our pets at home, but
doomed to a bitter life of pain,lonliness, and daily terror.

Listen to their cries, look into their eyes & see the way they are treated by this company. This is wrong, it's evil and it's totally not
needed to make a reliable brand of dog food. I'm not totally for every PETA proposal, but I can certainly back this continuing campaign against Iams & the horrible condition of these animals.

The first link does contain thumbnail photos & text & does not
lead directly to the videos. Please have the strenth to look,read
and make up your own mind. Is this cruelty?

http://www.iamsodead.com/iams-video.html


http://www.iamsodead.com/

[wolfsoul]

I agree with you on this one. This is why I tell people not to buy Iams/Eukenuba products. In Iams defense, people will say that they stopped testing years ago. But they lied. Undercover agents have found only minimal changes to the abuse they've carried out.

[wolfsoul]

Despite assurances in the Iams research policy that no animal would ever be killed, our investigator documented the destruction of 27 out of 60 dogs who underwent an invasive procedure that involved having huge chunks of muscle cut out of their legs. Two more of those dogs were found dead in their cages after the surgery; one had been suffering for 11 days prior to her death. When our investigator reported that Humbug, an Iams dog, was limping, she was told by a vet tech that the laboratory had an x-ray machine that dated back to the 1960s but no film for it and that the director of the laboratory preferred to kill, rather than treat, animals with broken bones. In addition, Fifi and the other dogs used in Iams’ metabolic studies were bled by the laboratory in order to sell their blood to other companies even though the studies do not call for blood draws.



Iams dogs dumped on cold concrete flooring after having huge chunks of muscle cut out of their thighs
dogs and cats gone stir-crazy from confinement; dogs and cats in windowless, dungeon-like buildings
a coworker who instructed her to hit the dogs on the chest if they quit breathing; another coworker who talked about an Iams dog found dead in his cage, bleeding from his mouth
a dog who limped in pain from Lyme disease
cruel studies done by Iams involving sticking tubes down dogs’ throats to force them to ingest vegetable oil
Iams dogs with such severe tartar buildup on their teeth that it was painful for them to eat
vet technicians with inadequate training and experience performing invasive procedures
coworkers who talked about a live kitten who was washed down a drain
coworkers who talked about how they had to go home because the ammonia fumes in the animal trailers were so overpowering that it made their eyes burn (try being one of the animals in those cages!)
cats kept in a cinderblock room with crude wooden “resting” boards that had nails sticking out of them; one of the boards fell on a cat, crushing her to death, while our investigator was there yet the lab director did not remove the boards when the cat was crushed—he removed them when he was told that the lab was going to be inspected because he knew they were illegal

[trayi52]

I looked at the sites, I cannot believe I have bought these products for my pets. I didn't know they even tested dogs and cats. I think I am going to be sick.
Everytime I see a sack of their foods, I will remember those pictures.
So what kind of food, is good, you know where they don't murder other animals just to make it better.
I want to feed my pets good food, but not at the expense of killing defenseless animals. I am so shocked!!! I feel guilty for ever believing that I was doing right for my dogs, now we know why their food is so expensive, don't we?
Please suggest something that doesn't harm other animals.
Thanks.

[lizbud]

This is one list of dog/cat food companies that don't harm
animals by useless & cruel "research". I'm sure others could be
found by searching for sites on "cruelty-free products for people
and for animals. Thanks for speaking up & for caring. :)

http://www.iamscruelty.com/res.html

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by lizbud
This is one list of dog/cat food companies that don't harm
animals by useless & cruel "research".
I've only heard of four of the foods on that list! :eek: lol.

[mugsy]

While I am ALWAYS extremely careful about what PETA says, I have read many accounts of the horrors of the IAMS company (maker of Eukanuba also). I absolutely, positively, will NEVER buy another IAMS product again.

Also, just FYI, IAMS is now owned by our good buddy Proctor and Gamble (which I also avoid like the plague).

Did you guys know that there are no "brand name" dog foods out there anymore that are not owned by a soap company? As far as I know Exclusive is one of the only ones left that is not.

I would buy Exclusive just for that reason, even if it weren't the best for the money out there. I like Purina Mills (PMI), NOT Purina Ralston (the checkerboard) because they research in depth the food that they make and understand that garbage in results in garbage out. Because they make food for large animals, they look at what is going to produce the best product and then put that in their feed. Oh and PMI will send me coupons for buy one get one free too if I call and ask for them and that comes in REALLY handy when the paycheck is kind of short. Also they offer buy 6 bags get the 7th bag free and Ernie and I (owner of the feed store where I get it) figured it out and it averages $20.50 per bag (35 pounds) and the main ingredient in the stuff is human grade chicken, with no wheat or corn, has rice, Omega 3s and 6s and is preserved naturally with Vitamin E...no BHA or BHT.

Ok...I'm off my soap box. IAMS is definitely nasty nasty stuff. Any company that would mutilate an animal's kidney's to see how long it will survive on their food should be run out of town on a rail.

Thanks for the info Liz!

[wolfsoul]

Are you sure ALL of the dog foods are owned by soap companies? I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling Go! Natural isn't? :confused:

[Miss Meow]

Liz, I couldn't watch the video as the web pages had more than enough info to make me sick. Thanks for letting us know that the unnecessary suffering still takes place.

[lizbud]

I have heard of the Solid Gold brand. I tried the link & found
two stores within 5 miles of me & 8 of them within 10 miles.

Miss Meow, Yes, I know. :( How much product do you think they'd sell with pictures of these poor dogs & cats on the package, instead of the wholesome images protrayed now?

[Rio and Me]

arrgggg it makes me so mad to see that site, i mean not that its neccercary to do that to a dog but how hard is it to but down a soft bed, i mean desent cages and bedding is not hard to get, at least that would be a start!
why must man do this to a dog to "perfect" a brand of food that IMO dogs arnt that fond of (Rio eats anything but NOT or Eukanuba), whats wrong with the BARF diet or good kibble (good is better than perfect if it hasnt been tested on animals) that HASNT been tested on animals!
its just SICK that man is allowed to do this to a living creature!
Ky and Rio

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Rio and Me
arrgggg it makes me so mad to see that site, i mean not that its neccercary to do that to a dog but how hard is it to but down a soft bed, i mean desent cages and bedding is not hard to get, at least that would be a start!

I don't think they need to test at all. With or without bedding.

[moosmom]

That's why I feed my cats Science Diet. Please don't tell me they're as bad as Eukenuba.

[mugsy]

Not as bad as far as I know Donna, but the main source of protein is groung peanut shells. I'm not sure there are any "premium" brands could be as bad as IAMS.

[mugsy]

Here's a link to a page that talks about what is in dog food and who owns some of the major brands of dog food....Donna, Science Diet is owned by Colgate/Palmolive


http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by mugsy
Science Diet is owned by Colgate/Palmolive


Doesn't colgate test on animals? Or was that Crest?

[Rio and Me]

Wolfsoul I know they dont have to test on animals for ANYTHING, but if they insist on such crulty they could at least provide adiquete space/flooring and bedding! thats what i ment sorry
Ky and Rio

[Miss Meow]

Originally posted by mugsy
Here's a link to a page that talks about what is in dog food and who owns some of the major brands of dog food....Donna, Science Diet is owned by Colgate/Palmolive


http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79

Mugsy, I saw that site when we were looking at pup food for the devilish duo ... there's a lot of good, unemotional information there. Thanks for posting the link :) The use of waste restaurant grease and cleverly concealing corn ingredients made me furious.

Now I've become a label reading freak :rolleyes:

[mugsy]

Originally posted by Miss Meow
Now I've become a label reading freak :rolleyes:

You and me both Nicole!! I drive people crazy telling them what's in stuff. I have made A LOT of enemies out there. But....I don't care in the least!!

Let me go hunt down my email from my friend (who happens to be a member of PETA) who sent me the cruelty free and cruelty companies and I'll post it if I can find it.

[mugsy]

Well DANG! I just looked at the companies that test on animals and am ashamed at how many of the products I use. Guess I'd better be more careful.

And, yes, Colgate/Palmolive tests on animals.

Here's the link (it belongs to PETA, but at least you can see the list of cruelty and cruelty free companies there are)

http://www.peta.org/mall/cc/ccdonttest1.html

[Kater]

Originally posted by mugsy
Let me go hunt down my email from my friend (who happens to be a member of PETA) who sent me the cruelty free and cruelty companies and I'll post it if I can find it.
Oh yes, THE LIST.....
http://www.caringconsumer.com/searchcompany.html

[moosmom]

So, I guess I should switch my cat food to something that DOESN'T test on animals. Any suggestions???

[trayi52]

Thats what I want to know, somebody please make a suggestion. I am too lazy and old(just an excuse for being lazy, sorry) to search. I want to do what is right for my pets, and other defenseless animals.

Those were horrible pictures!!!!! I guess Science Diet is out too? I live in a small town. I need and want suggestions. Please.:)

[dukedogsmom]

I am sickened by this and plan on sending Iams and Eukanuba some emails. Also, I'm feeding Duke Science Diet for sentive skin. Does anyone know what I can feed him instead? Got to keep in mind his Pancreitis that he had in April.

