I recently received this thoughtful and heartfelt email letter from a listener who was once a Veterinary Technician and is now a student becoming a medical doctor for humans. Her concerns are ones I have definitely raised before, but her passion for information and transparency about how most pet foods are made inspired me to share it with you. It reaffirmed my commitment to Halo’s dry foods because of their commitment to never, ever use rendered meat products in their kibble: that is the basic explanation for why Halo kibble may seem costlier than some other premium brands of dry food — their fundamental protein source is a higher quality that costs them more. For myself and my dogs, I never want to think about the possibility that someone’s loved pet (along with all the drugs in her body, her flea collars and rabies tags) is possibly in my dogs’ dinner bowls. It’s a peace of mind and health benefit for which I am grateful to pay a little more. Here is Jessica’s letter to me:

I am an avid listener of Dog Talk® and Humane Talk™, and would like to make a suggestion for a subject I’d love to hear you talk about. I was never really aware how much certain commercial pet food companies actually use rendered pets in their dog and cat food until I read an article on Dog Food Advisor (http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dogs-meat-meal/). Not only pet food, but also the other products (like soap and cosmetics) surprised me because these were commercial products I’ve been buying and had no idea.

I was disgusted to learn that when you put your pet to sleep and choose to leave them with the vet (maybe due to not being able to afford to get the ashes or lack of a place to bury), vets often sell the deceased animals to the rendering plants, tags and all. But the scariest part about this is that the Pentobarbital used to euthanize these animals never breaks down. And in 1996 veterinarians began to notice that it was requiring larger amounts of this drug to euthanize animals — the animals fed these foods had in fact, built up a tolerance over their lives! I couldn’t believe that these disgusting pet food companies are not only feeding our pets other pets (awful enough), but the chemicals we use to end their lives! And it has been proven that not even the rendering process can deteriorate pentobarbital. Sadly these companies include the biscuits on supermarket shelves which many people I know who spend tons of money on high quality dog food still give to their dogs. I have to say it’s an awkward conversation to have with your friend when you know what they are giving to their pet and they already think they’ve done everything right.

I would love it if at some point you would address this issue which could help listeners be more aware (as if the other reasons not to feed commercial pet food were reason enough) about this issue, especially the thought of your beloved pet going into commercial dog food when he passes away. Perhaps encouraging people to find out what disposal method their vet uses before they have to make this kind of decision.

I really admire your journalism and your will to spread the word of what is right. As a former vet tech (before switching gears to go to medical school) I always shuddered at the “vet diets” the vet gave out, but had I ever said anything I would have been fired. So I always hoped people could find the information in other ways. I hope you know how indirectly you have influenced the lives of so many animals through your listeners who spread the information to other pet owners.

Thank you for everything you do!

When I read this letter aloud on my Sirius/XM satellite radio show CAT CHAT® last week it was right before my guest for the show — Dr. Annie Forslund, a veterinarian from Tustin California who specializes in home pet euthanasia (www.homepeteuthanasia.com) came on. (You can hear her on DOG TALK® this week discussing end-of-life issues and “when it is time.” She will be coming back on the show soon to share her own knowledge about the presence of companion animals in rendered meat products.)

You should not have to be afraid of putting a premium kibble in your dog’s bowl! A nicely created dry dog food is healthy as (at least as part of) your dog’s meal. Kibble may have gotten a bad rap because lower-quality kibble (like the majority sold in the supermarket) is subjected to artificial flavoring, preservatives, sugars, coloring agents and chemicals for texture or shape. This is the reason some people shun kibble at all for their dogs. But all kibble is not created equal! My dogs have kibble as part of every meal. I happen to have chosen HALO from all the possible brands because the company is transparent about where their ingredients come from and how they are handled. They only use good stuff- real meat for the protein and whole ingredients for the rest. There are even charming little bits of dried veggies in with the kibble pieces in some of the recipes!

Although the food value of ingredients can be somewhat compromised by the kibbling process, you still want to look for whole foods that went into making that dry food. You want to look for a protein source by its name (lamb, salmon, chicken) and also any whole grain. There is a lot of misunderstanding out there about grains in dry dog food when it is not the grains that are the problem — a “grain free” kibble is not necessarily better nutrition for your dog. You won’t see corn in any quality kibble because it is rarely whole corn that is used in pet food and corn “leftovers” are not nearly as nutrient rich. The worry about grain in dog food usually refers to wheat which can be allergenic. But many pet food companies use the leftovers of grains, the nutrient-depleted parts that are left after the good part has been used for human food. Look for words like oats, oatmeal, barley, millet, and white or brown rice, which are all good because they are easily digested and all good sources of complex carbohydrates, which supply fiber, along with a consistent level of energy.

