The Strange Link Between Human Grade And "Feed Grade" Commercial Pet Food
Unfortunately for us concerned pet owners, the U.S. commercial pet food industry is not held to the nutritional standards we expect and want for our four-legged family members. These sub-standards regularly leave our pets at unnecessary risk for short and long-term adverse health consequences.
According to The Animal Protection Institute, the pet food industry provides a critical market for slaughterhouse "offal," which is the waste products from animals deemed unfit for human consumption. These animal waste products include intestines, udders, esophagi, and, quite regularly, diseased and cancerous animal parts. About 50% of each animal slaughtered for human consumption is not fit for us to eat. The rest of the animal is sold to the pet food industry, including the bones, blood, feathers, and almost all other parts not consumed by humans.
It's a neat arrangement. The meat producers not only get rid of their "slop," but they also make a profit from it. And it makes financial sense. It would be impossible for most commercial dog or cat foods to produce a 40-pound bag of quality food for a price point most of us would be willing or able to pay.
A Veil Of Secrecy James Morris and Quinton Rogers, two professors with the Department of Molecular Biosciences at The University of California at Davis Veterinary School of Medicine, assert that "There is virtually no information on the bio-availability of nutrients for companion animals in many of the common dietary ingredients used in pet foods. These ingredients are generally by-products of the meat, poultry, and fishing industries, with the potential for a wide variation in nutrient composition.
Many experts claim that feeding slaughterhouse wastes to animals increase their risk of cancer and other degenerative diseases. Meat and poultry meals, by-product meals, and meat-and-bone meals are common ingredients in pet foods. These by-products are often comprised of rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other ingredients that are too unhealthy to be consumed by humans.
According to The Animal Protection Institute, "restaurant grease has become a regular component of feed-grade animal fat over the last fifteen years." These fats are used as a filler and a flavor enhancer to get a cat or dog to eat food they would normally not touch. Aside from pet food labeled "human-grade pet food," pet food does not abide by FDA standards and law. While we can freely access any information concerning food produced for human consumption through the FDA. Commercial food ingredients for our pets are only available for a steep fee, and even that information is regularly misleading and inaccurate.
Sub-par Pet Food Leads To Costly And Heartbreaking Health Problems In Our Pets One of the many problems with this secrecy is that we end up feeding our pets potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin, to name a few. The use of these chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied, and long-term build-up of these agents may ultimately be harmful. The fact that many feed-grade pet foods are produced from animals that have died by methods other than slaughter ultimately means that we are feeding diseased animals and animal by-products to our pets. Even the wording used in our commercial pet foods is inaccurate and misleading. Almost every pet food ingredient has an alternate meaning that is not the same as in human food. Unfortunately, those alternate meanings are not public information. Aside from "human-grade" pet food, is held to a completely different standard than meat intended for human consumption. For example, chicken in pet food is not required to be actual meat from a chicken. It can be just skin and bones with little or no meat. Furthermore, it is not required to be inspected and deemed safe to consume. It can be "condemned" or "diseased."
In addition to diseased animal by-products in the U.S. pet food supply, the FDA recently issued a warning about phenobarbital in U.S. pet foods. "Most of us probably think phenobarbital contamination comes from a few bad actors. New evidence shows it may be a more pervasive problem in the animal food supply than originally thought."
Not Just For Our Animal Family Members, But Also For Our Planet And, not only for your animal's health but for the environment and planet as a whole, the ingredients we feed our pets should be as conscious as a choice as what we put in our bodies.
As with our health and well-being, we must also take the lead in our pets' health. With so much misleading information and sub-par ingredients, finding the proper diet for our beloved animal companions can be overwhelming at best. Animalgevit devotes itself to the practice of helping pet guardians figure out the most health-conscious and cost-efficient way to feed their companion animals. By doing so, you can not only provide their optimal health and happiness but ensure they remain with you in good health for as long as possible.
Please get in touch with Animalgevity for a pet health consultation today, and discover how your beloved, four-legged family members can live their healthiest lives with you for many years.
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