I bought--EEK--Iams

Actually rending DOES = dog food, and many other products..  I don't remember anyone saying that the ONE and ONLY thing that rendering plants do is create ingredients for dog food.

ORIGINAL: Misskiwi67

My original post said that rendering does NOT = Dog food. It doesn't. Plain and simple. One of MANY products of rendering is meat meal and animal fats... that part goes into dog food, and the products that are rendered to produce those meals are fit for pet comsumption. The products that are not fit for animal consumption are made into other things...

Wait, I'm really confused by your post. You say in one sentence that rendered products don't go into dog food. Then the next few sentences say that it DOES. [&:]

My impression from paulaedwina was that rendering produced meat meal and animal digest, and nothing else. Only about 1/3 of rendered products end up in pet foods... and you can assume that your quality food producers are using quality products. The best 1/3 goes to pet foods, the middle 1/3 goes to livestock feed, and the rest goes to fertilizer and other manufactured products.

There were several posts completely denying the second half of a simple sentence. Its very hard to miss 50% of a single point unless you feel the need to completely ignore it and focus on the only thing YOU care about. EVERY SINGLE DOG FOOD HAS RENDERED ANIMALS IN IT! GET OVER IT or make your own food.

My original post said that rendering does NOT = Dog food. It doesn't. Plain and simple. One of MANY products of rendering is meat meal and animal fats... that part goes into dog food, and the products that are rendered to produce those meals are fit for pet comsumption. The products that are not fit for animal consumption are made into other things...

ORIGINAL: Misskiwi67

My impression from paulaedwina was that rendering produced meat meal and animal digest, and nothing else. Only about 1/3 of rendered products end up in pet foods... and you can assume that your quality food producers are using quality products. The best 1/3 goes to pet foods, the middle 1/3 goes to livestock feed, and the rest goes to fertilizer and other manufactured products.

There were several posts completely denying the second half of a simple sentence. Its very hard to miss 50% of a single point unless you feel the need to completely ignore it and focus on the only thing YOU care about. EVERY SINGLE DOG FOOD HAS RENDERED ANIMALS IN IT! GET OVER IT or make your own food.

I'm a little confused by your reasoning. In the same message you say "rendering does NOT = Dog food, and then you say "Only about 1/3 of rendered products end up in pet foods". To my mind those statement contradict each other.

With regards to my post; I simply quoted the USDA definitions of those ingredients lists. I did so to contradict your statement "rendering does NOT = Dog Food". Apparently rendering does indeed = dogfood. If you get a dog food with 'animal digest' or 'animal by-product meal' you have rendered products in your dogfood. That seems pretty clear to me.

I said nothing about where else rendered products might be used - it did not seem germane to the topic.

Paula

I think the point some are missing is that something going to a rendering plant doesn't necessarily mean it ends up in dog food.  A rendering plant might take in roadkill, but that doesn't mean dog kibble contains roadkill.

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

Apparently rendering does indeed = dogfood

Rendering does = dog food in that most dog food ingredients are rendered. Even the highest quality brands have ingredients made by the process of rendering.

Rendering does NOT = dog food in that not everything that is rendered is a dog food ingredient. 

Regarding:
"I think the point some are missing is that something going to a rendering plant doesn't necessarily mean it ends up in dog food.  A rendering plant might take in roadkill, but that doesn't mean dog kibble contains roadkill. "

Well in order for that to be the case the plant has to be doing some kind of segregation of the carcasses that come in.  I cannot attest to that one way or another. If anyone can show that rendering plants segregate their animal carcasses then I say there is a case for the sentiment that roadkill doesn't end up in your dog food.  I do know from what I read that all rendering plants don't take the same stuff; some take euthed animals and some do not. But renderers do take, in general; old meat, expired meat, spoiled meat, restaraunt grease, heels of cold cuts, recalled meats, etc. The reality is that rendering plants don't work with premium stuff, any way you cut it.

How to know whether your dog food has rendered ingredients - I imagine you look at the ingredients list. Each ingredient meets specific criteria according to the USDA. I avoid foods that have 'animal by-product' or 'animal digest' in their ingredients list. I also avoid 'by-product' in general. If someone can show that chicken meal is rendered proteins from a rendering plant please do so. Otherwise I am fairly certain that my dog food does not contain rendered proteins.

Paula

Rendering is just a method of processing - it doesn't, as far as I know, have anything to do with the quality of the raw materials.  Here's the definition of chicken meal from Natura, the company that makes Innova:

"Chicken meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product from a combination of clean flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts of whole carcasses of chicken -- exclusive of feathers, heads, feet, or entrails.
Chicken meal is considered to be the single best source of protein in commercial pet foods. Natura uses high quality, low ash chicken meal extensively. This ingredient is very digestible, very palatable, and very expensive."

xsl=//ingredient%5B@id='1'%5D>http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=ingredient-facts&xsl=//ingredient%5B@id='1'%5D

So, Innova contains rendered chicken parts, as do most other dry foods.

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

Well in order for that to be the case the plant has to be doing some kind of segregation of the carcasses that come in.

Rendering plants do segregate what comes in. That is how they produce lamb meal, chicken meal, etc... The batches that aren't 'segregated' are the meat meal, poultry meal, etc...

If someone can show that chicken meal is rendered proteins from a rendering plant please do so. Otherwise I am fairly certain that my dog food does not contain rendered proteins.

The defination of chicken meal: "Chicken meal is the dry rendered (cooked down) product from a combination of clean flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts of whole carcasses of chicken -- exclusive of feathers, heads, feet, or entrails."

Rendering is simply a cooking style. Rendering itself is not a bad thing. It's what is in the batches they cook by rendering that can be bad.

ETA: She beat me to it [8D]

Thank you Sooner.  I see your distinction. So chicken meal is rendered chicken, animal digest is rendered whatever?

Paula

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

Thank you Sooner.  I see your distinction. So chicken meal is rendered chicken, animal digest is rendered whatever?

Basically, yes [] 

ORIGINAL: sooner

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

Apparently rendering does indeed = dogfood

Rendering does = dog food in that most dog food ingredients are rendered. Even the highest quality brands have ingredients made by the process of rendering.

Rendering does NOT = dog food in that not everything that is rendered is a dog food ingredient. 

Thank you for being able to calmly and tactfully simplify what I simply could not get across. You're a lifesaver!!

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

Thank you Sooner.  I see your distinction. So chicken meal is rendered chicken, animal digest is rendered whatever?

Paula

Animal digest is a completely different process instead of rendering. It takes the products (I'm not exactly sure what exactly) and  uses fermentation break the products down into the most basic of chemicals, and when they want to stop the fermentation, they add in acid or preservative to stop the process. Animal digest is a common additive to foods to increase palatability. Its often sprayed over a food after cooking to make it more appealing to dogs.

Make no mistake Misskiwik,

Animal digest is not something I will ever pay for in dog food...or cat food for that matter for all the reasons that have been stated.

Paula

ORIGINAL: paulaedwina

Make no mistake Misskiwik,

Animal digest is not something I will ever pay for in dog food...or cat food for that matter for all the reasons that have been stated.

Paula

There are a lot of things I don't avoid while others do, because I see it more as hype than fact... but in this, you and I are 100% in agreement. If I want flavoring for my dogs food, I'll take some some spray-dried plasma, canned food, just about ANYthing else. Animal Digest belongs in fertilizer, not pet food.