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Intuitively, you know to avoid filling your pet’s
dish with something that includes the term “by-product”
on the ingredient list. But knowing exactly what “by-product”
means is another story. Labels don’t always provide a definition,
which can lead to confusion for pet owners. Fortunately, Cleaning
up confusion is as simple as memorizing the definition: a by-product
is a “meat” mixture that includes other animal organs
such as intestines, lungs, liver or any other kind of animal part.
Bones, eyeballs and even underdeveloped baby chicken eggs are quite
possible a part of the animal by-products listed in many commercial
pet food ingredients. In short, a by-product can be any part of the
animal, with only three exceptions – hair, hoof, and horn. If
your dog could talk, he would undoubtedly as “Yuck”!
Proponents of by-products in pet food would likely argue that since
wild animals consume all kinds of animal parts, by-products are perfectly
fine for our domesticated pets. However, the fact is the facts don’t
add up. When a wild coyote kills its prey, it is probably swallowing
a piece of intestine or two, but the majority of its supper is actually
muscle meat. By-products in pet food, however, might make up for a
majority of the product – meaning your pet is deprived of essential
protein, fat, vitamins and minerals that muscle meat provides. Yes,
an animal will survive on food made with by-products, but if you want
your beloved pet to thrive, that are best avoided. Instead, look for
a pet food that lists some type of meat (chicken, beef, lamb, etc.)
as the first ingredient. Your pet will thank you! |
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