This is an awful question, but i'd like to know. what are some of the pet foods that contain rendered pets?

Question

i just read a little about it and can't find a list. it seems like an awful thing to feed my dog, but maybe it's okay? anyone know anything about this topic? ("rendering" pets basically is cooking euthanized shelter pets along with livestock parts that aren't 'fit for human consumption' and placing them in dogfood)

Answer 1

Boy this can be quite a topic on it's own. I'll give links to sites where you can do a bit of reading.

This first site is the FDA site:
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/petfoods.htm

And this is a list of pet foods and their namebrands during a testing period in one LOCALE. Different rendering plants have different sources and the sources can change from time to time. A place can fall out of favor for violations, others may be sneaking by with bad sources. Problems can occur with the grain portion of the foods too (Diamond and others had regional issues)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/dfchart.htm

This second site tends to publish articles that don't get published elsewhere. There may be different reasons for that, but just sticking to the question here you go:
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/petfood2.html

Answer 2

Any food that contains "meat by-products" contains any and all of the parts of any mammal. The worst ones, which are the ones with destroyed animals from shelters, are the cheapies.

The biggest problems with the by products is that they can cause your pet to develop problems. They can get any number of ailments, fatty body cysts, and so many worse things.

The best thing you can do, since you really want to avoid this, is find a quality pet food that does not have by products. One of the BEST quality dog and cat foods is Nutro Brand. They use the part of the chicken that we eat. They use the part of the lamb that we eat. They don't use by products and they do not use corn for fillers.


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And, Mr Derek, Lol'er -- YES THEY DO use rendered pets in the manufacturing of pet foods. It is not a nice thing to envision, but it is the truth.

Answer 3

if you see the word "MEAT MEAL" or "MEAT BY-PRODUCTS" on a food ingredient list - it can technically be any animal that died and was rendered that day... due to a huge awareness about 7 years ago (by a Seattle TV station) many foods who were using euthanized pets stopped but you can never be sure...
foods sold in grocery store and wal mart typically use lower quality meat (by-products are beaks feet feathers snouts) and ingredients

always make sure the food specifies what animal it is using - eg. CHICKEN MEAL or LAMB MEAL

look for the thing to say HUMAN GRADE MEAT

*** ADDITIONAL INFO***
I am always saddened to read other peoples misinformed answers
Science Diet is a low quality food sold and endorsed by vets because they are paid for it - vets receive very little or no education on food ingredients or brands
Iams and Purina are both low quaility foods also (IAMS is linked to cruelty testing via its parent company Proctor and Gamble)

Answer 4

That is an awful question, but unfortunately, it is a valid question. I don't know of specific product names, but I am sure that the use of rendering pets is more common-place than not!! I refuse to feed my dogs that canned crap and try to serve only high quality dry. Many of my friends think I am out of my mind cuz I cook a chicken a week for my dogs and mix with rice as well as their dry food. It is actually cheaper than purchasing canned foods, healthier for my dogs and they seem to enjoy the chicken much more than the alternative!

Answer 5

A large vet scool study using very sensitive DNA testing of store bought samples of as many brands as they could get found NONE were positive for Dog or cat DNA. It would be impossible for them to have rendered pets & still be DNA negative. I strongly suspect this is a PETA scam, probaly based on the fact that rendering plant have several processes and the lowest (for fertilzer) will take roadkill.

Answer 6

They all do. Awhile back, maybe a decade ago or more a book was written by a woman in Canada opening details on that can of worms. It's true. If you think that's bad in the case of meat eating animals, consider that feed for cows contains bodys of animals some of them cows.What does that do to the milk from the cows? Cows were originally naturally vegetarians.

Answer 7

Most dogfoods don't tell the quality of meat used in their foods, so look for a dogfood brand with a good reputation, like foods that are shown at your vet's office such as Iams, and Purina.

Answer 8

I highly recommend the raw food diet. That way you are sure of what you are feeding your pet. I don't trust dog food anymore. I don't trust people food anymore. I am very careful when it comes to food. Tallk to a Vet who believes in a raw food diet. (Homeopathic Vet) They will set you on the right path. Try to feed natural fruits and vegies and untainted beef, chicken, turkey, fish etc. My dog is 12 and has not seen a Vet in 8 years.

Answer 9

This is gross, but I worked at a Race track, and the Purina truck picks up our dead horses.

Also, unrelated topic Lever Mushrooms picks up the poopy straw and shavings to grow mushrooms in. Ewwwww....

Answer 10

My vet reccomends Science Diet