| If you are squeamish this article may be | | | | processing period. |
| uncomfortable. This was a difficult article to write, | | | | What is not well known is the animals may have |
| because of the close relationship we have with | | | | had charcoal or preservatives to slow the decay |
| our pets. My purpose is to inform and educate | | | | prior to processing. Another distressing fact is the |
| "Pet Parents" as to what can be done to extend | | | | animals may have been sick and previously |
| the life and improve the health of their beloved | | | | treated with pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. |
| friends. | | | | Larger road-kill animals may also be included in the |
| I was brought up on a livestock and grain farm | | | | mix. The most upsetting fact is: Euthanized pets |
| where there was never a problem feeding the | | | | from pounds are many times included. |
| pets as well as the other animals. With the | | | | With those words, I am going to add the plastic |
| declining farm population and people now living in | | | | bags used by pounds, supermarkets, veterinarians |
| cities and small towns, less and less people have | | | | and labs are not removed, because of time and |
| access to the feeds that are so prevalent on | | | | labor costs. Collars, ID tags, flea collars and the |
| farms. Consequently we purchase processed and | | | | like are also not removed. The hair and feathers |
| prepared foods at supermarkets and pet stores | | | | are processed with everything else. |
| and the like. | | | | What I have referred to above is what |
| What we do not know is where the foods are | | | | constitutes animal protein used in pet foods. |
| prepared and more importantly from where the | | | | Vegetable proteins are ground corn, wheat |
| raw feedstuffs come. The following paragraphs | | | | middlings and sweepings, soybean meal, rice hulls, |
| expose facts generally unknown to the public. | | | | peanut meal and shells and many other products. |
| Read to the end of this article to find out what | | | | Other ingredients can be cooking oils from fast |
| you can do to improve your pet's nutrition and | | | | food restaurants, tallow and other vegetable and |
| health. | | | | animal sources. |
| Most of us have heard of a rendering plant, but | | | | The American Veterinarian Medical Association |
| don't have much information as to what they do | | | | (AVMA) has oversight, but they are understaffed |
| or how they do it. Rendering plants dispose of | | | | and very little pressure is available to require |
| over 12 million tons of dead animals, fat and meat | | | | monitoring. |
| wastes every year. These dead animal | | | | There is help: A very limited number of |
| processors gather dead, diseased, dying or | | | | companies avail themselves of the use of proper |
| disabled (know as 4-D animals). The processing | | | | feedstuffs to produce a healthful, nutritional pet |
| consists of grinding carcasses into small pieces and | | | | food. This requires third party verification of |
| "cooking" them just long enough to facilitate | | | | products used in preparing a healthy food. The |
| separating of the "meat" and offal from the | | | | cost, of course, is greater, but to extend your |
| bones, hides, etc. | | | | pet's natural healthy life is a choice that many |
| An important point: Most pharmaceuticals and | | | | owners are now making with relief and great |
| drugs are not broken down in the brief heated | | | | satisfaction. |