In the world of commercial pet foods, marketing has become much more prominent as new brands emerge. Even the Super Bowl has had dog food ads touting why a particular brand is better. A big factor many are pushing is how they don’t use animal by-products, most asking “You wouldn’t eat them, so why feed them to your pet?”. That sounds like it makes sense, right? Except that those by-products are exactly what dogs and cats would be eating in the wild and they contain a lot of nutrients not found in other meats.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the term “by-product” refers to nutrients that are a by-product of producing meat for human consumption. Non-vegetarians like muscle meat for steaks, filets, etc. They aren’t rushing out to get nice cuts of spleen, kidneys, and intestines. Ironically, these are the parts of the animals that carnivores consume first and foremost when taking down prey in the wild. The nice steak cuts that we love are often left for scavengers.
Contained within these organs are very different nutrients than muscle meat. One of the most important is something called taurine. This is a nutrient that many mammals need to maintain heart health. Without it, the heart muscle can become weak, leading to heart failure at a young age. Humans can produce taurine from other protein sources but dogs and cats lack this ability. As such, it MUST be part of their diet. So, where does taurine come from in the pet foods that don’t contain organ meat? Typically, it is an additive derived from artificial means. So, when you are buying a by-product-free pet food, you are paying for human-grade, nutritionally deficient meat and chemical additives. Most studies show these diets to cost 3-4 times as much a naturally-derived diets.
So, does this mean that pet food without organ meat will cause malnourishment? Unfortunately, it could and you should choose diets wisely. As I have said in past articles, the pet food industry doesn’t have a lot of oversight and they only need to meet some basic requirements. While most make honest attempts at this with only the best intentions, they don’t always hit the mark. Try to find a brand of food that was designed and tested by veterinary nutritionists. Typically, they will have statements that they followed the guidelines for safety put out by AAFCO, the national organization charged with setting pet food safety standards. You can visit aafco.org for a lot of help in selecting a good diet. Also, as I always say, reaching out to your veterinarian for opinions or advice is always welcome at our offices.