Preston: Hi Dr. Campion. I am so excited to have the chance to interview you! I just admit I’m a little nervous. You’re the first human I have had the pleasure to interview. I usually only get to talk to other dogs. So bare with me, I’m try to make this interview as painless as possible. First, I know you’re a leading nutritionist and scientific relations manager for Iams and P&G Pet Care. So can you tell our viewers a little about yourself and what you do for Iams?
Dr. Campion: Hi Preston. I’m honored to be the first human you’ve interviewed! I joined IAMS/P&G Petcare as a Nutritionist in 1990, and currently, I’m the Scientific Relations Manager for Pet Care Professional, which is a fancy way of saying I’m the go-to person to speak with certain groups of people like Technical Services Veterinarians and Scientific Communications Teams. Over the years, I have worked closely with the IAMS, Eukanuba and IAMS Veterinary Formula Brands for both feline and canine products.
Preston: Now the most important question …do you have any dogs? If so what kind are they and what do they eat every day? Are they on Facebook or Twitter? Will they be my Facebook friend?
Dr. Campion: Of course! Our family includes a Golden Retriever named Tucker. We enjoy being outside and taking advantage of the great weather by walking, boating and fishing. Tucker is also a natural in front of the camera! He was chosen as “Mr. December” for the USGA Golf Course Superintendents “Best Friends” calendar in 2010. And while I’d love to have you and Tucker be Facebook friends, he’s just so busy that he hasn’t set up a page yet. I’ll keep you posted when he does.
Preston: Iams already has a large product line from my count on your website over 45 different dog formulas… and yes us dogs can count that high hehehe. So what was the inspiration behind IAMS developing and releasing the IAMS sensitive naturals and the IAMS simple and naturals foods?
Dr. Campion: IAMS worked with pet experts like animal nutritionists to develop these two new natural recipes to meet the needs of both dogs and dog owners. We found that many of your furry friends and their owners either wanted a simply made dog food with the highest quality ingredients or one that’s designed to address issues that may cause itching and scratching.
Preston: What is the difference between Sensitive Naturals and Simple and Natural?
Dr. Campion: IAMS Sensitive Naturals is perfect for dogs with ingredient sensitivities and avoids common ingredients that can cause itching and scratching – which we know isn’t fun for you or your friends! IAMS Simple & Natural is made for dogs for 100% nutrition and contains no fillers. Neither of the new recipes contains corn, wheat, soy or meat by-products.*
*Official Feed Term, AAFCO
Preston: I have been eating the Sensitive Naturals for several weeks now and I’m almost through the whole bag and it is yummy! I haven’t had any problems and my coat has been super shinny. Mom says it has fish in it. Which by the way I think you need to make a cat food line just like this. My cats go crazy over the smell and I have to fight them off while I eat. What exactly is in this food?
Dr. Campion: Preston, you should know that we do make a natural cat food. IAMS Healthy Naturals has been available for a while now and has three cat recipes including two adult maintenance recipes (including chicken and Atlantic salmon) and one weight control product. It also comes in a few dog recipes including one puppy, two adult maintenance recipes (including chicken and lamb meal) and weight control.
Now, as for what’s in the new recipes, the main ingredient in IAMS Sensitive Naturals is ocean fish, which is a high-quality protein not typically found in dog food. It’s a combination of ocean fish, which includes haddock, cod and flounder and is the source of Omega 3 fatty acids are that are helping your coat to be so shiny! Other key ingredients include rice and barley, which can help with your digestion and energy levels! We have also included higher levels of antioxidants like Vitamin E by adding tomatoes and peas, for a healthy immune system**. To round things off, there is also FOS Prebiotic, which help to promote digestive health and are a natural fiber blend to aid in nutrient absorption. That’s all a really fancy way of saying we used ingredients from nature to give you and your furry friends high quality nutrition so you can concentrate on things like playing catch, sleeping and chasing your tail. You know, the important things.
**vs. IAMS ProActive Health MiniChunks
Preston: Westies are notorious for bad skin and allergies. I haven’t had this so far but many of my foster dogs haven’t been as lucky. They get hot spots and loose patches of hair. Since this new product line as a sensitive product what can I tell all my Westie pals about why this Iams Sensitive Naturals is a must try for them?
Dr. Campion: Well, first and foremost, if any of your Westie pals think they may have an allergy, tell them to check with their vet. If it turns out they have sensitivities to certain ingredients, these new recipes could be great for them. Have them check out IAMS Sensitive Naturals which avoids common ingredients that may cause you or your pals to itch and scratch.
