Inspired by keyodie. Tell me what you think.

[nedim]

Hope you dont mind Keyodie, but I also wrote an email to Iams concerning their foods. The part about me being a loyal customer is false, I just said that to make it sound more convincing.lol

**please tell me what you think! Is there something I should remove, something to add, maybe word something slightly differently? I want to get some input before I submit this email**


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I have some questions that I feel your company is obliged to answer in order for me to continue my patronage to your line of dog food. Please answer me honestly and spare me the agony of having to read between the lines.

1.) I hear from dog experts and nutrionists all the time that Iams and Eukanuba is a very low quality food and extremely over-priced for the quality I'm receiving. I'm seriously considering changing my dog's diet to something more nutrious, such as Innova, which I hear is about as good as dog food can get. How does your food stack up against Innova? The main ingredients in Innova are much healthier and much more sensible to feed than the main ingredients in any of your dog foods. Convince me to remain a loyal customer to the Iams company.

2.) Isn't the whole Iams corporation actually owned by Proctor and Gamble? What is their highest priority in the dog food business? are you more interested in money or the health of the animals the food is made for?

3.) I saw the videos on www.Iamscruelty.com
How can any honest and good-willed company allow that kind of abuse towards any animal? No point in denieing it, because there is video evidence of neglegence and abuse towards the dogs and cats imprisoned in your establishment. Explain to me why this is allowed to resume and what the head of the corporation is doing about it.

4.) Lastly, convince me why I should continue to buy Iams dog food for my dog when there are cheaper yet healthier foods available at my fingertips. I am giving you an open chance to defend the Iams name (or whats left of it).

**** Thank you for reading my letter. I am anxiously awaiting your reply, so that I can make my decision on whether or not to continue purchasing your dog food for my dog. And plese, don't twist my word out of context or beat around the bush. I would like my questions answered in the same character they were presented; up-front and open****

 

[Mordy]

i applaud your effort, but i'm afraid all you will get is a bunch of what i call "non-answers".

procter & gamble (list of their brands pump insane amounts of money into a huge PR machine to build their reputation and spin any bad publicity to make them look better in the public eye than they are.

but i'm curious how they are going to answer your questions.

 

[Renee750il]

I can smell the wheels spinning from here Wicked letter, Nedim

 

[Zoom]

Nice, nice....'though I'm betting you get a form letter saying thank you for your continued patronage.

 

[Saje]

Very well written Nedim! I'm impressed. Looking forward to the response - if any...

 

[Old Dog]

Whats the point just switch food. They will not give you the answers you want. P & G took over Iams/Eukanuba several years back and put it in the grocery stores and walmart its called better marketing of a product that was only sold in pet stores their sales were down and that is why P & G saw the opportunity to buy them out. Personally their food is way over rated, you are paying for the name and all the advertisement they do. Its never been a good food. Just Read the bag and compare.

Your better foods are more digestable. Look how much "poop you scoop" and you will know how much filler is in it.The smaller the stool content the better the food is digested and utilized by the dog. I'm all for less poop LOL!!

 

[Saje]

He doesn't feed Iams, Old Dog, he just wants to hear what kind of response they give.

 

[nedim]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I emailed them and no response as of yet. Thats right, I dont feed Iams, couldnt pay me enough to feed that crap to peanut.

 

[blue]

I cant wait to see the response to that Nedim!

 

[logicgurl]

me too

 

[nedim]

Well, no reply as of yet....

 

[beagle_lovergirl]

Yup I sent something about the video too and a couple of sites (www.iamscruelty.com etc) and they sent me something about gum desease and stuff? Lol.... Let's see what they say to yours

 

[nedim]

Still no reply. I re-sent the letter. I'm thinking about calling in person.

 

[keyodie]

They're probably avoiding you or thinking of some way to reply to your letter and make them look good.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Can't wait for the reply...but maybe they won't reply because they don't have any good answers!!

 

[nedim]

We have a reply!!!!




Dear Nedim:

We appreciate you contacting Eukanuba with these questions.

I want to assure you that our acquisition by Procter & Gamble (P&G) has not compromised the quality of our formulas.

A long time ago, Clay Mathile (previous owner of The Iams Company) coined our "Mission Statement" which formally states our reason to be in business. "Our mission is to enhance the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods." Everything we do here at Iams has to satisfy that mission statement.

P&G has a "Purpose Statement" that is very similar to our "Mission Statement." It states "We will provide products of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world's consumers."

The corporate philosophies of both companies are grounded in providing products that improve the customer's life because of product quality.

P&G understands and respects the Iams mission to enhance the health and well-being of dogs and cats, and our dedication to nutritional excellence. As a result, you can expect the same high quality Eukanuba and Iams products in the future as in the past. Our research nutritionists and veterinarians at the Paul F. Iams Technical Center will continue to improve existing brands and develop innovative new products.

As we work to achieve our mission, it's important that we make our products more easily accessible to our consumers. Because of P&G, the Iams brand is now available in retail channels where other P&G products are sold. Eukanuba Dog and Cat Foods are available only in the pet specialty channel. The exceptional quality of our premium products will remain unchanged as we expand our distribution for the convenience of pet owners.

I am unfamiliar with Innova's formulas, but I can tell you at The Iams Company we make our decisions based on the well-being of dogs and cats and we continue to develop and offer products that truly enhance this well-being. For us at Iams, cutting edge research and breakthrough products are a top priority.

The ingredients we use are tailored to the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. We use only high-quality animal protein sources in our formulations. We don't use artificial flavorings, colorings, or other questionable fillers. Our formulas are complete and balanced to meet the specific life stage and lifestyle nutritional needs of your pet.

