Dangers of Denatured Meat

[mschauer]

I guess it comes down to having some faith in your supplier.  I like purchasing from smaller companies like MPC, or Raw Paws because I can talk directly with them and ask questions about where their products come from.  These folks are pretty forthcoming with information, and do not mind the questions, and post the source of their products on their websites.  

I didn't mean to imply there was reason to think there is anything hinky about companies who supply meats to raw feeders. I seriously doubt there is.

Actually, I'm not really  sure what my point was! 

Edit: I remember what my point was. You said you doubted that animals intended for use in pet food but not slaughtered at a USDA plant must be denatured because you buy from local farms and local suppliers and what you get doesn't seem to be denatured. At least I think that's what you were saying. My point was that just because what you buy comes from a local supplier doesn't mean it wasn't processed at a USDA facility. That what you buy doesn't appear to be denatured could just mean it was processed at a USDA facility but wasn't condemned for any reason and so wasn't required to be denatured. Not *all* meat used in pet food has to be denatured,. Just meat that has been found to be unfit for human consumption or which hasn't been subjected to USDA inspection and is being sold for use in pet food

 

[harleydiva]

I didn't mean to imply there was reason to think there is anything hinky about companies who supply meats to raw feeders. I seriously doubt there is.

Actually, I'm not really  sure what my point was! 

Edit: I remember what my point was. You said you doubted that animals intended for use in pet food but not slaughtered at a USDA plant must be denatured because you buy from local farms and local suppliers and what you get doesn't seem to be denatured. At least I think that's what you were saying. My point was that just because what you buy comes from a local supplier doesn't mean it wasn't processed at a USDA facility. That what you buy doesn't appear to be denatured could just mean it was processed at a USDA facility but wasn't condemned for any reason and so wasn't required to be denatured. Not *all* meat used in pet food has to be denatured,. Just meat that has been found to be unfit for human consumption or which hasn't been subjected to USDA inspection and is being sold for use in pet food

My response wasn't meant to be "snippy".  I'm just pointing out that some of the smaller suppliers appear to be invested in making sure we are getting good quality products.  At this point, I am pretty comfortable with the two suppliers I am using.  From what other people have said, I would also feel pretty confident with Hare Today products.  I'm also comfortable with Stella & Chewy's products, which I use sometimes.  Anyone offering me a super cheap deal.....I would be very cautious.

 

[mschauer]

My response wasn't meant to be "snippy".  I'm just pointing out that some of the smaller suppliers appear to be invested in making sure we are getting good quality products.  At this point, I am pretty comfortable with the two suppliers I am using.  From what other people have said, I would also feel pretty confident with Hare Today products.  I'm also comfortable with Stella & Chewy's products, which I use sometimes.  Anyone offering me a super cheap deal.....I would be very cautious.

I quite agree! 

In fact I would go a step further and say I don't see any need for concern period. At lease with regards to sourcing raw meats.

 

[harleydiva]

I quite agree! 

In fact I would go a step further and say I don't see any need for concern period. At lease with regards to sourcing raw meats.

I guess I'm not as confident as you are, when the article above says that they get a lot of calls from potential meat sources offering them really cheap deals.  I'm really happy to know that my vendor is not purchasing this type of stuff.  No guarantee that others aren't tho....

 

[ldg]

This whole thing is very confusing to me. As mschauer said earlier, I don't understand how denatured raw meat could be sold to pet food suppliers of raw food.

I didn't know there was a difference between "3D" and "4D" animals, and I thought any animal unfit for human consumption had to actually be rendered before being used in pet food.... meaning it can't be sold raw.

It seems that could be a wrong perception based on this article - and one that is very concerning to me, even though I make homemade raw from human grade meat (for the most part. I do source some ground from Hare Today, a company whose quality I trust). Might be worth contacting MPC about to get further clarification, actually.

 

[vball91]

I saw an example of this which I had to share. I was finally able to visit another natural pet store (weird store hours). The woman who owns it says she's been breeding cats for 28 years. She feeds them a combination of raw and kibble. Very little canned as she says she thinks it's too expensive for what you get.

Anyway, the point is that she sells a denatured meat frozen product. Apparently, it's processed locally in CO from grass-fed bison trim. But it was clearly marked as denatured with 1% charcoal. She said charcoal is actually good for cats???

