Are by-products in dog food bad?

What are by-products in dog food?

By-products are the parts of an animal that are left after the cuts people eat are taken. For meat, that means parts like liver, kidney, lungs, spleen, blood and bone. The rules say they must be clean and fit for animal food. They can’t have hair, horns, teeth or hooves.

In the US, pet food names come from AAFCO, a group of state and federal feed officials. It can’t make laws, but it writes the names states use. AAFCO says meat by-products are the clean parts, other than meat, from slaughtered mammals.

Poultry means birds like chicken. Poultry by-products are the same idea for birds. They can have heads, feet and the organs inside, such as the heart, gizzard and liver.

The word is wider than it sounds. AAFCO says a by-product is just what is left once the main product is made. Wheat bran is one. It is left over when flour is made. Most by-products do not have the word “by-product” in their name at all.

What is the difference between meat and meat by-products?

In pet food rules, meat is mostly muscle. That includes the tongue, the heart and the muscle wall that splits the chest from the belly. Meat by-products are most of the other parts, like organs and bone. So heart counts as meat. Liver counts as a by-product. Meat does not include bone.

That split comes from the AAFCO names for each part. If the label just says “meat” or “meat by-products,” the parts must come from cattle, pigs, sheep or goats. From any other animal, the label has to name it.

Some by-products are foods that people eat too. Think liver, kidney and tripe, which is stomach. Other parts, like lungs and udders, are not sold as food for people. AAFCO notes that these parts can still be safe and good food for other animals.

Are by-products bad for dogs?

The rules and the research do not show that by-products are bad for dogs. AAFCO says meat, poultry, fish and their by-products all meet the same safety rules. It also says by-products can be used safely to feed animals. What counts most is the whole food. One word on the bag does not tell you much.

AAFCO holds meat and by-products to the same safety rules. Its stated view is that by-products can be a safe source of food for many animals.

Research points the same way. In a small 2023 study, six beagles ate food made with poultry by-product meal. They took to it well. The dogs took up more than 92 percent of the protein in those foods. The paper also notes that by-product quality can vary a lot by source.

Each part is a bit different. Bone brings a lot of calcium. Muscle brings less. AAFCO says a food that is “complete and balanced” is made to even this out. You can read more about that label in what complete and balanced means.

One review says pet food made from by-products does not take food from people. It says this also eases the load on the planet.

If your dog has a health problem or a special diet, ask your vet which foods fit.

What keeps by-products safe?

Rules in the US and the EU limit what can go in. The US name “meat by-products” means parts from slaughtered animals. Raw parts must be heated to kill germs before they go into most pet foods. In the EU, pet food is made mostly from the low risk group of parts.

Some by-products, like meat and bone meal, can have parts turned down for people. These must be cooked with heat to kill germs first. To guard against mad cow disease, some cattle parts are banned from all animal feed. Both kibble and canned foods are heated as they are made.

In EU law, any animal part that is not meant for people counts as an animal by-product. So the word covers much more than organs there. The EU sorts these parts into three risk groups. Pet food there must mostly come from Category 3, the low risk group. That group includes parts that were fit for people to eat but were not sold as food for people.

How do you spot by-products on a label?

Start with the ingredient list. It runs from most to least by weight. Words like “meat by-products” or “chicken by-product meal” tell you they are in the food. But many by-products do not use that word, like liver or wheat bran. A named animal tells you more than a vague one.

A “meal” is a part that has been cooked down to take out most of the water and fat. Poultry by-product meal is poultry by-products made this way. To learn how meals work, see is chicken meal bad for dogs. If you see a vague word like “flavor,” read what natural flavor means.

For a full walk through every part of the bag, see how to read a dog food label.

Next time you see by-products on a bag, check the full ingredient list, or scan it with Altie.