By Heather Zorn, P.A.S

AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) set the guidelines and definitions of ingredients in animal feed, including dog food and treats.  We thought you may be interested in what really is going into your dog’s food and treats…  Then again, after reading this, maybe not…

Beef (meat): is the clean flesh derived from slaughtered cattle, and is limited to that part of the striate muscle which is skeletal or that which is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart, or in the esophagus; with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh.

Chicken By-Product Meal: consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.

Animal Digest: material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed.

Digest of Beef: material from beef which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed tissue. The tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth and hooves, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice

Digest of Beef By-Products: material from beef which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed tissue from non-rendered clean parts, other than meat, from cattle which includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defated low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves.

Digest of Poultry By-Products: material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed tissue from non-rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera, free from fecal content and foreign matter except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice.

Dried Animal Digest: dried material resulting from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed animal tissue. The animal tissue used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed.

Lamb Meal: the rendered product from lamb tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Meat and Bone Meal: the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Meat By-Products: the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves.

Meat Meal: the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

There is a complete list of definitions of ingredients which you will commonly see listed as feed ingredients at AAFCO at their website: www.aafco.org, if you care to read more.

What disturbs me most, is the comment: ”except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.”  So, presumably, as the consumer, we should assume that there ARE manure, blood, hair, hoof and stomach contents in our dog’s food.  Who designates how much of these components are acceptable of “good processing practices?”

Animal Nutrition Solutions chose their ingredients with care, concern and quality in mind.  They don’t even use meat, for fear of questionable origin.  All of their ingredients are natural, with no preservatives, animal fat, or disgusting additives of any sort.  Animal Nutrition Solutions uses pure, simple ingredients that you can pronounce.  With carrots, blueberries, cherries, rice flour, flax seeds; each ingredient is healthy and wholesome.   The fruits and vegetables used provide fuel for energy, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that the body can use naturally.

For a more comprehensive analysis of what your dogs should be eating, in contrast to what the commercial dog food diet provides, consider a cost-effective analysis of your dog’s diet from Animal Nutrition Solutions.  An educated consumer is the only one who can make a difference in changing the sub-par standards that exist currently.  Without education, groups like AAFCO can continue making up their own industry standards for our dogs.