"Rendered meat" in pet foods

[shaye]

I for one was shocked (perhaps I am naive) to discover that "rendered meat" on an dog food ingredient label can mean rendered dogs and cats. Apparently there is a hidden market for animals that are destroyed, and some of them end up in your dog's food! If you see this on your dog's food label, you can actually phone the company and ASK them if they recycle pets for dog food. They may not want to tell you, but they have to be honest. I guess it blew me away that this happens even in Canada!
I am a big believer in the RAW FOOD diet, or BARF diet. Pure raw product, enzymes intact. Switching a dog over can cause a mess what with all the detox of the system, but once you get through that part of it it will be smooth sailing.
Just wanted to share that info with you. Some may not care, but I have a feeling most of you WILL care.

Have a great day!

~shaye

[Shelley02]

I've also been feeding raw. Decided to switch my 6 yr.old terrier also. Just dropped the kibble and switched same day, no mess, no diahrea, no nothing. But he sure is healthy since. I would never go back to any kibbled food...I do know what goes into those bags of dog food. Truckloads of euthanized cat and dogs from sheltered, diseased horses that are full of meds, etc.

[Carol]

no wonder my Casey hates dry dog food LOL
This has been a hot topic on the internet for some time.
Another ingredient that I cannot understand is the predigested stuff they put into some commercial dog foods...yuck

[Carol]

Shaye, I believe a lot of things, but on the internet I am extremely skeptical. This topic keeps going around and around. In Ontario, I doubt that this is happening. We have laws that protect us from that kind of stuff.
Rendered meat means they have used tissue and other parts of the animal that would otherwise be wasted, and recover the valuable nutrients from it and use it in pet foods. A pet that has been euthanized would never end up there because of the toxic drugs used for this procedure.
I doubt that a well known pet food company that spends millions on research and marketing would ever get involved in anything like this...it would destroy their credibility and bankrupt them.
Look what happened to McDonald's chicken nuggets. They used to be dark meat, now they are white meat, they had to change because of the publicity about what actual ingredients were used to make them.
I think this at one time might have been a legitimate warning somewhere but it seems to have created a life of its own and just won't go away. Not sure where it originated.
I used to get emails about missing children and find out that the email started 2 years b4 and the child was found 2 hours after going missing.
Some people just refuse to use the "delete" button and keep hitting the "forward" so email lives on and on and on.
So, hopefully if we stick to a brand that has been around a long time with no bad publicity about it, I think in Ontario at least, we can feel relatively safe.

[Shelley02]

Carol don't be fooled by the fact that you live in Ontario. the fact is most of our pet foods come from the US. Why do you think Eukaneuba has a large lawsuit against their company. The horses that people don't euthanize are shipped to rendering plants. Some of these horses were on various meds before being trucked off. And horses that were just dewormed but then trucked down to the plants because it has an accident to costly to repair. Most of the horses shipped out are full of Ace, Bute, Dewormers and other dangerous drugs, yet it all goes intpo pet foods. I for one will never trust a pet food company again.

[Carol]

You certainly brought up something that we should be checking for sure.
You are correct, that most comes from USA. Even the one I use is made in USA. I hope, since it is rated so highly by groups looking into this problem, that with the first ingredient saying "lamb meat" it is safe for my dog.
I will be continuing my research into what is the best way to keep Casey happy and healthy and the correct food to put into her little body.
Thank goodness the commercial dog food portion of her daily diet is small (1/2 cup).
Isn't this how the cow disease got started? Feeding cows their relatives is a disgusting thought, now we have to worry about doing the same to our pets?
Yuck!
This was a good topic, thanks.

[Shelley02]

There's something I had forgotten..."MAD COW DISEASE". You're right, cows were meant to eat grass not pellets containing the remains of their buddies.
I've had such good results with raw that I can't say enough about it. Here's a thought to ponder....Did you ever see a wolf break into a grain bin? No, they will search out meat, sheep, calves. cows, even horses are fair game around here...lol...

[Carol]

I finally found the truth about rendered meat in pet foods. The US Govt site has tested pet foods for DNA of cats and dogs and found .005%.
They have concluded that the presence of penobarbital is from cattle and horses that were euthanized and the percentage of these is also very low.
It still does not say good things about pet foods as some of the worst companies are the ones we pay the most for their products but at least it is not as bad as presently being reported on the internet.
Animal digest, a liquid slurry used in some foods is the most disgusting thing, because it contains parts of animals we would rather not think about as being edible for any living creature.

[k9mania]

My accupuncturist recommended frozen veges because you can make lots and put them in their food, sardines, and fruit. The dogs love peas, brocolli and carrots. They prefer the fruit blended. So I blend cantaloupe, peaches, bananas, and berries up and add it every 2 or 3 days. She also recommended hard boiled eggs every other day. Although I was feeding an excellent brand of dog food (Wysong) they still need meat, greens, etc. just as they would in the wild. I also make a meat loaf with ground turkey, brocolli, couscous, zucchini, yellow squash, and a bit of salsa with natural seasonings. I give them that when I eat it. The vet said it was a great way to give them what they need.

[Carol]

Yes this sounds like Casey's diet, She would be a complete vegetarian if she did not require protein. She absolutely is resistant to any type of dry dog food. I tend to eat rather a healthy diet and so since getting Casey, I find that she and I can almost eat the same things as long as I do not embellish with seasonings etc. No sugar or salt in her food.
She has been fed this way since a puppy and it has kept her healthy. I am the one who gets lazy sometimes and wish I could just plunk down some dry dog food and get away with it. LOL

[chubbywubby]

that is rank i am pleased i feed raw ewww i am definatly going to get the cats barfing now butchers her i come he he

[lizzy]

hello, am just replying to this thread not to critisize but i find the whole raw meat thing horrible.what about the germs that are in the raw meat,are you not worried?i mean if you are satisfied that your dog is fine well thats ok but i dont think i could give my dog raw meat.about the rendered meat it just dosnt seem natural to feed animals their relatives. you cant play around with natures order of things.i really do not mean to cause offence but here in england its a big no no.