[KYS]

posted by lizbud:I know that there are a few folks on PT that spring to the defence of these conditions and want to excuse Iams and attack the messenger. >>>>>>

I am not sure about attacking the messenger,
but I do believe to post all sides to make it
a bit more ballance when it comes to PETA.
I am a supporter of The Doris Day Foundation for
animal rights, and I remember reading small
blerb about Iams on the Animal Guardian.
Iams this year severed all ties with the company
that was in question. So I am a bit confused.
I was under the impression that Iams has cleaned
up it's act. IF they have not, Iams deserves to be boycoted.
.
I could not find the article, but I did
search the web about the Peta incident.
(I cut out some of the article)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Iams dog food chewed up at protest

Back to the Portsmouth Herald | Print this Story
By Nancy Cicco
[email protected]

A division of Procter & Gamble, Iams is PETA’s latest target in the organization’s efforts to raise public awareness about animal cruelty in the marketplace.

But an Iams spokesman responded Monday saying PETA is simply barking up the wrong tree.

Iams has come under PETA’s microscope for allegedly mistreating dogs and cats subjected earlier this year to nutritional testing at an Iams contract laboratory in the midwest.

The results of a PETA-led, nine-month undercover investigation at the lab found Iams allegedly committed several animal abuses. PETA wants customers to boycott Procter & Gamble’s products until the company changes its ways.

"Our investigation found their dogs cowering in cages, some which hadn’t left the cages for six years," said Matt Prescott, a Newmarket native who works as a PETA campaign manager. "Some had their vocal chords cut out...simply because the director of the facility was annoyed by the dogs barking."

Iams conducts clinical and controlled studies on cats and dogs to ensure the company’s products perform up to standards, according to Kelly Vanasse, Iams’ associate director of global external relations. PETA’s charges of mistreatment are a "highly sensationalized accounting" of what happened earlier this year, she said.

The Iams company unwittingly hired the undercover PETA investigator to enforce humane standards at the lab as an animal-welfare specialist.
The lab in question is not owned by Iams but was contracted by the company as a test site. Last March, days after PETA came forward with its information, Iams stopped working with the lab. Iams’ subsequent investigations at the company’s eight other contract laboratories showed those labs are "fully implementing" Iams’ research policy, Vanasse said. The policy mandates the company "will ensure the humane treatment of cats and dogs."

In addition, the company created an international animal-care advisory board to ensure the company continues to live up to its animal-welfare standards.

"We have been very open and transparent about what’s going on," Vanasse said. "We will only conduct the veterinarian equivalent of what a human would agree to undergo."

The company did not authorize anyone to cut the vocal chords of dogs in the facility, and dogs involved in some tests were only fed "a teaspoon" of vegetable oil, she said.

[lizbud]

KYS,

I believe the question about Iams severing ties with "bad"
lab testers is covered here in Whats going on with the dogs
now? segment.


Why Iams?: Frequently Asked Questions
What’s Wrong With Iams?

For nearly 10 months, PETA conducted an undercover investigation in an Iams contract laboratory. What our investigator witnessed and was able to capture on hidden camera would outrage any animal lover: dogs gone crazy from confinement to barren steel-and-cement cells, dogs left on a paint-chipped floor after having their vocal chords severed and part of their leg muscles hacked out; dogs who were sweltering in scorching heat and shivering in bitter cold; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no veterinary care. 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.

But doesn’t Iams have to continue research and development in order to create better foods and improve the health of dogs? They can’t stop testing altogether, can they?

We are calling on Iams to rely on non-animal, laboratory analysis and in-home tests using dogs and cats whose human companions have volunteered them for such tests. Right now, dogs and cats are suffering endlessly in concrete cells with no chance for exercise or stimulation just so that Iams can slap new claims onto its products and maintain its market share. It’s all about marketing. If Iams officials cared about the health and happiness of our companion animals, they would end this unnecessary testing immediately. They’ve proved that all they care about is profit.

But what about the fact that Iams claims on its Web site that it meets and even exceeds federal regulations?

Iams lied to PETA repeatedly with promises to improve living conditions for the dogs in contract labs. Our investigation took place more than a year after Iams had promised to “raise the bar” on animal-welfare standards in its contract facilities and even assured us that enrichment programs were already in place, but our investigator knew better. At least 27 dogs were destroyed while other dogs had illnesses left untreated despite assurances in the Iams research policy, which specifically states that no animal in any Iams test will ever be deliberately killed.

Our video footage shows Iams representatives touring the facility and witnessing dogs’ endless circling in barren cells in the sweltering heat. Iams officials knew the truth yet they lied. How can they be trusted to act in the best interests of the animals at this point? Our investigator fought for six months to have a single cheap, rubber toy placed in each dog’s cell. This is Iams’ idea of “enrichment.” Once animal lovers become aware that they are financing the confinement and mutilation of dogs and cats, they simply won’t buy Iams food or propaganda.

What’s going on with the dogs now?

After considerable pressure from PETA, Iams finally agreed to have the dogs from this particular laboratory removed. We’ve been informed by Iams officials that the dogs are now in an Iams facility in Dayton, which they have refused to let us see. We have no idea whether the dogs are in a better situation now than they were before. We are continuing to press Iams to let us see the facility and urging the company to adopt the dogs out to loving homes, but until we have a confirmation from Iams that this has happened, we will assume otherwise.

Why should we believe you and not Iams?

Videotape doesn’t lie. See the abuse for yourself here. Procter & Gamble, Iams’ parent company, has a long history of wanton cruelty to animals. After years of pressure to eliminate cruel product testing on animals, the company continues to torture rabbits, ferrets, and many other animals in its skin- and eye-irritancy experiments for cosmetics. P&G spends more money on advertising in five days than it has spent on developing alternatives to animal testing in the last 14 years. That’s a bad record for a company that claims to care about animals.

Why are you targeting Iams specifically? Don’t most major brands test on animals in laboratories?

Iams claims to be a leader in the pet food industry. We’re asking the company to act like one. As a major food producer, its pioneering choice to end laboratory testing on animals would serve as an example of progress in the industry and would begin a truly “new and improved” era in pet food, not just a minor change at the animals’ expense.

A list of forward-thinking companion-animal food companies that have stopped or never conducted tests on animals in laboratories can be found on our Web site IamsCruelty.com.

Aren’t you against all animal testing, even for human medical research?

Animal testing has never been a necessary, safe, or effective way to conduct medical research. The case of Iams is particularly outrageous because these dogs are confined to barren steel-and-cement cells in all weather extremes and made to undergo invasive surgery just to test dog and cat food.

Animal lovers wouldn’t sacrifice their own animal companions’ welfare to benefit other animals, and they don’t want to subject dogs and cats just like theirs to cruel and unnecessary experimentation. We’re talking about dog and cat food here. The truth is, this continued experimentation is about nothing more than Iams’ pocketbook.

[KYS]

posted by lizbud:KYS, I believe the question about Iams severing ties with "bad" lab testers is covered here in Whats going on with the dogs now? segment.>>>>

Thanks Lizbud.

I am not going to lie and say I am against
all animal testing, but I am against
animal cruelty testing when it involves products
such as perfumes, make-up
and dog food etc. Medical research is another story.


IF Iams has NOT cleaned
up it's act, then they deserve to be hurt in
the pocket book and shut down till they do.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by dukedogsmom
I am sickened by this and plan on sending Iams and Eukanuba some emails. Also, I'm feeding Duke Science Diet for sentive skin. Does anyone know what I can feed him instead? Got to keep in mind his Pancreitis that he had in April.
Wellness Fish and Potatoes is really good for allergies and pancreatitis. Micki and a few others on PT have and do use it. Lemme see if I can find the thread...

[lizbud]

Here's one alternative for dog & cat foods that I've found other
than the list of companies already listed that sell pet foods from
companies that don't abuse animals to sell their products.


http://www.petfoodshop.com/

Edit: One more from Better Nutrition Magazine,

http://www.betternutrition.com/view.asp?issue=Oct03&article=478

[Uabassoon]

If anyone here is interested in switching over to a brand that is 100% cruelty free I highly recomment Wysong. I recently switched over from Science Diet to Wysong and have had a really good experience. Not only is it 100% cruelty free but the ingredients are all human grade, no hormones or chemicals. Send me a PM if you have any questions.

[dukedogsmom]

I think I'm going to order the Wellness stuff. He's been itching bad again and the shampoo isn't working this time. Maybe this food will help. Thanks so much for telling me about it!

[wolfsoul]

I can't find the thread, but Micki or Parnone will probably tell you all about it. :)

[lizbud]

Originally posted by Uabassoon
If anyone here is interested in switching over to a brand that is 100% cruelty free I highly recomment Wysong. I recently switched over from Science Diet to Wysong and have had a really good experience. Not only is it 100% cruelty free but the ingredients are all human grade, no hormones or chemicals. Send me a PM if you have any questions.

Thanks so much for this tip.:) Do you know if they make Dog
and Cat foods? I believe many folks would be willing to switch
brands if shown the other choices available. Thanks for the info.

[Kater]

Originally posted by lizbud
Thanks so much for this tip.:) Do you know if they make Dog
and Cat foods? I believe many folks would be willing to switch
brands if shown the other choices available. Thanks for the info.
Yes, they make both dog and cat foods. :)
Wysong Website: www.wysong.net

[Aspen and Misty]

The moment I deced I would NEVER buy Iams is when I read this paragraph

Not For the Weak Stomach!!