Preston: Meat by-products have been a hot topic lately. But can you explain what a by-product actually is and is it bad for us doggies?
Dr. Campion: Meat by-product product refers to organs and other parts that are not actually muscle (what we refer to as “meat”). This is a great source of protein and essential amino acids. And while a great nutritional source, a lot of pet parents do not like to see these ingredients in their pet’s food. We developed the IAMS Naturals for pet parents who desire a simple diet for their dog. Natural nutrition can make all the difference for many dogs whether they have ingredients sensitivities or just seem to thrive on a more simple recipe.
Preston: My Westie pals at Westies United on dogster.com have some questions for you. First off is Bob Ferguson a Westie from New Jersey: “Is it true that you should feed the same food all the time? Is it really difficult for us pups to adjust to a change of food?”
Dr. Campion: Hi Bob – thanks for the question! If you do decide to switch your food, switching can take a little planning and should be done gradually. The best way to ease into changing your diet would be to start by mixing 25 percent new food with 75 percent old food. Slowly change the proportions over the next three days or so by gradually increasing the new food and lessening the amount of the old food. At the end of this weaning process, you should be eating 100 percent of the new food!
Preston: Next up is Sparky, a Westie from Eldon, MO. He wants to know about treats. What makes a good treat, how many a day? Should we worry about calorie content? Sparky also wanted me to make sure you knew he loves TREATS so any answer you have that means his mom should give her more each day would be wonderful BOL (bark out loud)!!!
Dr. Campion: Hi Sparky, oh my yes…calorie content is very important – especially for smaller breeds like you. Sometimes treats can count as extra meals if they are high in calories. The amount of treats you get really depends on the amount of exercise you get each day, which your mom will need to decide. Have her chat with your vet to figure out the best “treat plan” for you.
Preston: On the board there has been some discussion on how an owner can tell by looking at a bag of dog food if it is high quality food that is good for us pups? What should they be looking for?
Dr. Campion: Its always important to have a protein, such as chicken or fish, as the first ingredient.
Preston: Next up is Duncan a senior Westie from South Bend Indiana asks: “I’m not being a smarty pants, now. But why are “grain free” foods more expensive. Are the ingredients that they put in, in place of grains, that much more expensive?”
Dr. Campion: Well Duncan, a grain free diet has more protein, like chicken and fish, which tend to be more expensive that many grains. Sorry of that wasn’t the answer you were looking for.
Preston: Dixie, a very cute West Highland White Terrier from South Carolina has been diagnosed by her vet to have grain allergies. What IAMS products do you recommend to her parents to buy?
Dr. Campion: Well, it would depend on which grains Dixie may be allergic to in particular. IAMS has a wide array of Veterinary Formulas, it would be best for her to work directly with her vet to see which one may be the best fit.
Preston: OK I know you’re not marketing but I bet you know some people over there. I have to ask why aren’t there any westies on any of your dog food bags? You know we are a very photogenic breed and I’m sure just having a westie on the front of the bags that says looks exactly like me would make everyone want to try out the new products. I also hear that I’m available for modeling work and my calender is open…..I’m just saying hehehehe
Dr. Campion: Thanks for the suggestion Preston – we’ll definitely take that into consideration! Spike, our new pitch dog, is a Shar Pei. He and his breed have a lot of skin and we felt he would best represent a pup who might have skin sensitivities. We also felt that this particular dog exhibited the kind of radiant persona that demonstrates the health and vitality experienced by pets who are fed IAMS!
Preston: But seriously, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to sit down for an interview with me and to answer my fellow dog’s questions. I think we all have a better insight on what we need to tell our pet parents to look for in a quality food. The Iams new products are also very exciting and I know us Westies can’t wait to try both kinds out as well.
Dr. Campion: Thanks Preston! I hope you and your fellow Westies enjoy new IAMS Sensitive Naturals and IAMS Simple & Natural!
For the past month I have been eating the sensitive naturals and I will be doing a review soon so keep your eys and ears open. These new two products is a great compliment to the new line and they ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN YOUR LOCAL STORE. So go check it out and pick up a bag. You can also visit the IAMS naturals website at www.iams.com/natural or www.facebook.com/iams
That was a great interview Pres ton! I will have to share it with my friends.
Preston, what did your mom find out about testing foods and living conditions for the dogs/cats tested?
Darby’s mom…we did find out about animal testing…watch for my blog this Thursday and then in the near future mom is going to write about her tour to the animal research center too!