All of us need to learn to read the label on bagged dog food and be able to recognize all sorts of ingredients to avoid. My favorite saying about dry dog food is: Res Ipsa Loquitor (the thing speaks for itself). You can easily see when a food is made up of many highly processed chemical-laden ingredients — if you aren’t sure, look up the ingredients list in my book THE DOG BIBLE to find the “Ingredients to Avoid.”

Many brands of kibble utilize the protein portion of their recipes from a rendering process, by which a wide variety of very different meat ingredients (some from decidedly unsavory sources which are discussed in THE DOG BIBLE) are reduced down into a kind of Mystery Meat soup through extremely high heat cooking. This is done to kill any bacteria or diseases in the ingredients (since many of those “meats” are actually parts of animals that may have been sick or died before being rendered). This rendered meat concoction is the final product, which can also be used in making kibble. Some original sources of protein for dry dog food are even subjected to irradiation to neutralize the toxic or rotten ingredients, which means at that point they have removed whatever true food value was in those elements to begin with. Then the extruded kibble dough that has been cut into circles or triangles and been baked or fried is sprayed with fat (for flavor) and with man-made versions of the vitamins and minerals that would have been in the ingredients in the first place.

The higher price of HALO is a result of using whole ingredients and never using rendered meats or by-product meat meals. I know I am getting what I paid for — and glad to do it for my dog’s long-lasting health!

People are a little confused about how kibble is made and what goes into it. It’s true that the ingredients in a dog food factory are heavily managed — by frying, boiling or crushing — as part of being turned into a dough that is then made into the small nuggets you find in the bag. Kibble is made by subjecting even good quality ingredients to high heat in order to make the dough, so which then passes through an extruder (like what is used to make pasta if you have ever seen a machine for home use). After it exits the machine and is cut into the appropriate shape, it is baked or fried. All this processing can break down the nutrients in any food but a high quality pet food company has studied how to retain or replace those nutrients — and in some cases, to make them even more digestible and usable by the dog’s body.

Good kibble is perfectly fine as long as it is not the only thing your dog ever eats. People who want to feed their dog the best quality meals and use whole, real food will still continue to use the best kibble they can find as about one-third to one-half of their dog’s dinner. This is especially true of larger, more active dogs who really need those extra calories and quality carbohydrates to feel full and have energy. Dry dog food can satisfy hunger over many hours and supply a nice balance of nutrients, even in their processed state.

If you wish, you can supply a variety of other food (in as unprocessed a form as possible) to complete the meal, in addition to a good kibble. Myself, I like Halo and I rotate amongst the three protein sources in every bag of dry food I buy — chicken, fish or lamb. I round out my dogs’ dinner by also putting in their bowls quality protein (from canned dog food, cottage cheese, eggs or protein I cook for them or myself), real vegetables and even some fruit.

I just had the distinct pleasure of having Dr. Donna Spector as a guest on CAT CHAT®, to discuss the challenges of giving advice on the HALO Purely for Pets website, answering customer questions on their blog. I wanted to know what it was like as a veterinarian to answer questions from strangers without any personal contact — sort of like I do on the air and in emails. In the course of our interesting conversation it came out that Dr. Donna is a specialist in internal medicine, meaning she did four years of training beyond the basic vet degree — and her area of interest is why so many diseases are afflicting our pets and what we can do to protect them. The topic of the interview came around to the ingredients in commercial dog food (as it always seems to do with me!) and my comment that I switched my dogs to HALO kibble for life, when I learned that HALO’s kibble is very high protein (33%) and made from meat fit for human consumption. For me this was the ultimate dividing line  — making Halo’s commitment different from all other pet foods that use meats of dubious quality and meals made from rendered protein sources, frequently of unknown origin.

No sooner had I gotten off the air than I received the following email from Smokey’s Dad Bob in Atlanta, a long time DOG TALK® listener, whom I didn’t know also has SiriusXM!

Dear Tracie,

I happened to hear your show on Cat Chat® tonight where the subject of meal and rendered meat came up with your guest, and I am afraid that I have to disagree with your premise that “meal ” automatically means rendered and not fit for human consumption.  As an example, the food that I feed my dog is Canidae. The meal in Canidae kibble is made entirely from meats that are human grade.  They would not dare to state this on their web site unless it was true, since the legal ramifications of misstating this would be enormous. I did not check any of the other premium foods that are available like Solid Gold, Innova, etc… but I am positive that they are also made of human grade meat meal.

