The Mysterious Meat Concentrate Most People Know Little (or Nothing) About

by Mike Sagman
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For a dog food, what could contain more protein than whole meat?

Whole Chicken & Chicken Meal ComparedWell, surprisingly… in commercial dog food… a high grade meat meal can actually be a better source of digestible protein… than the whole meat from which it was made.

Here’s why…

Meat meal is the dried end-product of a cooking process known as rendering.  Rendering is a lot like making stew… except that the stew is intentionally over-cooked.

And that’s the whole point.

You see, the idea of rendering is to start with a meat stew… cook away the water… and bake the residue.  What you end up with is a highly concentrated protein powder… better known as meat meal.

Now, take a look at the chart above.

Notice how whole “ground” chicken contains about 70% water and 18% protein.  But after rendering… the resulting chicken meal contains just 10% water… and a whopping 65% protein.

That’s nearly four times more protein per pound than whole chicken!

Nutritious Ingredient… or Recycled Waste?

Of course, just as you’d expect… all meat meals are not created equal.  Some are of very high quality… while others are positively awful.

It all boils down to the contents of the stew… the raw materials.  And this one critically important principle…

No meal product can ever be better than the raw materials that were used to make it.

Better meals are made from the quality meat parts of specific animals.  Low-grade meals come from generic sources like slaughterhouse waste and spoiled supermarket meats… even dead zoo animals… and worse.

I have to admit… when I first started to learn about what actually went into making dog food… I was sickened.

For a more detailed look at the dark side of the industry be sure to read my article… The Shocking Truth About Commercial Dog Food.

How to Quickly Spot Inferior Meat Meals

Since manufacturers rarely reveal the actual nature of the ingredients they use… two important rules can help you avoid choosing the wrong product.

Stay away from dog foods containing any meat meal that…

  1. Includes the words “by-products” in its name
  2. Fails to identify the specific source animal1

Here are a few examples of inferior meat-based protein ingredients.  Be sure to notice the “generic” names…

  • Meat meal
  • Animal meal
  • Chicken by-product meal
  • Meat and bone meal
  • Glandular meal
  • Poultry meal
  • Blood meal

When you spot ingredients like these… it’s a sure sign you’re looking at an inferior dog food.  Stand clear.

  1. Species-specific animal sources include names like beef, venison, lamb, chicken, etc. ↩
Dog Food Advisor IconThe Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.


  • Dave’s Hounds

    Kortex I highly recommend Ziwipeak – my dogs have really done well on it – I also like Instinct and Merrick BG

  • sandy

    My crew like Merrick, Addiction, Blue Stews, Wellness Stews and Weruva.

  • http://twitter.com/Korteztk Kortez TK

    So, what wet, grain-free canned-foods are the most highly recommended, once we get to the five-star rated foods?  I really like the Weruva line of canned foods.  My 8.75 yo border collie seems to do very well on that brand.  Any other suggestions?  I am always being asked by other dog owners.

    Cheers!

  • nat

    I believe proctor & gamble tests on animals, so I wouldn’t buy California Natural (Natura) or any product by that brand!

  • Michelle

    Oh okay that makes sense. Thanks Mike!

  • http://brotherscomplete.com Richard Darlington

    Joe J

    Our experience is that many dogs get a loose stool due to the grain in the kibble especially if there is a lot of it. The loose stool is almost always cleared up by getting them off grain and white potato, which can also contribute to the problem.

    You might want to try a grain and potato free kibble, (I’m assuming you are not feeding raw – which would also solve the problem) or you can use the raw and dry together, as long as there is no grain or potato in the kibble you mix it with.

    I found at least 6 grain and potato free kibbles, in alphabetical order, by looking down Mike S’s list of dog foods by name. I’ve probably missed a few but the ones I found are:

    Amicus
    
Brothers Complete

    Canine Caviar

    Dogswell Nutrisca

    Earthborn Great Plains Feast

    Natures Variety Instinct

    If this doesn’t resolve the problem in week or so then Candida may be the problem but I think it’s unlikely since your dog is so young.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Michelle… Not sure what you mean here. Are you talking about the link on this page where I mentioned “brands that contain tripe”? That page was actually generated by what’s called a tag search. It was automatically created by placing the word “tripe” in the website’s search box.

    The reason the software doesn’t find it is because the Kirkland canned lamb product is not detailed anywhere on my website. So, the search function can’t find it. Thanks for pointing that out.

  • Michelle

    Hi Mike, I was on your “brands that contain tripe” page and there is one that you missed. Kirkland canned Lamb and rice has Lamb tripe listed as the 4th ingredient. FYI

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Joe J… I’m so sorry to hear about your dog’s chronic diarrhea. You may wish to browse our 4 and 5-star dog food lists for a possible candidate.

    Unfortunately, due to the biological uniqueness of each pet, I cannot provide personalized product recommendations for each reader. For more help, please check out my reviews and visit our FAQ page. Look for the topic, “Help Me Choose a Dog Food”. Or check back for a possible response from one of our other readers. Wish I could be more help.

  • Gordon

    “….and fact intake at a moderate level, should have read “….and FAT intake…..” not fact.