For some additional information about comparing one food to another, please copy-and-paste the following URLs to your web browser for some interesting articles from our Eukanuba Dog Nutrition Library:

The Facts About Dog Food Ingredients:

www.iamsco.com/en_US/jhtmls/nutriti...=E&localeid=en_US&pagetypeid=PN&questionid=20

Choosing Your Dog's Food:

www.iamsco.com/en_US/jhtmls/nutriti...=E&localeid=en_US&pagetypeid=PN&questionid=47

Reading Labels:

www.iamsco.com/en_US/jhtmls/nutriti...E&localeid=en_US&pagetypeid=PN&questionid=108



Another question was in regards to our nutritional studies. You've received some incorrect and outdated information. An extreme activist organization continues a misleading campaign featuring footage that's more than a year and a half old of a facility we no longer use. This inaccurate account includes examples of dogs and cats that were not part of our studies, and makes claims of activities that we never authorized.

We want to be perfectly clear: we will not fund or participate in any study requiring or resulting in the euthanasia of cats or dogs. This principle is just one of eight points in our strict research policy that is approved by an independent Animal Care Advisory Board. The members of our Advisory Board are from respected animal welfare organizations such as the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). We chose these individuals because they share our interest in reducing, refining, and replacing animals in research.

In addition, the Advisory Board conducts unannounced visits to review the care and welfare of the dogs and cats participating in our feeding studies at our internal and external sites.

To see a summary of recent facility reports, to view video footage of animals in our care, or to review our research policy, please visit our web site at www.iamstruth.com.

You can also see a facility report by utilizing the following URL: www.aspca.org/iams

Other important information we'd like to share:



· We support the ultimate elimination of laboratory feeding studies as scientifically valid alternatives become available. We have appointed Dr. Len Sauers to lead the development of alternatives to dog and cat feeding studies. Many don't know that beyond a few palatability (taste) studies, no other in-home nutritional feeding study methods have been validated. We already use 17 alternative methods, including a non-animal option for gastrointestinal studies and a non-animal method for measuring tartar build-up.

· We are taking full responsibility for the destiny of all dogs and cats that participate in our feeding studies at both internal and external sites. Our dogs and cats are adopted into loving homes when their help is no longer needed, including our retirement facility, which is a place where they can live their lives happily with love and affection from their human counterparts. We know of no other company that is taking this level of responsibility for the ongoing well-being of all the dogs and cats they work with.

· By October 2006 we will transition our nutritional feeding studies to be limited to three locations for feeding studies: in pet owners' homes, at the Iams Pet Health and Nutrition center, and in organizations, like animal shelters and groups that provide assistance dogs to people in need. We are making a significant investment in new facilities at our Pet Health and Nutrition Center, which will enable us to create an ideal environment while ensuring the care and welfare of the dogs and cats who help us in our feeding studies.

· We are proactively sharing the Iams Welfare Program for dogs and cats in an effort to make it the norm. An Iams Behaviorist has shared our socialization and enrichment program with shelters, veterinarians and others to illustrate that it's possible to enrich and socialize in such an environment. In addition, we recently presented our program to others in the pet food industry. We are committed to continual improvement in this area and are looking to adopt best practices in animal care and nutritional research wherever they are created. We will continue to actively search and reapply good ideas from around the world.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact us and for giving us the opportunity to respond with the facts. If you need further information or have specific questions, please visit the Web site or contact Consumer Care at 800-525-4267. One of our advisors will be more than happy to speak with you about this very important issue.

Sincerely,

Sharon

Iams Consumer Care, North America



-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2005 8:44 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: A consumer message from Iams.com - en_US, Email Us, SR# 1-551644712

[Comment:] I have some questions that I feel your company is obliged to answer in order for me to continue my patronage to your line of dog food. Please answer me honestly and spare me the agony of having to read between the lines.

1.) I hear from dog experts and nutrionists all the time that Iams and Eukanuba is a very low quality food and extremely over-priced for the quality I'm receiving. I'm seriously considering changing my dog's diet to something more nutrious, such as Innova, which I hear is about as good as dog food can get. How does your food stack up against Innova? The main ingredients in Innova are much healthier and much more sensible to feed than the main ingredients in any of your dog foods. Convince me to remain a loyal customer to the Iams company.

2.) Isn't the whole Iams corporation actually owned by Proctor and Gamble? What is their highest priority in the dog food business? are you more interested in money or the health of the animals the food is made for?

3.) I saw the videos on www.Iamscruelty.com

How can any honest and good-willed company allow that kind of abuse towards any animal? No point in denieing it, because there is video evidence of neglegence and abuse towards the dogs and cats imprisoned in your establishment. Explain to me why this is allowed to resume and what the head of the corporation is doing about it.

4.) Lastly, convince me why I should continue to buy Iams dog food for my dog when there are cheaper yet healthier foods available at my fingertips. I am giving you an open chance to defend the Iams name (or whats left of it).

**** Thank you for reading my letter. I am anxiously awaiting your reply, so that I can make my decision on whether or not to continue purchasing your dog food for my dog. And plese, don't twist my word out of context or beat around the bush. I would like my questions answered in the same character they were presented; up-front and open****

 

[BigDog2191]

That's interesting. Kind of changes my mind about them really.

Kudos for finding this info, Nedim.

 

[nedim]

No problem

 

[Boxer*Mom]

what do you make of the response?

 

[Mordy]

that's the same cut-and-paste corporate bullshit (pardon my language) they have been sending out for years.

a bunch of "non-answers" that don't really addess any of the points nedim brought up.