Dog Food Advisor does not agree about byproducts

[KarynLynn]

So I always try to steer clear of any cat foods or dog foods for that matter that have any type of byproduct in them because I feel they are not beneficial for our pets. There was an article on here and I had a hard time getting back to it that said that some byproducts are okay, but the problem is you don't know where they've come from. I wanted to share this link to the dog food advisor site which explains more thoroughly about byproducts and why you need to be careful, especially with your cats...

The Truth About Animal By-Products in Dog Food

 

[Alldara]

Thanks for sharing! The reality is that many people can't afford to be picky about by-products in pet food. I certainly cant with the rising costs of living.

The article was written recently, but I noted the sources are all older. I wondered if things have changed especially since some of the source material is 20 or more years older in the article you shared. I checked off the AAFCO website which *should* be updated. But it didn't provide much direction.
Byproducts - AAFCO

I had trouble finding some updated information but did happen to find this interesting article on by-products and their positive impact on sustainability. Changing the narrative around animal byproducts for pet food

 

[KittyFriday]

I feed a dog food that has by products (Purina Pro Plan). I'm happy with it. I think it's interesting that people get really upset about by-products but are totally okay with feeding chicken feet or pigs ears or whatever as treats. I will often make dog treats out of beef liver, heart, and/or tongue since my parents purchase 1/2 a cow from the butcher each year and that is included. We don't eat it, but he loves it.

I think it comes down to feed what you can afford and what your pet seems to do well on. There's risks with anything, really. I generally lean toward Purina especially for dog food because I know they've done a lot of trials to formulate their products.

 

[IndyJones]

For me its not nessesarly byproducts that bother me, cats will eat a mouse whole bones and fur and all and throw up a pellet after.

What bothers me is unspecified byproduct aka mystery meat. I do not feed anything with animal digest or animal byproduct. But if it says beef byproduct for example Im ok with it since I know it is comming from a cow and not something else like a horse.

 

[iPappy]

I agree with things classified as "by products" aren't really all that bad, unless the source is unclear. "Meat" or "meat by-products" could be a lot of things, so if you have a cat with sensitivities, steer clear of those brands and formulas that contain them. A few brands will list the source of the by products, but many do not. And cost is always an issue, too. My dog had a meal of beef tripe and eggs tonight, and beef tripe certainly would be considered a by product (yuck, it stinks. )
Also remember that the dog food advisor is ran by a human dentist. I am not putting him down in any way, as he's done a tremendous job in building and maintaining a website that is a great starting point go-to for comparing brands and reading good articles. I believe he lost a dog due to the melamine recall of 2007, which spurred him to create the site, and it has helped a lot of owners over the years. But I've seen owners who insist they'll only feed a brand that's "rated 5 stars by dog food advisor" and their dog is doing terribly on it, yet, they wouldn't consider feeding a 3.5 or 4 star food, even if their dog does so much better on it. They base things on a "star rating", rather than the results they see in their own dogs.

 

[IndyJones]

I agree with things classified as "by products" aren't really all that bad, unless the source is unclear. "Meat" or "meat by-products" could be a lot of things, so if you have a cat with sensitivities, steer clear of those brands and formulas that contain them. A few brands will list the source of the by products, but many do not. And cost is always an issue, too. My dog had a meal of beef tripe and eggs tonight, and beef tripe certainly would be considered a by product (yuck, it stinks. )
Also remember that the dog food advisor is ran by a human dentist. I am not putting him down in any way, as he's done a tremendous job in building and maintaining a website that is a great starting point go-to for comparing brands and reading good articles. I believe he lost a dog due to the melamine recall of 2007, which spurred him to create the site, and it has helped a lot of owners over the years. But I've seen owners who insist they'll only feed a brand that's "rated 5 stars by dog food advisor" and their dog is doing terribly on it, yet, they wouldn't consider feeding a 3.5 or 4 star food, even if their dog does so much better on it. They base things on a "star rating", rather than the results they see in their own dogs.

Tripe is a delicacy in Scottland, haggis is sheep tripe.

 

[iPappy]

Tripe is a delicacy in Scottland, haggis is sheep tripe.

What kind of tripe, is it the green unaltered form or is the bleached honeycomb type? I've only seen the bleached type in the stores here, and it's so over processed I can't imagine there are any benefits or enzymes left. (My dog gets the really "green" stuff. My cats actually will eat a little bit, too.)

 

[IndyJones]

What kind of tripe, is it the green unaltered form or is the bleached honeycomb type? I've only seen the bleached type in the stores here, and it's so over processed I can't imagine there are any benefits or enzymes left. (My dog gets the really "green" stuff. My cats actually will eat a little bit, too.)

From what I can find green tripe is the raw uncleaned form of cows stomach, it is unsafe for human consumption due to concerns about foodborn illness (including fatal ones).

Bleached or white tripe is the same product but cleaned and treated so it is safe for human consumption.

Its green due to residual stomach contents.

 

[Caspers Human]

I agree with things classified as "by products" aren't really all that bad, unless the source is unclear. "Meat" or "meat by-products" could be a lot of things

The term "by product" simply means any part of a butchered animal, that's not used for human consumption.

It could refer to small to anything between scraps of meat and sinew left over from trimming meat to bits of bone and feathers.
The real concern is the kind of byproduct. If you're talking about meat scraps then that's okay. If you're talking about chopped feathers, that would be bad.

 

[Alldara]

The term "by product" simply means any part of a butchered animal, that's not used for human consumption.

It could refer to small to anything between scraps of meat and sinew left over from trimming meat to bits of bone and feathers.
The real concern is the kind of byproduct. If you're talking about meat scraps then that's okay. If you're talking about chopped feathers, that would be bad.

Cna you please relay this to Ghost? He keeps trying to eat the feathers off of toys.