  • Gordon

    Joe J – Think of it from the natural hunter’s perspective….the wild wolf. What foods does it eat? Ungulates, semi digested plant material from the ungulates’ stomachs, berries and seasonal fruits. Various meat muscle, organs, bones, hide and flesh from ungulates make up about 80 to 90% of the wolf’s diet, hence it’s protein intake is very high and fact intake at a moderate level, leaving its carbohydrate intake at a minimal level.

    Now use that philosophy and benchmark to guide you to an appropriate commercial food based the above fact via reading such foods’ ingredients.

  • Joe J

    Hi, i am currently feeding my dog Diamond Naturals Exteme Athlete Dry dog food, because when i got him that is what the people were feeding him. he has pretty much always had diarrhea, and am looking to change his food. He is a German Shorthair Pointer and is a year and a couple months old. do you have any recommendations as for a high protein dog food that would be good for him? should i feed him a different food when i am using him for hunting?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Carin… If your dog is doing well on TOTW, why switch? Unfortunately, due to the biological uniqueness of each pet, I cannot provide reliable product recommendations and comparisons for each reader. You may wish to check back for a possible response from one of our other readers. Wish I could be more help.

  • Carin

    Hi Mike,
    I’m looking for a canned dog food that is easy to digest as I have a dog with a sensitive stomach. I just switched his dog food to Taste of the Wild (which he loves), but I’m thinking that I need to find a new canned food. I had been using Purina Pro Plan Salmon and Rice for sensitive systems. Any suggestions on something that might be better but not give him an upset stomach?

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  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Cindy… If it’s not on the government regulated part of a label, the public has no legal way of being assured the meat comes “from factory farms”. You’ll need to rely on each company’s marketing (websites, etc.) for that information. Please be sure to see my article, “The Problem with Dog Food Reviews“. Wish I could be more help.

  • Cindy

    I am looking for a brand of dog that guarantees they don’t use meat from factory farms, AND that has a high health rating–am I dreaming?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Desiree… Follow Jonathan’s advice about avoiding recipes made with anonymous (generic) meats and fats and you’ll almost certainly be safe. Our 4 and 5-star foods (and most of our 3-star products, too) contain no unnamed animal-based ingredients that could possibly contain these shameful ingredients.

  • Jonathan

    Desiree, all you need to do to avoid the potential of euthanized pets in dog food is not use products with non-specific meat meals and fats. Meat and Bone meal, Meat Meal, Animal Fat, Animal Digest. Most any decent brand of dog food avoid these ingredients.

  • Desiree’

    hi Mike,
    I am sooooo concerned about getting my cats and dogs meats that are not mixed with euthanized animals, dead animals and by-product!!
    So we actually started for our cats, boiling chicken we can even eat from the store. Our vet is now concerned that they are not getting enough vitamins. (so now I am concerned about our dogs too as they get boiled chicken, rice and vegi)
    I want a safe food for them-but want them to get necessary vitamins!
    Any brand recommendations or anything that could help me on this path. I am really new to learning all this stuff and veryyy short on time unfortunately. It is all so frustrating! Please help! =)

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Jackie… Tripe usually consists of the first three chambers of an animal’s (usually a cow’s) stomach. As repulsive as it may seem to us humans, tripe is favored by most dogs and frequently even includes the stomach’s contents, too. Here’s a list of a few brands that contain tripe in some of their recipes. Hope this helps.

  • Jackie

    I wanted info on tripe can food. Is it good for dogs. It smells but my 3 yorkies seem to love it.

  • Jonathan

    Kate, probably none, sooo…

    what are you driving at?

  • Kate

    Hi Mike,
    How many rendering plants have you personally been to?

  • Connie

    California Natural (Natura) was just purchased by Proctor & Gamble, I will not continue to buy this brand as long as they own it! You can bet the quality will be affected.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Kathy… Three Dog Bakery Dog Food is on our To Do list. Still working through our current backlog and will get to this brand in the future. Thanks for the tip.

  • kathy schafer

    Have you checked out the Three Dog Bakery baked dog food? Could you check it out and tell me what you think? It is fairly new and quite expensive.
    Thank you,
    kathy

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Lora… meat meals are nothing more than “concentrated” (and dehydrated) meats. They are probably the most common sources of meat in most (but not all) kibbles. Their quality depends on the grade purchased by the manufacturer. Good quality meat meals can be an excellent part of a good kibble.

    I’ve reviewed hundreds of dog foods on this website (and continue to add new ones here every day). California Natural Grain Free is a brand new offering from the folks at California Natural… itself a line with a proven (and excellent) reputation.

    Since no brand is “perfect” and to minimize the risk of repeatedly feeding (and magnifying) every product’s built-in shortcomings, it’s OK to periodically (and very gradually) “rotate” into other products. Hope this helps.

  • http://dogfoodadviser.com Lora

    I purchased California NAtural- Lamb Meal- grain free version. Curious to know if the first ingredient is Lamb Meal- should I discontinue the use of this brand. I read positive review; however, I do not want my puppy to get sick in te long term if this is made of inferior ingredients.

  • annette bosch

    Sorry to say the bag which i bought is definitely not the same quality as the previous bag. It smells horrible.