Animal fat

It's "bad" because in some cases it can be restaraunt grease (others it's just a non-specified fat--mixture of beef and chicken or whatever) which doesn't sit well with most people.  Even though it sounds nasty and it doesn't follow the "holistic" approach, there are no known health problems associated with feeding animal fat. [] 

 When the origin of the fat source is listed, such as chicken fat or menhaden fish oil, there is nothing wrong with the fat; in fact, both chicken fat and menhaden oil are good sources of fatty acids. These are the fats to avoid according to Mordanna's board;     

Animal Fat;                              






AAFCO: Obtained from the tissues of mammals and/or poultry in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative".
Note that the animal source is not specified and is not required to originate from "slaughtered" animals. The rendered animals can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on.

Beef Tallow; 
Dogs and cats like the taste of this fat, so it is often used to make low-quality food more palatable. Beef tallow is very low in linoleic acid and much cheaper for the pet food industry to use than a good quality vegetable oil or nutritionally rich chicken fat.

Lard;
AAFCO: The rendered fat of swine
Very low in linoleic acid but very attractive to pets, used to make poor quality food more appealing. Few nutritional benefits.

Poultry Fat;
Note how in this product the source is not defined as "slaughtered poultry". The rendered fowl can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), turkey, chicken, geese, buzzard, seagulls, misc. roadkill, birds euthanized at shelters and so on

Vegetable Oil;
The source vegetables for this oil (and therefore the nutrient properties or lack thereof) are unknown. Wouldn't you like to know just what exactly you are feeding your pet?

Well, here's my problem.  The kibble I have is Authority, the beef.  It's got some other stuff I'm not crazy about like brewers rice or something like that.  But, it's got this animal fat too.  But, and this is the problem, Willow eats it and does fine with it.  She gets about 1/2 cup a day and then the rest is her prescription food and Evangers. 

The quality of the kibble was never really an issue before because she got it once or twice a month but now she's getting it daily.  So, I'd love to get a better brand but she's allergic to chicken and she can't have barley either. 

I don't want her eating restaurant grease or worse but what other brands do not include chicken or chicken fat.  For some reason poultry fat and animal fat don't effect her, maybe the amount of chicken if there is any isn't enough. 

 

 Authority is PetsMart's brand; I doubt if they would use restaurant grease. Jessie is allergic to chicken but can have kibble with chicken fat. Food allergies are from protein sources and since fat doesn't have protein is doesn't trigger allergies, at least according to everything I've read. If she's doing well on the Authority I don't think you should worry but here are some foods without chicken, chicken fat, and barley;
Natural Balance Potato and Duck;  Potatoes, Duck, Duck Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Potato Fiber, DL-methionine, L-Lysine, Sodium Chloride, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Rosemary Extract, Natural Flavor, Yucca Schidigera Extract( vitamins and minerals);
 
Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish and Natural Balance Venison and Brown Rice
 
 Solid Gold Holistique Blendz Adult Dod Fish; there other foods have barley.
 Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue and their Dakota Bison
 
 There may be more but that's the ones I checked first; I thought it was hard finding foods without chicken, but to have to also exclude chicken fat and barley makes it really tough.

ORIGINAL: willowchow

 But, it's got this animal fat too.  But, and this is the problem, Willow eats it and does fine with it. 

 
With the "animal" fat, it's one of those things that may take a long time to show adverse effects. The problem is that sodium pentobarbitol (the euthanasia drug) can still be in the fat in very small quantities from euthanized animals. They also just melt down the plastic bags the bodies are in and everything. That's one of the unhealthiest things I can think of. [] Or it could be old restaurant grease, there's no way of knowing that I'm aware of..... maybe you could contact Authority and ask them about the origin of their animal fat?

They also just melt down the plastic bags the bodies are in and everything.

 
Where did you get this information? I would be interested in reading it.
 
 

ORIGINAL: kennel_keeper

They also just melt down the plastic bags the bodies are in and everything.

