Meat-by-products

[mrw5641]

Hi all! I was doing a little reading and I see that some people say by-products are bad, some say by-products are good,, what is the deal? I did email my vet and ask to see what he thinks.

I have been trying to my cat to lose weight and I have been avoiding meat-by-products, but he isn't eating any of the wet food I have been giving him.

Thoughts?

 

[Maurey]

Meat by-products aren’t inherently bad. What’s bad is when they’re unspecified or take up a large amount of the food, as they’re generally a cheaper, lower quality meat. Its not nearly as bad as meat meal, though. Here’s a breakdown of what each type of meat product means according to AAFCO guidelines:


Meat is mainly the muscle tissue of the animal, but can include the fat, gristle and other tissues normally accompanying the muscle, similar to what you would see in a piece of raw meat for human consumption. It may include heart muscle and the muscle that separates the heart and lungs from the rest of the internal organs, but it is still muscle tissue. It does not include bone.

Meat by-products are the clean non-rendered "parts", other than meat. They include lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, blood, bone, fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. These are the parts of the animal which may not be sold for human consumption. It is a cheap way for pet food companies to keep protein levels high in pet food while keeping food production costs low. The more meat byproducts in a cat food the cheaper it will be to buy.

Meat Meal is animal tissues exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, the leftovers of the meat and fishing industries. They are rendered (a method of cooking at a very high temperature). After rendering the dried solids are added as 'meal' to pet food. The temperatures used in rendering may alter or destroy natural enzymes and proteins.

All rendered products are considered "unfit for human consumption." Rendered products usually have relatively high protein levels, but the quality of the proteins is often questionable. In fact these inferior proteins are often unpalatable to pets and so artificial flavours and fats are sprayed on the food in order to get pets to consume it.

Meat By-product Meal - by-products (defined above) that are rendered. After cooking, the dried solids can be added to pet food.

you can read more details here What’s in the Ingredients List?
Vets don’t generally have much education in nutrition unless they specialise, so they‘ll generally consider unspecified byproducts and meals perfectly fine, as they tend to be present in large amounts in vet food to lower production cost.

 

[mrw5641]

This is great! Thank you!

I'm at my wit's end with wet food and that is the only thing I haven't tried

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If you absolutely cannot get your cat to eat wet food and are trying to get him to lose weight, you can always try finding the lowest carb dry food out there and use that. Be mindful of how many calories you feed too. Calories count for cats just like they do for humans.

Additionally, try to get him to exercise more. You can even toss him kibble so he has to run to get it to eat. If use a food puzzle so he has to work at it to get the food out. That provides exercise for both the body and mind.

 

[mizzely]

I do not bat an eye at meals or by-products, but I do prefer named sources vs ambiguous "meat". Regardless, I would rather have those than lentils, vegetables, or potatoes!

 

[lisahe]

I do not bat an eye at meals or by-products, but I do prefer named sources vs ambiguous "meat". Regardless, I would rather have those than lentils, vegetables, or potatoes!

That sums up my views, too!

Also, if no wet food will work and you absolutely have to feed dry, Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken doesn't have any fillers. We use it for treats, toppers, and snacks. They will send samples. Watch out, though: new flavors (duck, turkey, and something else?) have chickpeas, which I absolutely will not feed. I'd sooner feed all mystery meat since that's a more cat-appropriate diet!

 

[daftcat75]

Buy supermarket brands like Friskies, Fancy Feast, Sheba, and Purina Beyond. Popular brands are popular with cats. They would not be on the shelves otherwise.

I don't hesitate about meat by-products. Cats will eat all parts of an animal. There are no by-products as far as the cat is concerned.

When looking for an appropriate cat food recipe, I look for meat, moisture, organs, and supplements. Meat (or poultry) by-products fall into the "organs" category. Anything else on the label is probably not necessary and possibly suspect: fruits, vegetables, starches, grains, oils, thickeners, gums, clay, etc.

 

[daftcat75]

Exceptions to this:

Anything else on the label is probably not necessary and possibly suspect: fruits, vegetables, starches, grains, oils, thickeners, gums, clay, etc.

- Pumpkin is helpful for butt and gut issues.
- Salmon oil is beneficial for heart and joint health (though I would prefer to add it myself instead of making it part of the recipe)
- And guar gum is one of the more benign gums that also has some pre-biotic action. I don't lump guar gum into the same category as agar agar, carrageenan, and other irritating gums.