What’s Inside Your Dog And Cat Food? (Part 2)

In the pet food industry, there is a name for this varied meat – four dee, standing for dying, disabled, dead, diseased, all of which are not allowed in human food, but allowable in petfood.

In preparing animals for human consumption, the quality meat pieces are removed first. What’s left is available to use, but is rarely labeled as such, instead being grouped under the term ‘by-products’. This can include intestines, lungs, fat, feet, spleens, bones, heads, fetuses, livers, blood, ligaments, and other parts.

Using by-products provides extra protein in the resulting food, and increases the animal content, but is an poorer quality food for dogs and cats to eat.

Ultimately, it is up to you to evaluate if what is in such foods is important in what you feed your pets, and whether you wish to change. Paying attention to the labels, and doing your own research on the pet food companies will help you figure out if the food you give your pet is something you’re happy with, or if you want to change your pet’s diet.

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