Where did you get this information? I would be interested in reading it.

 
Sure, here ya go:
 
[linkhttp://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/petfood1.html]http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/petfood1.html[/link]

Here is Wysong's Senior kibble.  This is what I've been thinking about.  But, even Wysong has poultry fat.  Is that better than animal fat? 
 
 
Senior Dry Canine Diet Ingredients: Turkey, Potato, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Oat Groats, Ground Corn, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols as a source of vitamin E), Eggs, Whey, Dried Yogurt, Lecithin, Citric Acid, Natural Extractives of Sage, Natural Extractives of Rosemary, Dried Kelp, Fish Oil, Garlic, Black Pepper, Artichoke, L-Carnitine, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product, Dried Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Ascorbic Acid, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin A Acetate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement
 
Guaranteed Analysis: Protein 18%, Fat 10%, Fiber 5%, Moisture 12%
 
AND, I don't even know if she'll eat it.  Typically she will eat the "middle of the road" foods but not the holistic ones.  She just didn't grow up a holistic girl, I got her when she was already two.

Poultry fat is a further low quality ingredient and is impossible to determine the source. Unidentified ingredients are usually very low quality. AAFCO define this as "obtained from the tissues of poultry in the commercial processes of rendering or extracting. It consists predominantly of glyceride esters of fatty acids and contains no additions of free fatty acids. If an antioxidant is used, the common name or names must be indicated, followed by the words "used as a preservative".
 
This food looks to be of very low quality as it is! [:'(]
 
The first ingredient is turkey inclusive of its water content (about 80%). Once that is removed, as it must be to make kibble, the ingredient will weigh around 20% of its wet weight and is likely to be more accurately placed much further down the ingredient list. This is the sole meat product of the food! []
 
The next ingredients (after potato) are ALL grains! [sm=uhoh.gif] Let's not get started on corn...[:@]
 
So lets see...inadequate meat content, use of low quality grains, fat of unidentifiable origin...
 
Not to mention only 18% protein. Senior dogs need just as much protein as the rest of the youngsters, just less total food volume. It is best to avoid Senior diets as they tend to be lacking in a number of departments. [:-]
 
Why do you want to feed this food? [sm=no%20no%20smiley.gif]

Why do you want to feed this food?

Ditto?

Doesnt willow have health problems as it is? I know you've tried a few premium foods,but wouldnt it be in her best interests to make sure every crumb she eats comes from a clean,healthy source?

I know you probably want validation that animal fat is ok,but imo there is nothing ok about this ingredient.If it was a good thing they wouldnt list animal fat,they would give the actual source of it,and for all you know it could have chicken in it!

OK, you two. 

First, of all, I resent being told I'm looking for validation.  I'm not.  I also don't appreciate the finger shaking.  And, I've tried more than A FEW premium foods.  I've tried almost all of them.  The only exceptions being the newer ones that came out after I stopped.

Second of all, are you at all familiar with Wysong?  It is not a garbage food.  AND, I want ONE protein, not multiple.  Willow has many food issues.  And, I said I was THINKING about feeding it.  So, BACK OFF. 

Third, Willow gets plenty of protein added to her diet.  This kibble if you read my second post is by no means her only source of nutrition. 

You know what, just forget this.  I'm sorry I bothered.

Please do not take these comments personally. They are an attack on the food, NOT you.
 

Second of all, are you at all familiar with Wysong?  It is not a garbage food.

In my opinion, this specific food (Wysong Senior)...looks to be a bit drab. I am NOT referring to any other Wysong product, nor am I saying that Wysong foods are garbage, although IMO I would say that this food is less than adequate. I don't feel I need to be familiar with Wysong if I am lookings solely on the ingredients you have listed. If it were an Innova product I would still hold the SAME opinion based solely on these ingredients. I am not company bashing.
 