"Our investigator videotaped Iams dogs being dumped on cold concrete flooring after having huge chunks of muscle cut out of their thighs; a co-worker instructing her to hit the dogs on the chest if they quit breathing; another co-worker talking about an Iams dog found dead in his cage, bleeding from his mouth; a dog limping in pain from Lyme disease; cruel studies done by Iams involving sticking tubes down dogs' throats to force them to ingest vegetable oil; Iams dogs with such severe tartar buildup on their teeth that it was painful for them to eat; vet technicians with inadequate training and experience performing invasive procedures; two co-workers conducting a pregnancy test on a terrified dog lying on top of a cart with wheels that moved every time she struggled; dogs and cats gone stir crazy from confinement; dogs and cats in windowless, dungeon-like buildings; co-workers talking about the live kitten who was washed down a drain; co-workers talking about how they had to go home because the ammonia fumes in the animal trailers were so overpowering that it made their eyes burn (try being one of the animals in those cages!); and cats kept in a cinderblock room with crude wooden "resting" boards that had nails sticking out of them. One of the boards fell on a cat, crushing her to death, while our investigator was there. The lab director did not remove the boards when the cat was crushed but he did remove them when he was told the lab was going to be inspected because he knew they were illegal."

http://www.uncaged.co.uk/news/2003/iams.htm

Some more Links

These pictures are heart brakeing, not graphic at all!
http://www.iamscruelty.com/iams.html

Another site
http://www.moggies.co.uk/html/iams.html

If your are STILL in Doubt or want to learn more about the cruelty PLEASE read this site which will give you some in-sight into what heppens.

http://www.animalliberation.com.au/news_items/News6June2k1.htm


Ashley


ps: This is Funny, I revently sent an email to Paws With a Cause who incorages all puppy raisers to feed there puppies Iams (BLAH), informning them of what Iams does.

[Aspen and Misty]

I Personally feed Chicken Soup. I love it!


Ashley

[IttyBittyKitty]

Liz, I read about it in the PETA magazine (an interesting read, regardless of your opinion of PETA) and was disgusted. My furrbaby Randi has a VERY delicate tummy and for awhile all we could feed him is IAMS because it's the only one that doesn't make him sick. He cannot eat raw meat or mushy food at all.

At the moment, I am enduring diahorrea all over the laundry floor and plaintative meows (he hates the food he's on at the moment and is also a bit uncomfortable) until we can find an alternative. Jen has suggested the science diet delicate tummy which I will give a try. But, if nothing works, I may will (unfortunately) have to go back to IAMS (kicking and screaming) because my little boy can't suffer because of his meowmie's principles.

Pray that the science diet and other options work!!!!!!!!! I hate Procter and Gamble with a passion and would gladly avoid something on the basis that it is owned by those unscrupulous, greedy devils.

[IttyBittyKitty]

Whups! I guess this is out too. Well, that leaves no pet food brands left in Australia - except the supermarket stuff, but that makes Randi REALLY SICK!

What is a meowmie to do?

[lizbud]

IttyBittyKitty,

If you feel you can't support a boycott because of health
issues with your kitty, why not send a letter to express how
Iams's practice of doing this cruel, pointless "testing" & surgical
procedures on animals. What's the point, except to use the
"tested research" phrase in advertizing their product over others.

My God, this isn't rocket science here, it's dog & cat food. Medical
science and dog food makers know exactly what vitamins &
minerals are needed for good nutrition for animals. People who
want Iams to change their practice of animal abuse can at least
write, or email & show their disapproval. I think it could make
a big difference for the animals.

[CathyBogart]

I feed Wellness, and I've had fabulous luck with it! The dogs are both shinier and overall healthier looking, and when I got my grandma to switch her kitty to it, the kitty's persistant Urinary Tract infections disappeared!

FYI: While Colgate does currently test on animals, they are also researching new, better ways to conduct their experiments in the hopes that in a few years they won't have to use animals in their tests anymore. Perhaps the people who buy their pet foods will help fund a huge breakthrough...

[Logan]

I emailed the Iams people today and used the link to this thread in asking them to please defend and give us the most updated information on their research procedures. Many of the reports posted were prior to their announcements in April and July. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt and have them respond to me directly about their current procedures. I have a person, on the GR board, whose husband works for Iams and has for a long time. She contends that a lot of this is false. I want to hear the most updated information from Iams themselves.

I have used Iams products in the past, and continue to use their dog biscuits, although I have changed my dog and cat food to Flint River Ranch (more for convenience than anything else). My dogs did fine on Iams, although I was sickened by what I saw on those videos, many months ago. I don't want any animal to suffer as a result of their testing (or anyone's testing).

If I get a response, and surely I will, I will be gladly post it here.

Logan

[mugsy]

Good idea Logan. Do you think they'll give you the true or whole story? My experience with large companies is that they only tell you what they want you to know. Kind of like Petland pet store....now THERE'S another thread all together.

[lizbud]

Good idea Logan. Why don't we all email or snail mail a letter
to IAMS.


Jeffrey P. Ansell, President
Iams Company
7250 Poe Ave.
Dayton, OH 45414-5801
1-800-675-3849
937-898-7387
[email protected]


Then we can all compare notes later. Do you really expect a
truthful response? Please, let's all do this and see what kind
of answers we get, o.k.? Won't cost us anything. Thank you.

[lizbud]

I forgot about our PT members in Canada and the U K.

Jeffrey P. Ansell, President
Iams Company
7250 Poe Ave.
Dayton, OH 45414-5801
1-800-675-3849
937-898-7387
[email protected]

A.G. Lafley, CEO
Procter & Gamble Co.
1 Procter & Gamble Plz.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
1-800-543-1745

Bill Miller, Director of Sales
Iams Canada
920 Gana Ct.
Mississauga, ON L5S 1Z4
1-800-658-5657 (press 5 for the name directory)
905-565-4711 (fax)

Managing Director
Iams UK Ltd.
Proctor & Gamble
The Heights, Brooklands Weybridge
Surrey KT13 0XP
UK: +44 (0)116 282 1000

[Logan]

I don't know what to expect, if anything. But as I said in my message to them that this is the time to step up with factual information. If things that are reported aren't true, then they need to get the word out, with something to back it up, not just a bunch of "junk", "feel good" words. We'll see.

I want to believe that there is not way that they are continuing what we have seen in those videos and reports, but there is no way to know for sure.

I will definitely let you know if/when they respond to my message. I even gave them my home phone number to feel free to call me to discuss if they like.

Logan

[trayi52]

I cannot imagine why they would test in that manner in the first place. Don't they have eyes? Can they not see if a dog or a cat is doing well on the food they make? I can look at Grover and see she is doing well, I had been feeding her Iams too, and guess what I did not have to slice off her muscle tissue to see that.

I also got great revues from all you nice people here at Pet Talk! And Iams cannot see without mutilating a poor animal and doing cruel tests on them. Shocking!!! They should grow eyes and a heart.

I have to find something else to feed my Grover and my other pets too. I live in a small town, and it is very hard to find anything at all. Science Diet is out too? Oh I wish they would let us do the testing on our own pets, we know when they are doing good or not, and we aren't expensive as the lab test they perform. Not as cruel either.
Tray

[Logan]

Here is the response I received from IAMS.

Dear Logan:

Thank you for sharing your opinion regarding our animal research policy. I'm
glad you wrote to us so that we can update you on the events that inspired your
message.

On March 25, we learned that nutritional studies being conducted for us at an
independent facility in the U.S. may have violated our company's strict research
policy. On March 26, we completed an unannounced visit of the facility to review
procedures and ensure the well-being of dogs and cats at the site.

On March 27, we concluded that the facility did not meet our strict standards
regarding air temperature, ventilation, resting beds, and socialization (even
though the facility recently passed U.S. government inspections). We made the
decision to end all research at the facility.

In addition, we worked with the facility to relocate Fifi, Maisy, Mickey, and
the 16 other dogs to an Iams animal care center. We have an established program
for socialization and employee adoption that will give these dogs the
opportunity for a successful transition to a family.

On April 10, we met with PETA to look over the facts and to share our plan for
the review of our contract research facilities.

We have now completed comprehensive reviews of all external facilities involved
in dog and cat nutritional studies for Iams. This was a major effort which
included Iams researchers, P&G veterinarians, non-technical Iams employees who
served as the "eyes and ears" of our consumers, and where possible, independent
animal welfare experts.

All of the facilities reviewed comply with government regulations, and the
health of the dogs and cats is not at risk. However, we've decided to
consolidate our nutritional studies at fewer contract facilities, and we will
focus more on the implementation of our high standards for dog and cat care.

In addition, we are pleased to announce that we have established an
International Animal Care Advisory Board to evaluate our industry-leading
research policy and advise us on new research alternatives that provide for
advanced levels of dog and cat care.

The Iams International Animal Care Advisory Board, an independent group,
currently consists of seven members, representing various disciplines and fields
of study, including veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, behavior, welfare,
and ethics. They are:

* Mr. Michael Arms of the Helen Woodward Animal Center (a leading
California-based shelter and adoption facility).
* Dr. Kathryn Bayne of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of
Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC).
* Rev. Kenneth Boyd, a professor of Medical Ethics at Edinburgh University
Medical School, and a research director of the Institute of Medical Ethics,
Edinburgh, Scotland.
* Dr. Stephen Hansen of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (ASPCA).
* Dr. Robert Hubrecht of The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW).
* Dr. Irene Rochlitz, an independent veterinary consultant in feline welfare,
Cambridge, England.
* Dr. Andrew Rowan of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

The Advisory Board's first task will be to conduct a comprehensive review of The
Iams Company research policy and steps taken to implement that policy since it
was last updated in June 2002. The Board will also establish a series of next
steps and recommendations. In addition to work with our Board members, we are
actively seeking the perspective of other animal welfare consultants.

