Information on Iams Puppy Food

Iams sells cat and dog food in over 70 countries and were the world's fourth largest distributor of pet food in 2008, according to a Petfood Industry Magazine report. Puppies have different requirements than adult dogs because they grow so fast, and unbalanced nutrition during a puppy's first year of life can do life-long harm. Iams sells both canned and dry puppy food, along with some gravies and treats.

  1. Dry Puppy Food

    • Iams sells several different formulas of dry puppy food in their Life Stages and ProActive Health product lines. Dinstinguished by bright yellow bags in the store, the formulas include small, toy and large breed kibble and their "Smart Puppy" line, which is fortified with (docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from fish oil. DHA is thought to promote better brain development and grow a smarter, more trainable puppy, according to Iams. All Iams puppy formulas have chicken as the first ingredient.

      Iams also sells "Healthy Naturals" puppy food. Also chicken based and containing DHA, they claim Healthy Naturals has "no added artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or fillers."

    Canned Puppy Food

    • Iams carries both beef and chicken canned food for puppies, which can be fed alone or as a complement to their dry formulas. It doesn't contain DHA, and comes in either chunk or ground consistency.

    Time Frame

    • Most Iams puppy food should be fed for the first 12 months of a puppy's life, at which time they can be switched to an adult formula. Iams has different guidelines for giant breed dogs, however. Since dogs that will mature to 90 lbs or larger grow more slowly, Iams recommends that these puppies get puppy food up to 24 months of age.

    Amount to Feed

    • Every puppy food label has a suggested feeding amount listed, but these are guidelines and not mandates and adjustment from the recommended amount may be necessary to maintain a puppy at its ideal weight and body condition. Most puppies from 8 to 20 weeks old will eat 3 or 4 times per day. From about 5 months of age onwards, puppies are ready to be weaned to twice-daily feedings. Exceptions may be giant-breed puppies who still have a lot of growing left at 5 month old, and very tiny dogs who often must eat more frequent meals.

    Warning

    • A young giant-breed dog may be under 24 months old and get pregnant, whelp and nurse puppies. Although the large-breed puppy formula is supposed to be suitable for giant dogs up to 24 months old, it is inadequate for pregnant and nursing bitches, according to the Iams website. Large-breed puppy food is lower in protein to encourage slow, steady growth. A pregnant or nursing dog requires high protein, high fat food. If you have a young pregnant dog, talk to your veterinarian about a suitable diet for her.