Third, Willow gets plenty of protein added to her diet.  This kibble if you read my second post is by no means her only source of nutrition. 

We are not arguing how you feed your dog, we are simply suggesting that this food is not the best and that is it! Neither one of us said this was Willow's only source of nutrition. I mean you have to admit that it basically does not have any meat it in...turkey (without meal) is pretty much next to nothing. I understand you have tried the premium foods, and I wasn't even suggesting that...just stating MY opinions on THIS particular food. That's basically what forum's are for...opinions. It's everyones opinions on these topics, that is it. This is why we have this forum, so we can point out things and help each other out.
 

And, I said I was THINKING about feeding it.  So, BACK OFF. 

That was way worse than anything we said! I thought you wanted our opinions? Since you were THINKING about feeding this particular food I thought you wanted input on what people thought about it...in reference to the animal/poultry fat...also. Opinions are not always going to be favorable. I mean look at all those posts on Beneful...[8|]
 

I know it's on the bad list but why??  How bad are we talking? 

Looks to me like you wanted to hear just how bad animal/poultry fat was! Therefore, I was giving you my "how bad are we talking?" opinion on the Wysong Senior kibble. It sounded like you were open to hearing all the bad stuff.
 
I find nothing wrong with asking you why you were looking at feeding this food. I wanted to know which ingredients you were looking for and so forth. That way maybe we could help you. Also, many, if not all senior diets are on the wrong track..even the PREMIUM foods, not just this one. I have learned so much from these forum's that I enjoy informing others. I had made the mistake of feeding my last dog Science Diet Senior...I mean really how much worse could it get? It was Science Diet AND it was a Senior kibble...I basically drove him to the grave. []
 
Once again, absolutely sorry to have offended you. That was NOT my intention at all. Remember that typing is completely different than talking...a lot of things can be taken the wrong way. It was meant to be constructive criticism on the FOOD, not you by any means. The last thing I want to do is start arguments. Please accept my apology. [&:]

Lori, don't get upset honey. Willow is doing well on what you have her on and that is WHAT matters most.

Animal fat can also be in Milk as in Milk Bones for example, butter, yogurt, cheese etc...which is a digestible fat. Unless her Wysong states *Tallow* specifically, I wouldn't worry about it. Wysong is in the A-B group of foods according to the AAFCO and not in the lower group C or D which are kibble like Ol Roy as an example.
 
I disagree with you Twin that seniors need just as much protien as the rest of em. If they are active Seniors yes you may want to add more protien to their diet, however, if they are not active, too much protien can cause health related issues for them. Senior diets in general lack a LOT of things, this I agree with and so does my 21 yr old Tzu... She says *Tasteless*
Just my 2 cents.

I disagree with you Twin that seniors need just as much protien as the rest of em. If they are active Seniors yes you may want to add more protien to their diet, however, if they are not active, too much protien can cause health related issues for them.

I did not mean a whole lot more, but 18% is low. Should at least be in the low to mid 20's. Innova Senior has 18% protein and 8% fat...way too low IMO, and thats a PREMIUM company! They just came out with this Innova Senior Plus that looks to me to be just what Seniors need. It has 24% protein and 10% fat. Not excessive or too much, but more.
 
Innova Senior Plus

Healthy Food for Your Older Active Dog

Just because your dog is showing a little gray and doesn't have pep like before, it doesn't mean that he can't continue to lead a healthy, active and long life. With this in mind, Natura Pet Products has once again lived up to our commitment to stay on the leading edge of healthful pet nutrition.

Innova Senior Plus dog food is the result of a two year long effort to apply the latest senior dog scientific research findings to our popular Innova Senior dog food formula. Until recently, the conventional wisdom was that Senior dogs needed low fat and protein foods for optimum health. This was based on the mistaken belief that older dogs had lower nutritional requirements and were not well equipped to handle protein and fat. Recent studies actually show that older dogs have similar nutritional requirements as their younger counterparts, and actually require higher protein and fat!