Does dogfood really contain other dead dogs?

Question

My friend told me unwanted/unclaimed animals in shelters along with roadkill are reprocessed into dog chow. Anyone know if this is true?

I forgot to mention the friend who told me this is an advocate for PETA so they must do some research before telling people this kind of stuff, right?

Answer 1

The process is actually called rendering, and yes, dead dogs and cats are considered "meat" by the rendering industry. What's worse is that poisonous flea collars or identification tags are often left on pets. Such items are supposed to be removed before rendering, but often aren't. The end result is that poisons and metals can end up mixed in with the rendered flesh. And that includes strong pesticides from recent flea or tick dips.

Voila! Canned pet food manufacturers gain an economical supply of real meats! When pet owners found this out, they were outraged and tried to get the process banned, but there's always the argument about what to do with animals that no one wants. Hopefully, they wind up in agricultural fertilizer for our plants, and not as pet food or livestock feed... but I'm not willing to take that chance. I just feed my dogs with fresh leftovers from meals I've eaten.

Answer 2

The process is called rendering, and you can do a yahoo search if you want to become educated on the subject. Rosebud is correct though in that it is not as common anymore (to use euthanized pets), but the really, really cheap brands still use rendering that may contain euthanized pets and supermarket deli trimmings.

http://www.outoftheearth.com/petfood.htm
http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/petfood1.html

and one more link that says:

" St. Louis -- It started with footage of Blacky and Scoop, melt- your-heart dogs with no one to claim them, alone at the city pound -- and due to be put to death within hours. "No one wants them. Alive, that is," the reporter said.

The film then cut to a rendering plant that boils down the city's euthanized dogs, along with dead pigs and cows from local farms, as well as leftover bones, hooves and viscera from slaughterhouses. The end products are used to make cosmetics and fertilizer, gelatin and poultry feed, pharmaceuticals and pet food.

It was the pet food that upset people. "

http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/members/dbde.cfm?article_id=1486

Answer 3

Not true in the USA. Don't know about elsewhere. Roadkill is either burned or allowed to decompose and turned into garden mulch after processing. Saw that on the TV show "Dirtiest Jobs".

Answer 4

Oh good lord, no it's not true. Animal feed is not legally allowed to contain substantial amounts of the animal it is intended to feed. Some dog foods are made with better quality ingredients than our food!

Answer 5

it used to be true but it is not true now.don't listen to Tyson he doesn't know what he is talking about. if you are still con cerned ask your vet or an experienced animal person. they will tell you
it's false.feeding your dog leftovers from your meal is not a good thing they will not get all the nutrients they need.canned dog food
may contain chicken, beef, lamb, and mabye horse. but never dog.

Answer 6

No that is not true at all- at least not in the united states. While is _may_ have been true in the 1950's-1960's, dog food companies are now regulated by law. The ingredients listed on the bag are what are in the dog food.

Answer 7

Actually, yes. And, it is not illegal. The pet food industry is not as well regulated as many think. Check out two books by Ann N. Martin. "Food Pets Die For" and "Protect Your Pet." She has done research over the years on the pet food industry. She also has the support of many veterinarians and has documented and researched her claims.

Answer 8

There was an actual veternary university study done using sensitive DNA testing of over 100 types of dog food (store obtained) and NONE was positive for either cat or dog DNA.......

Answer 9

When a pet food lists animal by-products or just meat or meal it could legally be anything. I've heard cheap foods have barbiturates in them, left over from the euthanized animal carcassas. I won't feed anything but premium.

Answer 10

What !! Good question, i never heard that. sounds like it is a bad idea. In relation to your question that i think its Not true because the dogs that have died go into a special Grave. But not the CHOP CHOP if you know what i mean.