Why do so many people think that dogs should never have dog food that has a little by-products in it?

Question

Even if it is the 3 or 4 ingredenct in the dog food

Answer 1

Because they do not understand that small amounts of by-products are good for a dog. Just make sure that it is only in small amounts.

Answer 2

It's not so much that we think dogs should never have by-products, it's more that we know there are healthier alternatives available and we urge people to consider them. A dog can live a perfectly happy, long life on the worst, most disgusting dry dog food there is. Doesn't mean I want to feed it to my dog.

By definition, by-products could actually be healthy, if they include a lot of good organ tissue like liver and heart. Unfortunately, in reality, the by-products sent to dog food manufacturers are going to be the stuff that can't be used for anything else (think how many people like to eat chicken livers, hearts, gizzards, etc.) It's mostly beaks, feet, bones, and the less desirable organs like lungs.

This kind of stuff is not nearly as nutritious as real meat, and if you think about the way our industry works, it's probably really nasty stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if it's rancid, rotting, been dropped on the ground, etc. The restrictions for dog food ingredients are much more lax than the restrictions for human food ingredients. Hence, people advocate super high-quality foods with "human-grade ingredients" like Wellness. That way you know your dog is getting less rot, dirt, mold, etc. There are no "human-grade" meat by-products.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Cause by products are the crap that is left over once the decent stuff is removed.. By products are what's left over after the food has been used for something else.. It's the stuff that belongs in the garbage.

Notice that is says CLEAN PARTS, but NOT INCLUDING MEAT.. Why feed it then.. Liver, bad for dogs... It's garbage.. Nothing but garbage.. So if you can feed actual MEAT and good ingredients, why wouldn't you do it?? If you love you dog, you will care what he eats...

So if meat by product is not actual MEAT?? What else in there is not actually what they are saying it is???

Here is Meat By-Product - Clean parts of slaughtered animals, not including meat. These parts include lungs, kidneys, brain, spleen, liver, bone, blood, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue, stomach, and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, teeth, hooves or horns. Only 14% may be indigestible residue and no more than 11% indigestible crude protein.

Answer 4

Actually, in the wild, the heirarchy of the pack determines who will eat first, and the higher up you are, the "better" your cuts and nutrition is. So yes, wolves that eat first will indeed choose the best of the carcass and those at the bottom get what's left over. And anyone ever seen a wolf that looks fabulous, has a great coat, shiny, great skin, great anything? No, they are usually oftentimes very thin, especially those at the bottom because they aren't getting high nutritional value. They hunt and they scavenge and they eat what they can - but just because they eat it doesn't mean that it's the best for them or high quality.

Case in point, we found a cat that was so hungry it had resorted to eating birdseed. And all it pooped out was birdseed. It's coat was dull and life-less. It's eyes were terrible, ooky, leaking, etc. When it was fed good food, it's coat turned over and it's health improved.

here's a little more on by-products
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In many cases, by-product meals are derived from "4-D" meat sources -- defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as "Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled." The quality of animal meat by-products also tends to be very inconsistent between batches.

Meat by-products are commonly found in lower-grade pet foods and even many of the larger name brands, including Science Diet (even their prescription diet product line), Purina (both Purina One and Purina Pro Plan), and Iams / Eukanuba. Ingredients listed as "meat, beef, chicken, and/or poultry by-products" on pet food labels are not required to include actual meat, and "rendered meat" on labels can refer to any rendered mammal meat, including dogs and cats.
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In my opinion, if an animal has been rejected for human consumption, if it was dead diseased or dying, I don't want that meat going into my dog or cat.

Answer 5

Since that's basically what they will be eating all the time, you want it to have good nutritional value. I can't say I've always given my dog the best food, but using the cheap food with wacky fillers in it is like a person living on cheeto's and ramen. You wouldn't want your dog to gain the freshman 15!

Answer 6

By products can be many things: chicken feet, carcasses, beaks, pig noses, intestines, butt holes, lips, whole heads, anything.
Sometimes they can be other dogs and cats.
I know that dogs in the wild eat the whole animal, but with these factories, we don't know where this dead animal has been.
I wouldn't want my dog to eat something that was dragged on a floor with spilled oil.

Answer 7

Because the first ingredient in a good dry dog food is meat, not fillers or cheap by-products which are the ground up bones, beaks, feet, of chickens or other animals.

Your dog needs good nourishment, not supermarket starchy fillers to be healthy.
Cheaper to feed good food than to pay for vet bills down the road.

Answer 8

For the same reason I don't want food with a little byproduct in it. Fillers are just that - junk to fill them up but not real nutrition. It's junk food for dogs.

Answer 9

It's more that the first ingredient shouldn't be a by product. As long as the first ingredient is actual meat (real chicken, lamb, etc.) it should be fine.

Answer 10

Because people want to forget that in the wild they would be actually LOVING the by-products!!!!!
Never seen a wolf select just the choice cuts!!!! Cats eat beaks and feet and innerds all the time as do wild canines!! But now it is a SIN to expect dogs to eat anything but choice cuts, fruit and veggies.
It just goes along with people thinking that the pets are little humans, and not animals like they are!!!!!

Answer 11

Because I feel more comfortable having a better idea than "by-products" of what my precious mutt puppy is eating.