I was interested to have Bob’s feedback and checked out the Canidae website, where sure enough it states the meat sources are human grade — which is fabulous news! How wonderful to know there is more than one pet food company making this pledge about their meat source.  It should also be noted that all pet food contains some ingredients which are fit for human consumption — along with others which are downright scary. Halo’s pledge is that all of it began as human edible. However, Bob makes two assumptions which are woefully inaccurate. One is that there would be some “enormous legal consequence” if a pet food company were to tell an untruth on their literature. Sadly, there are no pet food police. It is a false sense of security to imagine that anyone is watching what pet food companies claim on their bags (where actually they are free to say whatever they darned well please), much less watchdogs (so to speak!) over what actually goes in the bags. The pet food industry is overseen by an honor system — and we all know what sort of honor there is in any profit-driven marketplace, since profits are highest where ingredients cost the least. The other incorrect declaration Bob makes is that he  “is positive other premium foods are made of human grade meal” — a faith I know to be completely unwarranted. In fact, a quick check on the websites of the other brands he mentioned does not have the word “human” attached to any of their protein sources. As for his use of the phrase “human grade meal,” Dr. Donna explained on the air that “meal” and “meat fit for human consumption” do not belong in the same sentence.

Bob continued, citing the Dog Food Project as his source of the definition of  “meal.” I guess he doesn’t know that Sabine Contreras, who IS the Dog Food Project, is the Official Nutrition Consultant on DOG TALK® and someone with whom I have corresponded and spoken for years. I obviously value her opinion and respect her knowledge, but there are certainly conflicting views on meat meal — for example, Ann Martin, the guru of pet food ingredients with her book FOOD PETS DIE FOR absolutely claims that any meal is toxic waste. She also says that by-products can be useful nutritionally and are not necessarily bad, being organ meats. Bob cited Sabine’s definition of “meal:”

Here is a mention of meal on the Dog Food Project website.

“Contrary to what many people believe, meat sources in “meal” form (as long as they are from a specified type of animal, such as chicken meal, lamb meal, salmon meal etc.) are not inferior to whole, fresh meats. Meals consist of meat and skin, with or without the bones, but exclusive of feathers/hair, heads, feet, horns, entrails etc. and have the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio required for a balanced diet. They have had most of the moisture removed, but meats in their original, “wet” form still contain up to 75% water. Once the food reaches its final moisture content of about 9-12%, the meat will have shrunk to sometimes as little as 1/4 of the original amount, while the already dehydrated meal form remains the same and you get more concentrated protein per pound of finished product. Preferably a food contains quality meat meal as well as some fresh meat.”

The above is Sabine’s opinion from the Dog Food Project. Bob concluded by saying that “it is easy to confuse ‘meals’ with ‘rendered by product meal’ but they are two entirely different ingredients.  I guess I was surprised that your guest this evening was not aware of this.  I think it is totally unfair to the makers of good quality dog foods to put them in the same category as a company like Purina which does use rendered by products in many of their foods.”

While I was glad to hear about the ingredients in the food he gives Smokey, I certainly don’t share his concern that it is unfair to give pet owners the power of knowledge by telling the truth about commercial pet food ingredients — so I turned his comments over to Dr. Donna Spector forfurther  clarification about her statements about meal:

FROM DR. DONNA:

Please note this direct quote from the FDA website.
(It is under the heading “Net Quantity Statement” and is in the third paragraph.)

According to the FDA and AAFCO legal definitions, meat meals are rendered.  I would quote those websites over the others any day.

“Meat meal is not meat per se, since most of the fat and water have been removed by rendering. Ingredients must be listed by their ‘common or usual’ name. Most ingredients on pet food labels have a corresponding definition in the AAFCO Official Publication. For example, ‘meat’ is defined as the ‘clean flesh of slaughtered mammals and is limited to… the striate muscle… with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh.’ On the other hand, ‘meat meal’ is ‘the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents.’ Thus, in addition to the processing, it could also contain parts of animals one would not think of as “meat.”

And at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/….

“Rendered animal feed ingredients include the various poultry, meat and marine products which result from the rendering of these animal tissues. Rendering of poultry and other animal tissues has been practiced for over a hundred years as a means of salvaging valuable protein and fat content from otherwise waste material. For many years end products from rendering have been used to feed animals. The rendering industry utilizes packinghouse offal, meat processing waste, restaurant waste and animal tissues from other sources including animals that have died otherwise than by slaughter.

There are two types of processes in use by the rendering industry to process this material. They are dry rendering, used by the largest portion of the industry, and wet rendering. Both rendering processes were designed to ensure that the resultant animal feed ingredients pose no threat of disease transmission to animals which are fed the material or to the health of humans consuming their edible products (meat, milk, and eggs). Included are such products as poultry by-product meal, meat meal, meat and bone meal and fish meal.”

Even if the meat protein source is lamb or chicken, it still goes through the process of rendering to create a meal. Obviously the other unsavory things (packing house offal, restaurant waste, etc) can go into the lamb or chicken meal….

P.S. I happen to agree with Ann Martin on the by-products… I love including butcher quality liver (clearly a by-product) into pet diets for its nutritive value.