The formation of this board was a top priority for us and a major step in our
continued efforts to enhance the health and well-being of dogs and cats around
the world. While we already have an industry-leading policy on nutritional
studies - which requires that our research be equivalent to nutritional and
medical studies acceptable on people - we believe even more can be done.

If you would like to read about our research policy in more detail, it is posted
on our website at:
www.iams.com/en_US/jhtmls/faq/sw_Faq_detail.jhtml?questionid=167&brandcode=I&loc
aleid=en_US&pagetypeid=FQ (or go to www.iamsco.com and access this document
through the horizontal navigation bar by clicking onto News/Stories.)

We are deeply committed to dog and cat well being, and our research policy
reflects that commitment. I hope our actions detailed in this message have
convinced you that we are worthy of your trust.

Sincerely,
Cindy Achor
Group Manager
Iams Consumer Care

[Logan]

The link she provided doesn't seem to work. There are many articles at www.iamsco.com , although I don't know which one she is specifically referencing.

[lizbud]

Seems to be repeating what's already been said in the part
about moving the dog's from contract tester site.

"What’s going on with the dogs now?

After considerable pressure from PETA, Iams finally agreed to have the dogs from this particular laboratory removed. We’ve been informed by Iams officials that the dogs are now in an Iams facility in Dayton, which they have refused to let us see. We have no idea whether the dogs are in a better situation now than they were before. We are continuing to press Iams to let us see the facility and urging the company to adopt the dogs out to loving homes, but until we have a confirmation from Iams that this has happened, we will assume otherwise."

PETA has also contacted members of the Animal Advisory Board
and made some recommendations for changes in Company
policies & procedures regarding the use of lab animals in pet
food testing.



"So Iams’ International Animal Care Advisory Board is in a predicament. While it can evaluate Iams’ program of animal experimentation and make recommendations, nothing it can say or do (short of calling on Iams to stop experimenting on dogs and cats) will change this one simple fact: Iams’ use of animals in laboratories is inherently cruel and, for that matter, unnecessary. In addition, Iams as well as the members of this board have no way of knowing what is happening to the animals inside the company’s numerous contract testing facilities at any given time.

No person, organization, or corporation that truly cares about animals would ever condone or support the use of animals in pet food tests. This is why we have asked those individuals who sit on Iams’ International Animal Care Advisory Board to call on Iams to stop conducting nutritional experiments on cats and dogs and, instead, rely only on laboratory analysis of formulas for nutritional composition, in-home palatability studies using dogs and cats whose human companions have volunteered them for such tests, and collaborative studies with private veterinary clinics that have patients who have diseases or conditions of interest to the company.

We have sent each of the members of Iams’ International Animal Care Advisory Board a letter and videotape detailing the results of our investigation into the company’s use of animals in nutritional experiments and explained why we believe that the best advice one can give the company is to end its use of animals in laboratories. We will share with the public their responses and profiles in the near future. Thank you for your efforts in behalf of animals."

The story of Fifi & the other 15 dogs is mentioned here;

http://www.peta.org/feat/iams/iams-fifi.html

[Kiia]

:( I can't believe in this day and age we treat animals as shown on their website and links to other pages. What in the hell gives humans the right to hurt, prod, poke, hit, cut, kill, test, neglect, and any other form of hurt in general to these innocent animals? Why do we think we are so powerful that we have the right which dog has the right to live and which ones will die? We're not God! We shouldn't try to play the role of Him either, we do such a poor job of it. We can't even get along with each other, look at the hatred of the world, look at the wars of the past and present. It's really sad, human beings are idiots! We can't even take care of each other! I don't know why the human race was left in charge to manage things, look at us we kill each other every single day, there is so much hate and negativity in the world!

I ABSOLUTELY :mad: HATE :mad: ANIMAL CRUELTY IN ANY FORM, it makes my face red, my blood boil and the emotions start flooding. I hated watching those videos and seeing those poor helpless animals being treated that way. Did you see the look in their eyes, it made me break down and I cry. Teeko was sitting on my lap, I gave him such a big hug I didn't want to let him go, he's such a sweety he licked away my tears and stayed right there in my arms comforting me.

"don't watch it" "ignore it" some people say (not on this site I mean just people in general) I ask them WHY? If it's not watched and ignored it will get worse! Why should we turn a blind eye to this cruelty?? IT HAS TO STOP!!!!

Damm I wish I could afford to adopt all the sheltered animals, the ones who are let go in the fields, the ones who are tortured, hurt, the ones who are left to die, the ones who are sitting in those puppy mills, ALL OF THEM! I wish I could afford them all, provide them all with a fresh bowl of water, big bowl of of the finest food, a warm house and a loving hug!

I am really sickened by this! Exactly, if other companies can produce a good quality dog food WITHOUT testing, torturing, harming animals why can't they or the rest of them who perform those sick acts??? I mean seriously, I can tell if a food is good or bad just by the way my dog acts, poops, how shiny his skin is, his eyes, etc.. why can't these people with diplomas or so called "professionals" as we call them?? How can these people go home at the end of the day and say they had a productive day at work? How can they look at their pay check and think they earned an honest salary?? :confused: How can they go home to their families and not feel guilty?

Animals do have feelings! Just look at those eyes if you don't believe me, look at the way they back away when a hand goes out to reach towards them, they back away! Fear fills them! All they want is a good petting, some loving and yes respect. They are always so happy to see you, their tails start wagging full of joy and we think we have the right to do this to these poor helpless animals, NO THAT IS NOT RIGHT!! They are not judgemental of us, they love us unconditionally, they are always there for us, no matter what, they don't care if we put on 10 pounds, we as humans have a lot to learn, we have a long way to go.

I can go on but I think you get my point.

*sends out hugs and love to those poor animals, may they find peace one day* :(

-- I'm not talking only about those Iams links, I am talking about ALL of the companies that test, the cruelty, the kill-shelters, and so on --

[Russian Blue]

Originally posted by Uabassoon
..... I highly recomment Wysong. Not only is it 100% cruelty free but the ingredients are all human grade....

Be careful when you say that a specific product is advertising it's food as 'human grade'. This term has not been defined by the AAFCO and therefore is used just to catch the consumers eye. It's the new catch word for today's marketing group. In reality, the terms 'human grade' and 'natural' currently do not have to be proven and therefore can be used by any company marketing it's food.

So consumers have to be careful not to believe the marketing, it's more important to believe in the ingredients. And people ask why companies do this type of testing? Because they can get away with it! General consumers don't investigate where their products come from. They are usually only concerned about the price of the product.

Personally, I don't believe any large company that has a huge marketing budget. When a company's advertising budget gets that big, they are most likely trying to cover up lesser quality foods to reduce their bottom line. Then they up the price, up the marketing and put cute and healthy images of animals in their commercials and food bags. It's all in the marketing, and they use their spin doctors very well in the process.

I have never used IAMS foods for the plain reason that you are paying good money for an inferior product. As an example, the first few ingredients for the IAMS Original Cat food are: Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Meal. You are buying a bag full of filler and by product!! :eek: When there are so many pet food options out there, your pet deserves more!

If anyone is looking for cat food: Wysong, Solid Gold, and Nature's Balance are all easily found at most independant pet food stores and are really good foods. Plus, they are all on the cruelty free list which was posted earlier in the thread. I've been feeding Nakita Wellness/Innova/Felidae, so I will have to see why the are not on the list.

When looking for a pet food, research for yourself first. Don't let the marketing spin doctors suck you in to their game.

[Russian Blue]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
Are you sure ALL of the dog foods are owned by soap companies? I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling Go! Natural isn't? :confused:

Go! Natural just had a recall of it's food because of pet deaths. Check here -

Food Recall (http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/petcurean10_03.html)

Some of the pets had liver failure! I guess proper quality control methods were not used for that batch of food!

:(

[Miss Meow]

Originally posted by IttyBittyKitty
Whups! I guess this is out too. Well, that leaves no pet food brands left in Australia - except the supermarket stuff, but that makes Randi REALLY SICK!

What is a meowmie to do?

Cuddle her cute kitties ;)

Seriously, we found Innova dried dog and cat food at a local pet store and it's good quality. I think it's a Pets Paradise, which whitepages.com.au says you have in your state. Give one of the stores a call and see if they stock it. Our store had little sample baggies for $1 so we could try before we bought a larger bag.

I couldn't find Innova on the 'bad' list, so I hope it's animal testing-free.

[tatsxxx11]

I haven't been able to catch up with all the responses on this thread yet, but needless to say, much of what I have read so far has left me speechless, horrified and angry!!:mad: I've heard for years, so many terrible things about Iams. And it horrifys me to know that so many vets continue to carry their products, especially the Rx diets. Solid Gold was recommended to me when Star was a baby and both girls have been on it for years now. Luckily, although I live on a virtual isalnd, we are packed with stores carrying all of the top premier/holistic brands such as Wellness, Wysong, Innova, Candide, Bil Jac., etc. I believe Innova is animal testing free.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Russian Blue
Go! Natural just had a recall of it's food because of pet deaths. Check here -

Food Recall (http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/petcurean10_03.html)

Some of the pets had liver failure! I guess proper quality control methods were not used for that batch of food!

:(
Yes, I've heard that. But Go! Natural had recalled all of the food they had produced and solved the problem, so it's no longer a risk. :)

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Russian Blue
I have never used IAMS foods for the plain reason that you are paying good money for an inferior product. As an example, the first few ingredients for the IAMS Original Cat food are: Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Meal. You are buying a bag full of filler and by product!! :eek: When there are so many pet food options out there, your pet deserves more!

