What Are By-Products in Dog Food?

Dog owners want to feed their companion animals a nutritionally-balanced diet, but it can be hard to find the right one for your pet. Most veterinarians will recommend a diet that contains meat, vegetables and whole grains, without a lot of low-nutrition fillers. Pet food manufacturers are required to list all of their ingredients on their package labels, but it can be difficult for the average person to tell just what the terms mean. Ingredient names like "by-product," "by-product meal" and "meat by-product" are defined by the The Association of American Feed Control Officials. Consumers must understand how to read these labels in order to know what is really in their dog's food.

  1. By-Products

    • When a dog food ingredient label lists "beef by-products," "chicken by-products" or "lamb by-products," it refers to animal parts that are not used for human consumption. These can include blood, bone, tissue and entrails. Ingredients labeled as "by-products" should not include teeth, hair, hooves or horns, except in trace amounts. If an ingredient is labeled as "beef by-products," it should not contain parts of any animals other than cows; the same goes for chicken or lamb. "By-product" contrasts with the words "beef," "chicken" or "lamb," which refer to the flesh and skin of the animal -- parts that humans would typically consider edible.

    By-Product Meal

    • Pet food ingredients labeled "meal" are the ground parts of whatever animal is specified. For example, "chicken meal" is ground chicken flesh and skin. This applies to "by-product meal," as well. "Chicken by-product meal" contains all of the same things as "chicken by-products," as well as parts that must be ground in order to be consumed, such as feet, underdeveloped eggs, or cartilage. Like "by-products," it should not contain teeth, hair or hooves, except in trace amounts.

    Meat By-Products

    • If a pet food ingredient label does not specify an animal in conjunction with the term "by-products," the source of the by-products is unclear. The fact that a pet food may bear a name like 'Chicken and Rice Blend' does not imply that "meat by-products" in this food must be derived from chicken only. The term "meat" on a pet food label can include virtually any mammal, and can include animals that died by means other than factory slaughter. This meat can derive from animals declared unfit for human consumption, such as 4-D Meat (dead, dying, down, or diseased). It can also possibly contain parts from roadkill animals or even domesticated animals like dogs and cats.

    Nutrition

    • There are differing opinions on whether by-products in dog food are a bad thing. Some argue that since dogs evolved to kill and eat animal carcasses (including cartilage and organs), there should be no health problem associated with dog food containing those ingredients. Others would argue that labeling laws make it too difficult to determine the source of by-products, so they should be avoided altogether to prevent the spread of bacteria and disease. There is also the view that by-products alone are not the concern, but rather the concentration of them. Animal parts like feet, cartilage, and other by-products contain protein, but not an easily digestible protein. The best organ meat is sold separately, such as in liver treats, and never makes it into dog food by-products. If a food contains too high a percentage of by-products, much of the protein in the food will not be nutritionally available to the dog's body.