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DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-3 fatty acid important for neural development of puppies. DHA is a major structural component of the brain, as well as the most abundant fatty acid in the brain. It plays a vital role in the development of a puppy’s central nervous system and retinal function.
To help your puppy be as smart and healthy as possible, DHA should be an essential component of your dog's diet. The DHA in IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Mother and Baby Dog food helps encourage healthy brain development, , which can make your puppy more trainable and help forge a stronger bond with you.
Common dietary DHA sources include fish (such as salmon, sardines, tuna and other seafood), eggs and organ meat. In pet foods, sources of DHA include fish, fish meal and fish oil.
Prior to weaning, puppies get DHA from their mothers. The puppy’s mother transfers DHA from her body tissues to her offspring during pregnancy and lactation.
After weaning, puppies can obtain DHA through their diet.
One IAMS study looked at beagle puppies whose mothers had been fed enhanced or typical dietary DHA from breeding on through weaning.* After weaning, puppies were fed the same diets as their mothers throughout the remainder of the study (up to 16 weeks of age). To evaluate the effect of diet on trainability, all puppies were taught to associate a symbol with a direction in a t-maze, with correct responses resulting in a food treat.
In the 30 days of testing, puppies from the enhanced-DHA group consistently outperformed the puppies from the typical-DHA group on the maze test. Results of the study indicated that puppies nourished on high DHA levels were more trainable.
*Data on file. The IAMS Company.
Active dogs thrive on diets high in fat. To preserve a high-fat dry kibble diet, however, is a challenge. The IAMS research team met that challenge with an effective preservative system used in all our dry dog food products, such as IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Adult MiniChunks.
The preservative system features a special blend of mixed tocopherols. Tocopherols are antioxidants extracted from vegetable oils. There are four major types of tocopherols. Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, is commonly used in dog foods, though a specific mixture of the different tocopherols protects against rancidity.
Our preservative system slows the rate of oxidation and allows for an extended shelf life.
Wet foods, such as IAMS™ ProActive Health™ with Chicken and Whole Grain Rice Pate, do not require preservatives because they are preserved by packaging. When the ingredients are mixed and ready for cooking, the mixture is packed into cans, trays or pouches and cooked in a retort. Similar in principle to a pressure cooker, the retort sterilizes and preserves the product.
The cans, trays or pouches are then cooled under conditions that assure product sterility and container integrity.
Thorough shelf-life testing is conducted on all our products. In general, shelf lives for various types of products are:
24 months for wet foods
16 months for dry foods
12 months for biscuits
By using a preservative system in our dry dog food and preservation through packaging in our wet dog food, IAMS makes sure the food your dog eats is well-balanced and nutritionally beneficial.