I agree 100%! I'm very picky about what foods I like. Iams is terribly discusting; mostly fillers and not enough meat. By-products, harmful preservatives like ethoxyquin and BHT/BHA.... :eek: :eek: :eek: Yuck!

[G.P.girl]

OMG! that's so terrible! buti dont understand why they cut chunks out of thier legs?????? well i'm happy i've never boughten Iams before.and i never will!:mad:

[trayi52]

Have any of you ever heard about Diamond dog or cat food? I know that is available around here close. I just don't know if they use the animal testing or not. Anybody know anything about this company?

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by G.P.girl
OMG! that's so terrible! buti dont understand why they cut chunks out of thier legs??????
I imagine they are testing to see which formula can increase and speed healing.

[Tonya]

That is so sickening. I had no idea. I thought we lived in a civilized country. :mad: Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will be sure that myself and everyone that I come into contact with never uses their products again.

[IttyBittyKitty]

Originally posted by Miss Meow
Cuddle her cute kitties ;)

Seriously, we found Innova dried dog and cat food at a local pet store and it's good quality. I think it's a Pets Paradise, which whitepages.com.au says you have in your state. Give one of the stores a call and see if they stock it. Our store had little sample baggies for $1 so we could try before we bought a larger bag.

I couldn't find Innova on the 'bad' list, so I hope it's animal testing-free.

Oooh, we do have Pets Paradise here in Brissie, might give them a shot. Also, the RSPCA has opened a "pet store" (no pets, just supplies) that is supposed to have good stuff.

As for cuddling my kitties, my Pixie baby is right next to me as we speak and Randi is looking jealous and what's this? He's coming over......

[G.P.girl]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
I imagine they are testing to see which formula can increase and speed healing.
that's sick. how could a person actually do that? it discusts me.

[lizbud]

Originally posted by trayi52
Have any of you ever heard about Diamond dog or cat food? I know that is available around here close. I just don't know if they use the animal testing or not. Anybody know anything about this company?

Check here for info on Diamond Brand Pet Food. Seems they
do some feeding studies, but no surigal procedures. Their Vet
has a column in this link & he answers someone's questions
about animal testing. Look on the left hand side of the page. The
column begings with.........

" A Quick Note--

I have been receiving many questions about animal testing since the controversy with the Iams contract laboratory hit the news. I would like to make some comments for those of you that have not contacted me individually about this important topic."



http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/vetnotes_current/SummerTimeSafety.html

[2kitties]

Does anybody know anything about ProPlan? My boys are doing well on it and i haven't heard anything awful about it.

[wolfsoul]

I've been doing some reading and found out that Iams has changed a/some formula/s atleast once, which isn't legal unless they inform the public by stating the change on the bag for the first six months. Lots of dogs got sick and had terrible allergic reactions.

[wolfsoul]

I'm not sure if this is the same list or not, but here's a list I found:

Allergan, Inc.
2525 Dupont Dr., P.O. Box 19534, Irvine, CA 92612 °714-752-4500, 800-347-4500, [email protected]

Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight)
469 N. Harrison St., Princeton, NJ 08543, 609-683-5900, 800-524-1328

Bausch & Lomb (Curél, Soft Sense, Clear Choice)
1 Bausch & Lomb Place, Rochester, NY 14604-2701, 716-338-6000, 800-344-8815

Benckiser (Coty, Lancaster, Jovan)
237 Park Ave., 19th Fl., New York, NY 10017-3142, 212-850-2300, [email protected]

Block Drug Co., Inc. (Polident, Sensodyne, Tegrin, Lava, Carpet Fresh)
257 Cornelison Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07302, 201-434-3000, 800-365-6500

Boyle-Midway (Reckitt & Colman)
2 Wickman Rd., Toronto, Ontario M8Z 5M5 Canada, 416-255-2300

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (Clairol, Ban Roll-On, Keri, Final Net)
345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154-0037, 212-546-4000

Calvin Klein Cosmetics, (A division of Unilever), Trump Tower, 725 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10022-2519, (973) 347-8889

Carter-Wallace (Arrid, Lady's Choice, Nair, Pearl Drops)
1345 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10105-0021, 212-339-5000

Chesebrough-Ponds (Fabergé, Cutex, Vaseline)
800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, 201-512-0094

Church & Dwight (Arm & Hammer)
469 N. Harrison St., Princeton, NJ 08543-5297, 609-683-5900, 800-524-1328

Clairol, Inc. (Bristol-Myers Squibb)
345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154, 212-546-5000, 800-223-5800

Clorox (Pine-Sol, S.O.S., Tilex, ArmorAll)
1221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, 510-271-7000, 800-227-1860

+ Colgate-Palmolive, 300 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022-7499, (800) 338-8333 (+ currently observing a moratorium on animal testing).

Coty (Benckiser)
237 Park Ave., 19th Fl., New York, NY 10017-3142, 212-850-2300, [email protected]

Cover Girl (Procter & Gamble)
One Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, 513-983-1100, 800-543-1745

Dana Perfumes (Alyssa Ashley)
635 Madison Ave., 5th Fl., New York, NY 10022-1009 °212-751-3700, 800-822-8547

Del Laboratories (Flame Glow, Commerce Drug, Sally Hansen)
565 Broad Hollow Rd., Farmingdale, NY 11735, 516-293-7070, 800-645-9888

Dial Corporation (Purex, Renuzit), 1850 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602-207-1800, 800-528-0849

DowBrands (Glass Plus, Fantastik, Vivid)
P.O. Box 68511, Indianapolis, IN 46268, 317-873-7000

Drackett Products Co. (S.C. Johnson & Son)
1525 Howe St., Racine, WI 53403, 414-631-2000, 800-558-5252

Ecolab, Inc.
370 N. Wabasha St., St. Paul, MN 55102-1390, 612-293-2233, 800-352-5326

Elizabeth Arden, Inc. (A division of Unilever), 1345 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10105, (212) 261-1000

Erno Laszlo
200 First Stamford Place, Stamford, CT 06902-6759, 203-363-5461

Givaudan-Roure
1775 Windsor Rd., Teaneck, NJ 07666, 201-833-2300

Helene Curtis Industries (Finesse, Unilever, Suave)
325 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610-4713, 312-661-0222

Jhirmack (Playtex)
300 Nyala Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880, 203-341-4000

Johnson & Johnson
1 Johnson & Johnson Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 08933, 908-524-0400

Kimberly-Clark Corp. (Kleenex, Scott Paper, Huggies)
P.O. Box 619100, Dallas, TX 75261-9100, 800-544-1847

Lamaur
5601 E. River Rd., Fridley, MN 55432, 612-571-1234

L & F Products
One Philips Pkwy., Montvale, NJ 07645-1810, 201-573-5700

Lever Bros. (Unilever)
390 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022, 212-888-1260, 800-745-9696

Max Factor (Procter & Gamble)
One Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, 513-983-1100, 800-543-1745

Mead
Courthouse Plaza N.E., Dayton, OH 45463, 513-222-6323

Melaleuca, Inc.
3910 S. Yellowstone Hwy., Idaho Falls, ID 83402-6003 , 208-522-0700

Mennen Co. (Colgate-Palmolive)
E. Hanover Ave., Morristown, NJ 07962, 201-631-9000

Murphy-Phoenix Co. (Colgate-Palmolive)
P.O. Box 39670, Solon, OH 44139, 800-486-7627

Neoteric Cosmetics
4880 Havana St., Denver, CO 80239-0019, 303-373-4860

Neutron Industries, Inc.
7107 N. Black Canyon Hwy., Phoenix, AZ 85021, 602-864-0090

Noxell (Procter & Gamble)
11050 York Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2098, 410-785-7300, 800-572-3232

Olay Co./Oil of Olay (Procter & Gamble)
P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201, 800-543-1745

Pantene (Procter & Gamble)
Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, 800-945-7768

Parfums International (White Shoulders)
1345 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10105, 212-261-1000

Perrigo
117 Water St., Allegan, MI 49010 °616-673-8451, 800-253-3606

Pfizer, Inc. (Bain de Soleil, Plax, Visine, Desitin, BenGay)
235 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10017-5755, 212-573-2323

Playtex Products, Inc. (Banana Boat, Woolite, Jhirmack)
300 Nyala Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880, 203-341-4000

Procter & Gamble Co. (Crest, Tide, Cover Girl, Max Factor, Giorgio)
One Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, 513-983-1100, 800-543-1745

Reckitt & Colman (Lysol, Mop & Glo)
1655 Valley Rd., Wayne, NJ 07474-0945, 201-633-6700, 800-232-9665

Richardson-Vicks (Procter & Gamble)
One Procter & Gamble Plaza, Cincinnati, OH 45202, 513-983-1100, 800-543-1745

Sally Hansen (Del Laboratories)
565 Broad Hollow Rd., Farmingdale, NY 11735, 516-293-7070, 800-645-9888

Sanofi (Yves Saint Laurent)
90 Park Ave., 24th Fl., New York, NY 10016, 212-907-2000

Schering-Plough (Coppertone)
1 Giralda Farms, Madison, NJ 07940-1000, 201-822-7000, 800-842-4090

Schick (Warner-Lambert)
201 Tabor Rd., Morris Plains, NJ 07950, 201-540-2000, 800-492-1555

