WHAT IS REALLY IN PET FOOD? - By Dr. Donna Spector
When animals are slaughtered for food production, the lean muscle is cut off for human consumption.
The remaining carcass (bones, organs, blood, beaks, etc.) is what goes into pet food, commonly known as "by-products," "meal," "by-product meal," or the like. Read on if you are not faint of heart.
In addition to the carcasses described above, other "leftovers" from the human food industry (restaurant grease, out-of-date supermarket meat, etc) and "4D" livestock animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled) may also be found in pet food through a process called rendering.
Rendering separates fat, removes water, and kills bacteria, viruses, parasites and other infectious organisms.
The fat that is separated becomes "animal fat" that goes into pet food (for example, chicken fat, beef fat, etc).
The remaining dried protein solids become "meal" or meat "by-product meal" for addition to pet food.
By-products: (for example, chicken by-products or beef by-products): clean non-rendered "parts" other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, blood, bone, fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents.
Meat Meal: all animal tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents that are cooked (rendered). After cooking, the dried solids are added as "meal" to pet food.
Meat By-product Meal: e.g. chicken by-products (defined above) that are cooked (rendered). After cooking, the dried solids can be added to pet food.
The raw ingredients used in rendering are generally just leftovers of the meat, poultry and fishing industries. It is known that the temperatures used in rendering may also alter or destroy natural enzymes and proteins found in these raw ingredients. All rendered products are considered "unfit for human consumption." If we shouldn't eat it, either should our pets! Rendered products typically have relatively high protein levels, however, the quality of those proteins is often questionable. In fact, these inferior protein sources are often unpalatable to pets and artificial flavors or fats must be sprayed on the food in order to get pets to consume it.
SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL FOODS:
Wellness
Precise
Canidae
Holistic Select
Lifetime
Natural Balance
These examples can be purchased at your local Global or Ryan’s Pet Food Store.
Some are available at Pet Valu and many independent retailers
There are many other fine foods – just check the list of ingredients thoroughly.
PawDiet is a technology oriented pet food website offering powerful searching tools, price comparison, product reviews, and other services.
More information on feeding your feline can be obtained at the sites below:
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition
Feeding Your Pets: Selecting A Commercial Food
Nutritional Calculator for Cats
CatFoodDB: Decoding nutrition labels so you don't have to!