It was $9.50 for a 5lb frozen tube which she said she fed to her own cats and was a very popular item in her store. I didn't get any, but she did also carry Vital Essentials frozen, so I picked up a small bag of the beef to try on Aria.

 

[harleydiva]

I saw an example of this which I had to share. I was finally able to visit another natural pet store (weird store hours). The woman who owns it says she's been breeding cats for 28 years. She feeds them a combination of raw and kibble. Very little canned as she says she thinks it's too expensive for what you get.

Anyway, the point is that she sells a denatured meat frozen product. Apparently, it's processed locally in CO from grass-fed bison trim. But it was clearly marked as denatured with 1% charcoal. She said charcoal is actually good for cats???

It was $9.50 for a 5lb frozen tube which she said she fed to her own cats and was a very popular item in her store. I didn't get any, but she did also carry Vital Essentials frozen, so I picked up a small bag of the beef to try on Aria.

WOW....I am pretty amazed that this would be marketed like this.  I have to think people really don't understand what it means. Don't think I would be looking for any advice from this store owner.....

 

[mschauer]

WOW....I am pretty amazed that this would be marketed like this.  I have to think people really don't understand what it means. Don't think I would be looking for any advice from this store owner.....

I suspect any denatured meat product will be labelled as denatured.

This sounds like it falls under what I posted earlier:

I read on someones blog that any animal intended for use in pet food but *not* slaughtered at a USDA plant must be denatured so it can't find it's way into the human food chain. I'm not posting a link since it is just someone's blog.

The bison trimmings weren't part of any inspection process so they had to be "denatured".  The meat could be just fine. And that 1% charcoal might be perfectly harmless. But I wouldn't want my  cats to have it.

 

[harleydiva]

I suspect any denatured meat product will be labelled as denatured.

This sounds like it falls under what I posted earlier:

The bison trimmings weren't part of any inspection process so they had to be "denatured".  The meat could be just fine. And that 1% charcoal might be perfectly harmless. But I wouldn't want my  cats to have it.

I agree.....I would never give anything like that to my dogs or my cats.  I have spoken with both my suppliers......neither will purchase anything denatured.  

 

[vball91]

I also think that the meat is probably fine. I don't know about the charcoal. While it could be harmless, I just don't see any reason to feed it, so why risk it? While I would love to get human grade bison trim for that price, I'm not willing to pay that for denatured meat.

 

[mschauer]

http://www.charcoalremedies.com/charcoaltimes/1211/animal_feed

In 2002 OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) updated a previous evaluation of activated charcoal as an animal feed supplement for the USDA. The 3-person panel was in complete agreement as to the unmatched efficacy of activated charcoal for the treatment of animal poisoning. The only concern was that unscrupulous livestock owners would doctor spoiled feed with activated charcoal knowing that the activated charcoal would quickly neutralize virtually all toxins and thus render the contaminated feed harmless.

Charcoal is inert. It is neither digested nor assimilated by any animal.

Who knows, maybe it is actually beneficial. 

Don't know if this is true or not:

http://www.healing-from-home-remedies.com/activated-charcoal-uses.html

ALERT!  Activated charcoal should never be taken within two hours of any medication or supplement as it will absorb the medicine and render it ineffective!

That would certainly be a problem if a pet were being given medication.

 

[ldg]

I'm finding this whole thing kind of freaky. So has anyone determined if there's any way to know if the trim (or whatever denatured meat) was from a healthy animal or a non-healthy animal? :dk:

We keep activated charcoal for accidental poisoning - pets or people. But to feed it regularly, as part of a meal - at 1%? Not happening here.

But thanks vball91 for sharing that. Very interesting!

 

[vball91]

The more I research denatured meat, the more confused I get. The USDA claims that all meat meant for pet consumption must be denatured at the slaughterhouse except for certain clear packaging exceptions. I think denatured meat is used in a LOT of pet food. There's no way to tell from the packaging. I think the only way to tell is to flat out ask each manufacturer if they use denatured meat.

There's no way to tell if the denatured meat came from a healthy animal or not, just that it was labeled unfit for human consumption for some reason which just could be non-USDA approved processing, but there's no way to know. Then, what's allowed to be used to denature the meat is downright scary. Charcoal, dyes and a "proprietary" agent are all allowed.

 

[harleydiva]

Just one more reason to feed a raw diet......and know your suppliers.