S. C. Johnson Wax (Pledge, Drano, Windex, Glade)
1525 Howe St., Racine, WI 53403, 414-260-2000, 800-558-5252

SmithKline Beecham
100 Beecham Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15205, 412-928-1000, 800-456-6670

SoftSoap Enterprises (Colgate-Palmolive)
1107 Hazeltine Blvd., Suite 370, Chaska, MN 55318, 612-448-1118

Sun Star
600 Eagle Dr., Bensenville, IL 60106-1977, 800-821-5455

3M (Scotch, Post-It)
Center Bldg., 220-2E-02, St. Paul, MN 55144-1000, 612-733-1110, 800-364-3577

Unilever (Lever Bros., Calvin Klein, Elizabeth Arden, Helene Curtis, Diversey)
390 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022, 212-888-1260, 800-745-9696

Vidal Sassoon (Procter & Gamble)
P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201, 800-543-7270

Warner-Lambert (Lubriderm, Listerine, Schick)
201 Tabor Rd., Morris Plains, NJ 07950-2693, 201-540-2000, 800-323-5379

Westwood Pharmaceutical
100 Forest Ave., Buffalo, NY 14213, 716-887-3400, 800-333-0950

[The Cat Factory]

Here is a very helpful post that my sister made on another message board about pet foods :)

__________________________________________________ _
What cats DON'T need in their diet!

By-Products

Cats need meat! When you go to the grocery store next time, read some of the ingredients labels on their cat foods. Most of the foods have by-products in them. By-products are bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, and almost all the other parts not generally consumed by humans.

Wheat, Soy, Corn and Peanut Hulls!

Cereal and grain products replace a considerable proportion of the meat in cat food. Corn is a much cheaper energy source than meat. The availability of nutrients in these products is dependent upon the digestibility of the grain. The amount and type of carbohydrate in cat food determines the amount of nutrient value the animal actually gets. Cats can almost completely absorb carbohydrates from some grains, such as white rice. Almost all of the nutritional value of other grains can escape digestion. Some ingredients, such as peanut hulls, are used for filler or fiber, and have no significant nutritional value.

Animal and Poultry fat

Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed grade animal fat over the last fifteen years. This grease, often held in fifty-gallon drums, may be kept outside for weeks, exposed to extreme temperatures with no regard for its future use. "Fat blenders" or rendering companies then pick up this used grease and mix the different types of fat together, stabilize them with powerful antioxidants to retard further spoilage, and then sell the blended products to pet food companies and other end users.

Additives and Preservatives

Many chemicals are added to commercial cat foods to improve the taste, stability, characteristics, or appearance of the food. Additives provide no nutritional value. Additives include emulsifiers to prevent water and fat from separating, antioxidants to prevent fat from turning rancid, and artificial colors and flavors to make the product more attractive to consumers and more palatable to their companion animals. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. For these antioxidants, there is little information documenting their toxicity, safety, interactions, or chronic use in pet foods that may be eaten every day for the life of the animal.

Additives in Processed Cat Foods

Anticaking agents
Lubricants
Antimicrobial agents
Nonnutritive sweeteners
Antioxidants
Nutritive sweeteners
Coloring agents
Oxidizing and reducing agents
Curing agents
pH control agents
Drying agents
Processing aids
Emulsifiers
Sequestrants
Firming agents
Solvents, vehicles
Flavor enhancers
Stabilizers, thickeners
Flavoring agents
Surface active agents
Flour treating agents
Surface finishing agents
Formulation aids
Synergists
Humectants
Texturizers
Leavening agents

Animal protein

It can include diseased meat, road kill, contaminated material from slaughterhouses, fecal matter, rendered cats and dogs and poultry feathers. The major source of animal protein comes from dead-stock removal operations that supply so-called "4-D" animals-dead, diseased, dying or disabled-to "receiving plants" for hide, fat and meat removal. The meat (after being doused with charcoal and marked "unfit for human consumption") may then be sold for pet food.

Rendering plants process decomposing animal carcasses, large road kill and euthanized dogs and cats into a dry protein product that is sold to the pet food industry. One small plant in Quebec, Ontario, renders 10 tons (22,000 pounds) of dogs and cats per week. The Quebec Ministry of Agriculture states that "the fur is not removed from dogs and cats" and that "dead animals are cooked together with viscera, bones and fat at 115° C (235° F) for 20 minutes".

There are so much more things in cat foods that should'nt be there! I feed my cats the world's best cat food. Solid Gold has none of the above things in it. It is all natural and my cats love it!

Here are the benifits my cats get from Solid Gold

- Less shedding

- Fewer hairballs

- Feces don't stink

- More energy

- Shinier coat

- Cleaner teeth

- Grown muscle mass

- They eat less

- And most of all, they the taste!

I believe that if you truly your cats, which I know all of you do, they deserve a healthier diet. It costs less in the long run. If I were to buy a 15 pound bag of Friskies, it would last me 2 weeks. I buy a 15 pound bag of Solid Gold and it lasts me a month. Your roughly spending the same amount of money when you switch to a premium cat food.

[trayi52]

Where do I get the Solid gold Cat food, I like to feed the dry kind, and also the dog food too?? All the benefits you listed is just what I have looked for in dog foods for years. I want the same benefits for my Grover and Stubby. :) ( Of course, dogs don't get hairballs? Do they?) The rest sounds great for my Chihuahua too. Moneywise too.

[The Cat Factory]

You can go here, http://solidgoldhealth.com/stores/ , and search for a store that carries it near you :)

[trayi52]

Hey Cat Factory, which one do you feed your cats, and should I still feed Grover the food for a kitten, she is about 8 months now, and still growing, (i hope) and which would you feed the chihuahuas.

Sorry to be such a pest, I was just looking at that site, and if I do get the Solid gold, I will have to order it, because I live in hickville. LOL. :) The prices are not that bad, no worse than what I have been paying for Iams and the others, and if it last longer I would be doing pretty good, moneywise. Right?

[The Cat Factory]

Solid Gold is ideal for adult cats and kittens, to maintain total health. Depending on the age of your chihuahuahs, there is Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) and Hundchen Flocken Puppy (lamb). I have never fed Buddy the Solid Gold variety, but it sounds really good. They also have a food called Mmillennia Beef & Barley Adult Dog, it's for adult maintenance.

Solid Gold is cheap compared to IAMS. IAMS wants to make money, so they make their food really expensive. Solid Gold cares about the health of your pet and their nutrition. 15 pounds of Solid Gold cat food is $20.63, that would last 1 cat a couple of months. I have never bought IAMS, but I know it is very expensive and it's filled with everything your pets DON'T need!

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by The Cat Factory
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog and Hundchen Flocken Puppy !

I try not to use curse words when I talk about my pets....

;)

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by The Cat Factory
Solid Gold is ideal for adult cats and kittens, to maintain total health. Depending on the age of your chihuahuahs, there is Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) and Hundchen Flocken Puppy (lamb).
I wouldn't reccomend feeding puppy food, especially to a breed like a chihuahua that commonly experiences joint (and I believe bone?) problems. Puppy food is loaded with extra nutrients that your puppy doesn't need. Dog food companies will tell you that you pup is growing and needs the extra fat and protien and whatever else they throw in there, but the last thing you want is the puppy to grow fast. You want it to be a slow and gradual process, as it is easier on the bones and joints. It's a much healthier alternative to go right to adult food. Most breeders will reccomend not feeding puppy food beyond 8 weeks.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by RICHARD
I try not to use curse words when I talk about my pets....

;)
LOL! :D

[trayi52]

wolfsoul,
I didn't know that, never even thought about that, but it does make a lot of sense. I always fed the puppies, puppy food. Well no more.
I have really learned a lot here, I fed my Buffy puppy food, until she was a year old, I hope I did not harm her doing that. Thanks for the info!

Richard, very funny!!
:D ;) :p

[aly]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
I wouldn't reccomend feeding puppy food, especially to a breed like a chihuahua that commonly experiences joint (and I believe bone?) problems. Puppy food is loaded with extra nutrients that your puppy doesn't need. Dog food companies will tell you that you pup is growing and needs the extra fat and protien and whatever else they throw in there, but the last thing you want is the puppy to grow fast. You want it to be a slow and gradual process, as it is easier on the bones and joints. It's a much healthier alternative to go right to adult food. Most breeders will reccomend not feeding puppy food beyond 8 weeks.

Where did you get this information? In my opinion, puppies DO need the extra nutrients. I would like to further read on this topic because I've never heard anyone recomending feeding puppies adult food. :eek:

[micki76]

Originally posted by aly
Where did you get this information? In my opinion, puppies DO need the extra nutrients. I would like to further read on this topic because I've never heard anyone recomending feeding puppies adult food. :eek:

I’ve actually heard that a lot too, but mostly with regards to large breeds. I’ve also heard that you could mix ½ puppy & ½ adult premium.

I've read that it's believed that feeding puppy food causes the bones to grow too fast, and that is thought to cause a lot of the joint problems vets are seeing.

[wolfsoul]

Micki is right, it is mainly in regard to large breeds, but it is reccomended for breeds that are known to show joint/bone problems, like chihuahuas. Christian's mommy said Dale's breeder recommends feeding puppy food only until 8 weeks. There are lots of sites that will tell you feeding puppy food is not good; I'll try and find a few.

