also see: The Pound
Although you won't find it on any pet-food label, many brands of pet food contain dog and cat remains. Each year, millions of dead dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products - tallow and meat meals serve as raw material for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.
The National Animal Control Association estimates that U.S. animal shelters annually kill 13 million household pets. It's statistics show that 30% of these pets are buries, 30% are cremated and 40% - or about 5.2 million - are sent to rendering factories.
"When you read pet-food labels and it says meat or bone meal, that's what it is - cooked and converted animals, including some dogs and cats," said Eileen Layne, of the California Veterinary Medical Association.
"Thousands and thousands of pounds of dogs and cats are picked up and brought here everyday," said one employee of Sacramento Rendering. "The small animals are a big part of the company," confirmed an ex-employee. The two estimated that the company rendered somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 pounds of dogs and cats a day out of a total 250,000 to 500,000 pounds of cattle, poultry, butcher scrap and other materials.
California law states that rendered dogs and cats must be labeled as "dry rendered tankage," but is often sold out of state labeled as "meat and bone meal." "For years we sold Ralston Purina meat meal and they had dogs and cats in their product for years and didn't know it until somebody squawked," said a rendering plant executive. Ralston Purina apparently tried to avoid using dog and cat meat thereafter, but, said the executive, "I don't recall any other pet food manufacturer saying they wouldn't buy it."
"Food Pets Die For"
Transcript of television news report on petfood from Austin, Texas.
Our pets are part of our families. We love them, we cherish them, we do our best to take care of them. But do we actually know what we're feeding them? In our series, Food Pets Die For we found that it is perfectly legal for pet food companies to use dead dogs and cats from animal shelters, roadkill and any kind of mammal in pet food. The law also allows for the use of 4-D meat. This is what the USDA calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. The meat is considered unfit for human consumption.
In the same category is cattle condemmed because it is contaminated with pesticides or antibiotics. Rather than waste all of that protein, rendering companies recycle it into products that go back on the market. All of this is legal as long as pet food manufacturers use the right definitions on the label. They buy meat and bone meal products from rendering companies who are providing a sort of recycling service. Dead animals become tallow and meal products which are used in thousands of houshold products including pet food. According to the Pet Food Institute, "pet food manufacturers have strict controls over their supplies of proteins, from both slaughter houses and renderers, and only farm animals (the same animals used for human food) are used in pet foods." Renderers will sign affadavits promising the meal products do not include household pets.
But a reporter from the Baltimore City Paper tells a different story. He visited a rendering plant as part of a series of stories on waste. According to his report, dogs and cats can make up a small percentage of meat and bone meal that is sold to pet food companies. Roger Hostenbach is the president of the Association of American Feed Control Officials. He believes that pet food companies put out good products although he would not guarantee that there are no euthanized animals in some pet food products. Hostenbach explains, "It says that it's got meat products in there and if in fact there were any dogs and cats rendered then there's the possiblity that there could be some in there." Hostenbach also points out that even if this were common they don't see any health risks.
But is using meat that's unfit for human consumption actually dangerous for your pet? Hostenbach says "It's as safe as any product in the market place." He says so bcause all diseased meat must go through a process called rendering. "It's cooked for an extended period at a temperature such that if there were any problems with pathogenic bacteria or other disease entities that hopefully they are all destroyed."
Critics like homeopathic veterinarian Dr. Wil Falconer say rendering does not destroy the problems. He points to the recent "Mad Cow" scare and new discoveries that not every thing dies because you cook it. " Can you cook all of the toxic effects of disease out of that body?" he asks, "I don't know." Falconer warns of contaminents like mecury and lead that could kill your pet.
K-EYE sent a bag of randomly chosen dog food to a lab for analaysis. We had them check for pesticides and lead and mecury which are metal contaminants. The lab found no traces of pesticide or mecury and only minimal amounts of lead.
In Texas, the State Chemist regulates all animal feed, including pet food. They don't decide what's in there, but they do make sure that pet food companies are honest about what's on the label. The chemists test primarily for vitamins and proteins. They don't test for pesticides or other contaminants. Dr. George Latimer says they used to, but stopped because they weren't finding anything significant. He says they focus instead on looking for problems that are a lot more prominent and on ensuring pet food labels are accurate. "The important thing, it seems to me, is that the consumer should know what the consumer is getting."
And a label will tell you a lot. It won't say remains of cats, dogs or diseased livestock are in the food. But if you don't want to take the chance, stay away from products that list 'meat and bone meal' as one of the top five ingredients. Some vets and breeders say preservatives like ehtoxyquin may cause cancer. If a product is using ethoxyquin, the label should say so. If you're worried about it, Vitmain 'E' is a healthier option.
Now let's solve the mystery of meat by-products. The word sounds scary, but it only means the non-meat parts of an animal -- like lungs and brain. The rules say by-products can not include diseased or contaminated meat.
Some pet owners are giving up on the processed food altogether. Kate Frost makes homemade cat food. "It only takes 30 seconds and it's worth it to know I'm feeding them the right stuff." Her cat has kidney problems, so Kate makes a special recipe from Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Health for Cats and Dogs. She mixes millet, rice, eggs and alfalfa sprouts with fresh turkey meat. Kate even shops at health food stores for organic meat and produce. Her vet had written off her cat, until she switched to this homemade food.
But you don't have to go that far if you don't want to. There are a number of companies who promise they only use natural and healthy ingredients. Here are a few who make that claim: Wysong, Natural Pet, Flint River Ranch. You can find these in pet and health food stores across Austin.
Dr. Michael Werner from the Brodie Animal Hospital warns that all this is not a simple "Buy 'X' diet. He says super premium diets are different from store brand diets in consistency of ingredients and overall quality. For some pets that doesn't matter, but if a pet owner notices poor weight gain, skin problems, gastrointestinal problems then they need to see a vet.
What about higher-end foods like Science Diet and Iams? Dr. Werner has had good experiences with them. He also recommends Hill's Prescription Diet, Health Blend, Eukanuba, and Pro-Plan. "The bottom line," he says, "is if a pet is doing well on a specific diet and not having any problems, don't change the diet!" Check with your vet if you have aesthetic concerns and don't like the idea that some companies could be using products made with diseased livestock or euthanized animals. Also, look for the AAFCO name on any product. It indicates the product has gone through field trial testing.
Scott Click is from Tomlinson's Feedstore. He sells the premium brands and says you can tell the difference between those premium brands and lower-end supermarket brands in your animal. But foods with a good reputation don't let pet lovers off the hook. You still have to check the ingredient list in any brand to make sure you're comfortable with what your animal is eating. Click says you should listen to your pet, "See how well your pet does with it. Is their coat shiny? Are they healthy? Are they growing well? Are they getting too overweight? Determine it with your pet."
Remember -- no matter who makes it, read the label. Even a great company makes different kinds of products. So to know what's in there, you have to do the work yourself.