[wolfsoul]

This mainly talks about large breed dogs, but it's still the same concern with smaller breeds.
http://www.dobermannreview.co.yu/facts/Caring/Puppy%20Care%20Guide.htm

Here's another:
Puppies and food: The food with a high part of proteins can damage the puppy's growth (the proteins rate cannot exceed 22-25%). The food additions - especially the calcium - can affect the balance of the industrial food and cause grow problems. The surplus of whatever is unhealthy for a fast growing puppy, it includes also a surplus of the movement. The slower is a puppy's growing the healthier will it be when it becomes adult
http://www.kirby.cz/plemeno_en.html

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by The Cat Factory
Solid Gold is cheap compared to IAMS. IAMS wants to make money, so they make their food really expensive. Solid Gold cares about the health of your pet and their nutrition. 15 pounds of Solid Gold cat food is $20.63, that would last 1 cat a couple of months. I have never bought IAMS, but I know it is very expensive and it's filled with everything your pets DON'T need!

And here Solid Gold is one of the more expensive foods.
IAMS is really really cheap, since you can get it at any grocery store and even Walmart has it.

[Twisterdog]

Ah, the great dog food debate, I see. ;)

Iams sucks. They are horrid people for doing this to animals, and they will rot in hell ..... IF they really did all that. I'm not saying they did or didn't .... I don't trust PETA to tell the truth, nor would I trust former (read: disgruntled) employees to tell the truth. And, of course, I don't trust Iams to tell the truth, either. The fact of the matter is, the public will NEVER know the truth.

That is, IMO, one of the problems with PETA - they could make a lot more headway and do a lot more good if they told ONLY the truth, and didn't embelish everything, and present everything in the most shocking, melodramatic and histronic way humanly possible. The public, for the most part, is developing a well-deserved "boy who cried wolf" attitiude towards PETA, assuming anything that comes from them is mostly untrue. Sad, because PETA could have done SO much good, had they taken a more middle-of-the-road approach and not alienated 90% of the population.

But I digress ....

I won't buy Iams. I don't like to buy cheap dog food. I live in a very small town. We have two small grocery stores, a Walmart and a Kmart. Period. So, we can pick from the major dog food brands ... and that's it. I checked out the Companion Animal Food Manufacturers list, and not one brand is sold here. It's a problem, to be sure.

[Nomilynn]

I hate the things I have read about Iams, but I have yet to find another food formula that is BOTH light and hairball control. Can someone help me look? Also, how do you know if you've found a "good" food? I was looking on the chicken soup site, and it looks like a good food, but where is a good link to check out?

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Nomilynn
Also, how do you know if you've found a "good" food?
Do you mean in quality? A good kitty food shouldn't have any corn, by-products, soy, peanut hulls, or harmful preservatives such as ethoxyquin or BHA/BHT. It should also be supplemented with taurine. Also, I'm not sure about cat food, but dog food should have animal protien for the first ingredient and one of the next two. I think cat food should probably have it in atleast the first two.

This is off of my site. I know it's for dog food, but these shouldn't be found in cat foods either.
LOOK OUT FOR:

Ethoxyquin - Ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative that carries specific toxins. These toxins have been known to cause itchy skin, lethargy, hair loss, thyroid problems, reproductive disorders, birth defects, epilepsy, cancer, and stillbirth. The chemical was developed by a company as a rubber hardener. It is also used as a herbicide and insecticide. In Canada it is illegal in human foods. in the US, over 100 ppm illegal in human foods.

BHA (Butylated Hydroxysanisole) & BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) - Often seen together, these carcinogenic chemical preservatives have been known to cause cancer, tumors, epilepsy, kidney failure, and a number of other things. A dog who eats food containing one or both of these has a 60% chance of developing urinary stones.

Propyl gallate - Tendency to cause the blood disorder, methemoglobinemia.

Propylene Glycol - A chemical often used in antifreeze, engine coolant, cigarettes, oil, and wax. Used to keep food moist and so is most commonly seen in wet or semi-moist foods. It can cause skin problems, hair loss, dull coats, diarrhea, overweight and death.

Sugar Glycol - Mostly found in wet or semi-moist foods because it keeps foods moist. Dogs are borderline diabetic and too much sugar can give them diabetes. They can become addicted to sugar to the point where they won't eat any other food but a food with this in it. Also known to cause hypoglycemia, obesity, nervousness, cataracts, tooth decay, arthritis and allergies. Sugar can also drain vitamins and minerals from the body.

Sodium Metabisulphite - Preservative known to cause weakness, difficulty swallowing, loss of conciousness and brain damage in humans. No testing has been done on the affect it has on dogs or other animals.

Pentobarbital - Chemical that is injected into pets during euthanization. Also used to treat people with severe head trauma as a sedative. The dog food companies refuse to say how this gets into their foods, but we know it is there from testing. Pentobarbital is usually found in the foods where euthanized cats and dogs have been added in. Yes, that's right. Undercover agents have witnessed companies taking the euthanized animals from shelters and vets and adding them into the food. Scientists have done testing and confirm that there is, truly, dogs and cats in some pet foods. The editor has yet to find out which brands, although Iams/Eukeneba has been mentioned and is under suspicion.

Corn - Mostly considered a filler by the dog food companies, corn is the leading cause of allergies in dog food. Extremely hard for a dog to digest, it may sit in a dog's body for up to 16 hours. The protien, like most vegetable protiens, is hard to extract from the corn, and so a dog may not be getting the amount of protien that the bag says the food has. Because it sits in a dog's stomach for so long, the dog has a longer time to extract the fat from the food. This will not help an overweight dog. BEWARE of the dog food that has corn as one of it's main ingredients!

Wheat - One of the leading causes of allergies. 20% of the nutritional value escapes digestion, so the nutritional value on the food bag may be inaccurate. Sometimes contains a fungus that produces vimotoxin, a substance that can kill or sicken dogs (In 1995, Nature's recipe sickened many dogs,in 1999, Doane Pet care, aka Ol' Roy killed 25 dogs and sickened more -- due to wheat contaminated with vimotoxin). Wheat is not nessecarily bad when human-grade, but should generally only be used in a food for overweight or inactive dogs, and dogs without allergies.

Soy - Soy is mainly used as a filler, or as a protien source in vegetarian foods. Linked to gas in some dogs. Hard for dogs to digest, and can take away nutrients. Soy shouldn't be given to a deep-chested dog, such as a German shepherd, because it has been known to cause bloat. Not nessecarily bad for a dog, just make sure it's good for YOUR dog.

By-products - Mostly the parts of an animal that a human would not eat -- The tail, hooves, stomach, blatter, intestines, beaks, ligaments, fur, feathers, scales, etc. Mainly whatever doesn't have any meat. Depending on what kind of by-product, the digestablity varies.

Peanut Hulls - A cheap filler. No nutritional value.

[Twisterdog]

I have yet to find another food formula that is BOTH light and hairball control. Can someone help me look?


Here you go:

Hill's Science Diet Science Diet Feline Maintenance Hairball Control Light Formula $8.49, 3.5 lb. bag light formula is lower in fat and calories for obese-prone cats 1 to 6 years old. Hairball control formula has the same great taste and nutrition of other Science Diet foods, but is specially formulated to reduce hairballs in cats.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Twisterdog


Hill's Science Diet Science Diet Feline Maintenance Hairball Control Light Formula $8.49, 3.5 lb. bag light formula is lower in fat and calories for obese-prone cats 1 to 6 years old. Hairball control formula has the same great taste and nutrition of other Science Diet foods, but is specially formulated to reduce hairballs in cats.
Hill's Science Diet tests on animals too lol. :o

[Nomilynn]

Thanks Jordan. I guess I was basically asking HOW to read a pet food label.

Twisterdog - I've heard of that, but I've NEVER seen it in any pet store around where I live. But I will keep an eye out.

[lizbud]

People who live in small communities with limited choices in
shopping can still patronize cruelty free pet food companies. This
is the age of the internet which gives everyone many more
options in buying products. They even offer free shipping. A few
that I found in 5 minutes were;

http://petfooddirect.com/store/

http://www.allourpets.com/

I'm sure there are many more if we really wanted to find them.

I've also discovered that more pet food makers & suppliers also
are responding to consumer demand for pet food that doesn't
come from companies that torture animals.

Pet supply stores join the Iams Campaign

Joy Drawdy, owner of Earth Pets Natural Pet Market in Gainesville, Florida, was worried when she learned that Iams had been bought out by Procter & Gamble (P&G), a corporation with a history of animal tests. “When I found out that Iams had sold to P&G, we immediately pulled it off of our shelves. But we didn’t know how bad it was until we went to the PETA Web site IamsCruelty.com.”

We Felt Betrayed
For years, Drawdy had bought Iams for her own dogs and for the dogs and cats she adopted out. To learn that this trusted company had been involved in cruelty shook her faith in the pet-food industry.

“I think what shocked me most was all the lies. We so trusted that company. We really thought that we were doing a good thing for years. We fed that food to our dogs and cats.
We felt betrayed,” she says. “For so many years we sold that food. We told people it was a good food and a good company—and we believed it. Now that I know how Iams has deliberately hurt animals, I won’t even accept donations from that company.”

Growing Pains at the Store
Drawdy’s store went through some growing pains at first. She worried that she might not be able to continue her business in an ethical way. Like many consumers who want to find pet foods made by a compassionate company, she felt overwhelmed. “How could I sell the stuff once I realized what these companies were doing, when I realized what bad things go into these products?” she says. “We began to look into the industry. When we realized how evil it could be, we didn’t know if we wanted to stay in it.”

Drawdy’s customers—many of whom had purchased Iams for years—shared in her disappointment. “They felt so much guilt. They said, ‘I can’t believe I fed this food.’ People get very emotional.”

Supporting Ethical Businesses—and Succeeding!
Ultimately, Drawdy found her way. “We ended up closing our whole store when P&G bought out Iams, and we began to look into the industry. We decided we weren’t going to sell food from the companies that abuse animals. We opened a new store selling only products from ethical companies and are so much more successful now than we ever were,” she says. “After deciding we weren’t going to sell food from companies that confine dogs and cats to laboratory cages, we looked around and found some really wonderful companies, and we’re supporting them now.”

For Drawdy, change has been good. Patrons of her compassionate pet-supply store even include employees of major chain pet stores and veterinarians’ offices. “Customers love that they can count on us,” she says. “People are very appreciative of the fact that they can shop here without having to worry. They thank us for doing the homework for them.”

Thanks to Joy Drawdy and the many companion animal food manufacturers that don’t test on animals, consumers with dog and cat companions can rest easy knowing that their dollars are promoting compassion over cruelty. Great work, Joy!

Joy has formed a coalition of companion-animal professionals in her hometown who are speaking out against Iams' animal testing. See who's signing on to ACT Against Iams (Alachua County Together Against Iams Cruelty) at ActAgainstIams.com!

[Amber]

That is Terrible!! :mad: :mad: I will never, ever, ever use their products again!!! anyways we use purina.

[lizbud]

I received an email response from the PETA info group on Weds.
11/26/03. It came to my work email after I had left for the day.
I almost never check work messages from home so didn't read it
until today. I included text of the email Logan had gotten from Iams. In fairness I thought I'd print the view from the other side.
My email to PETA group & their response:

Subject: Articles on animal cruelity iamsodead,com




A lady from our Pet group emailed Iams about charges that nothing has changed in their
animal testing procedures or inhumane animal treatment at the testing lab used by Iams since
last contacted ny PETA. This is a copy of IAMS email in response received tosay 11/25/03. Do
you have any comments on it's truthfulness? Thank you so much for your tireless work for all
animals. Liz XXXXXX.

[lizbud]

PETA group response;


Thank you for your e-mail message regarding the Iams Company’s program of animal experimentation. If you are not familiar with this issue, please visit IamsCruelty.com for details of our nine-month investigation into the company’s “nutritional” experiments on dogs and cats. If you are writing with regard to Iams’ International Animal Care Advisory Board, please allow us to share with you our position on this matter.



Life for animals in laboratories is filled with days, weeks, months, and years of loneliness, suffering, pain, and fear. While a toy, a resting board, or a few minutes of “socialization” (if provided) may slightly ease the horrors of imprisonment, they do not make animal experimentation humane.

Therefore, Iams’ International Animal Care Advisory Board is in a predicament. While it can evaluate Iams’ program of animal experimentation and make recommendations, nothing that it can say or do—short of calling on Iams to stop experimenting on dogs and cats—will change this one simple fact: Iams’ use of animals in laboratories is inherently cruel and, for that matter, unnecessary. In addition, Iams and the members of this board have no way of knowing what is happening to the animals inside the company’s numerous contract-testing facilities at any given time.

No person, organization, or corporation that truly cares about animals would ever condone or support the use of animals in pet-food tests in laboratories. This is why we have asked the individuals who sit on Iams’ International Animal Care Advisory Board to call on Iams to stop conducting nutritional experiments on cats and dogs and, instead, rely only on laboratory analysis of formulas for nutritional composition, in-home palatability studies using dogs and cats whose human companions have volunteered them for such tests, and collaborative studies with private veterinary clinics that have patients who have diseases or conditions of interest to the company.



A review of the members of this board, which was created by Iams, reveals that it is not as “independent” as the company would have us believe and that it may be unwilling to heed the very reasonable call for an end to Iams’ program of animal testing in laboratories:



Michael Arms

Michael Arms is the president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Like many facilities, HWAC has accepted the support of such corporate sponsors as Iams and the PETCO Foundation.



While the president or director of a facility cannot be faulted for accepting a check from a wealthy corporation (which is often hoping to build brand loyalty while improving its public image), we believe that having that same individual sit in judgment of the sponsoring corporation’s activities represents a conflict of interest. Arms’ characterization of PETCO (which has a deplorable animal-care record) as being a “responsible” corporate partner is just one example of what happens when a facility’s president tries to walk the fine line between advocating for animals and maintaining a cordial relationship with a corporate sponsor that profits from the exploitation of animals.



Kathryn Bayne, Ph.D.

Kathryn Bayne is associate director of the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC).



AAALAC, which is made up of those who support and/or have participated in animal experimentation, was originally established to thwart the passage of the Animal Welfare Act (it did not succeed). AAALAC is widely considered to be a smokescreen used by the animal-experimentation industry in an effort to add an air of legitimacy where none is deserved.



The Iams laboratory that we investigated (please see IamsCruelty.com); the notorious Huntingdon Life Sciences, a frequent violator of federal laws; and the University of North Carolina, where we recently documented egregious cruelty to animals—live animals in the dead-animal cooler, cutting off the heads of mice and rats with scissors, and sick and injured animals languishing for days or weeks without veterinary care—are just a few of the facilities that are AAALAC-accredited.



The Reverend Kenneth Boyd

Kenneth Boyd is a professor of medical ethics at Edinburgh University Medical School and the chair of the Boyd Group. Boyd is particularly interested in studying the cost-benefit relationship of animal use to human benefit.



The Boyd Group, which publishes ethics papers concerning the debate about animal research, was founded in part by neuroscientist Colin Blakemore. Blakemore is best known for his experiments in which he sewed shut the eyes of kittens in an attempt to determine how the loss of vision in early development affects the brain.



Stephen Hansen, D.V.M.

Stephen Hansen is senior vice president of the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center. Iams is a corporate sponsor of the ASPCA and sponsors the ASPCA’s Pet Nutrition and Science Advisory Service.



The ASPCA recently conducted an inspection of a contract-testing laboratory “to be used” by Iams. The following is some of what the ASPCA had to report:



The animals had names.
The cats “were reported to have 4-5 hours out of their cages each day.”
The dogs “were housed in short-fenced runs and had platforms up off of the floor.”
The dogs were provided with “socialization time.”
A study “scheduled for implementation on the day of inspection” was “designed to verify that the diet being fed would allow the animals to maintain normal health and body condition.”
“The findings from studies done at this facility are designed to prove complete and balanced nutrition for specific products. The information from this type of study is generally presented on the product label.”


Once again, there is a conflict of interest here because of the relationship already established between the ASPCA and Iams. Do the animals care if they have names? The Iams dogs at the contract lab that PETA just exposed all had names, too, and they were treated just as badly as those without names. We hope that the ASPCA is not justifying these experiments based on the fact that they are being conducted in order to properly label a product, because many pet-food manufacturers satisfy labeling requirements by doing a chemical analysis of the food, not by imprisoning animals in cages. Such a justification would be unconscionable.



Robert Hubrecht, Ph.D.

Robert Hubrecht is a member of the Research Defense Society—a corporate-funded pro-vivisection lobby group that has lobbied against the requirement for a cost-benefit assessment for animal experiments in the U.K. He is also assistant director of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW). The following statement is posted on the organization’s Web site: “UFAW is a unique scientific and technical animal welfare organization. We use scientific knowledge and established expertise to improve the welfare of animals kept as pets, in zoos, laboratories, and on farms and of wild animals with which we interact.”



Irene Rochlitz, Ph.D.

Iams describes Irene Rochlitz as an “independent veterinary consultant in feline welfare.” Rochlitz studied the “effects of quarantine accommodation and environment” on cat behavior and found that “quarantine causes severe problems for cats with long-term effects on cat behaviour.” Iams’ program of animal experimentation has resulted in the “quarantine” of countless animals, some for years at a time.



Andrew Rowan, Ph.D.

Andrew Rowan is senior vice president for research, education, and international issues at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). According to the HSUS, “The primary aim of The HSUS’s Animal Research Issues section is to promote ‘alternatives’ to the use of animals in harmful research, testing, and education.” Rowan’s appointment to Iams’ advisory board presents the HSUS with the unique opportunity to help end an inherently cruel and worthless program of animal experimentation. However, correspondence between the HSUS and PETA indicates that the HSUS is not taking the position that dogs and cats should not be caged in laboratories for use in nutritional experiments—Rowan has only indicated that his interest is in reducing pain and distress.



Iams supported the HSUS’ Pet Fest America, which featured “The Iams Superdogs.” Unlike the dogs imprisoned for use in Iams’ nutritional experiments, these “canine acrobats” were free to run, jump, and retrieve.



We hope that this information proves useful. Thank you for your efforts in behalf of animals.



Sincerely,



Peter Wood

Research Associate

[catmandu]

That is a shame , as I have always fond Eukanuba to be a food that the Cats like , especially JJJ3 , Moose and Sam. But I will switch to the mixed Premiun Food , 20 pounds for $10.00.These are bags that have been ripped in transit , and sample food , all mixed together. And you cant beat the price.

[lizbud]

Catmandu,

Yes it is a shame & I know how hard it can be to try switching
cat food on our finicky kitties. I just think of the cats & dogs who
have to endure this gross mistreatment & then die. Never having
lived a normal life like our pets. Does this little one look happy to
you?

http://www.iamsodead.com/page/scene/21l.jpg


or this dog who'll never have the joy of running in grass, ever?


http://www.iamsodead.com/page/scene/16.jpg

Maybe we can't help these particular animals, but together we
may be able to stop this horrible company policy.