Do They Really Use Dead Dogs and Cats to Make Pet Food?

by Mike Sagman
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The pet food industry has denied the rumors for years.  Yet the reports just keep coming.  They claim a number of companies regularly use euthanized pets to make dog food.

Sound impossible?

Watch This Short Video… Decide for Yourself

Be sure to pay close attention to the last few seconds.  Then read on to learn how you can reduce the risk of buying one of these dreadful products.

Portrait of a Shameless Industry

So far… I’ve been unable to establish the actual date of this interview.  And admittedly, it’s not exactly the most up-to-date material.

Yet the actual words spoken by the president of the dog food regulatory association are especially chilling.

And if they aren’t enough, I’m still unable to find any current regulation forbidding the use of euthanized pets in commercial dog food.

So, because of this video’s uncaring message… it’s right to be suspicious of the industry… and its products.

How to Avoid Products with the Highest Risk
of Containing Euthanized Pets

To avoid choosing a dog food that might contain dead cats and dogs, there’s only one way to minimize the risk…

Never buy any product made with a generic animal ingredient

Now, by generic, I’m referring to meat-based ingredients which do not specify the source animal.  They use non-specific words like “meat” or “poultry”… rather than the actual species like “chicken” or “beef”.

According to the pet food industry, meat can come from virtually any kind of mammal1.

So, unlike beef meal… which must come from beef… generic meat meal can be legally made from road kill, dead zoo animals, horses, or… dead cats and dogs.

You can learn more about this shameful practice by reading my article, The Shocking Truth About Commercial Dog Food.

  1. Official Publication, American Association of Feed Control Officials, 2008 Edition, Section 9.3, p. 259 ↩
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  • Paw

    why i have pet (rescued) bunnies, i know that the veggies im feeding them are veggies.  my first bunny died after 11 yrs and he is buried in my yard in a proper pine box.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/AI27F257Q57EREZG5MACI6CCA4 Joseph D

    I suggest that you all write letters to the editor  on this   via aauw.org.

  • Mel

    Here is an idea, follow in u.k’s footprint and petition for legislation that mandates that cat and dog food be fit for human consumption!

  • http://www.facebook.com/Toxed2loss Toxed2loss

    Oh, yeah, grain free is mandatory for cats. Their kidneys are harmed by grain. Check out Dr. Becker’s articals on Mercola.com/healthy pets/

  • http://www.facebook.com/Toxed2loss Toxed2loss

    Janine,

    There’s a petition out to stop it. Run a search with the terms: euthanized pets, petfood, petition. It should come up. :-)

  • Kathy

    Janine if you have a Tractor Supply near by they carry a food called 4Health that I was feeding my cats. It is about $7 per 6lb bag but the ingredients are good. I have since switched both my cats to Taste of the Wild which is about $12 per 6lb bag. They did good on both brands but the Taste of the Wild is grain free and has more meat. 4Health is only available at Tractor Supply but more places carry Taste of the Wild. Good luck!

  • Janine

    I’m new to this topic; I just recently heard about this disgusting and horrific practice. I have 6 cats and wonder how I can afford to feed them a better quality food, sans the mystery meat. I perused a few websites with recipes, but I’m not sure I can get my “kids” to eat raw chicken. I welcome any practical suggestions anyone has. Also, how can we help stop this insane, unhealthy practice of using euthanized pets and roadkill in food. Thanks, Janine

  • http://www.facebook.com/Toxed2loss Toxed2loss

    O.k. I couldn’t find the same one I saw last year, but I’ve watched enough horrible graphic videos about euthanized pets in dogfood that I’m literally shaking… I looked for ones posted 2009 or later, as current references. I finally found a related one that presents a broader picture of the problem. It can be found on YouTube, under The Mad Cowboy (parts 1-6). He did a lot of research and included this statement in his summary,

    “Rendering is a $2.4 billion-a-year industry, processing forty billion pounds of dead animals a year. There is simply no such thing in America as an animal too ravaged by disease, too cancerous, or too putrid to be welcomed by the all-embracing arms of the renderer. Another staple of the renderers diet, in addition to farm animals, is euthanized pets – the six or seven million dogs and cats that are killed in animal shelters every year. The city of Los Angeles alone, for example, sends some two hundred tons of euthanized cats and dogs to a rendering plant every month. Added to the blend are the euthanized catch of animal control agencies, and road kill. (Road kill is not collected daily, and in the summer, the better road kill collection crews can generally smell it before they can see it.) When this gruesome mix is ground and steam-cooked, the lighter, fatty material floating to the top gets refined for use in such products as cosmetics, lubricants, soaps, candles, and waxes. The heavier protein material is dried and pulverized into a brown powder-about a quarter of which consists of fecal material. The power is used as an additive to almost all pet food as well as to livestock feed. Farmers call it protein concentrates. In 1995, five million tons of processed slaughterhouse leftovers were sold for animal feed in the United States. ”

    This duplicates the information in many of the other documentaries and reports, just not so horrible to look at, so far. The thing of note that kept coming up over and over was that the FDA allowed diseased, dead, decaying pustulent, putrid and cancerous animals in rendered products. Many of the reports stated that the FDA allowed the collars and tags (Foods Pets Die For, by Ann Martin) and one of the videos was of a news interview with Ms. Martin where she stated a top ranking FDA official told her that. Eeuw! I’ve had enough. Can’t look anymore. Shudder!

  • http://www.facebook.com/Toxed2loss Toxed2loss

    I saw a new documentary that had just come out on this last year. The group arranged lab analysis that found phenobarbitol, bits of metal and nylon fibers. They stated the pets were being rendered collars and all. They also found all kinds of DNA from various other non food animals, which they concluded were roadkill. I got the link from a dog trainer. I’ll see if I can find it…

  • Bob K

    Mike – What would you expect companies and cities to say? It’s all the same once rendered? Its just animal grade used to keep the price of pet foods less expensive? We believe in recycling whenever possible? Its not for human consumption – just pets? If you are concerned then make sure the pet food mfgs. do not used rendered products in the products you purchase?

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Marie… Again, you are clearly mistaken in your understanding. Euthanized cats and dogs are still sometimes and routinely disposed of using small regional rendering facilities throughout the country.

    For example, as recently as 2004 and continuing today (not 20 years ago as you claim), the Los Angeles County Government published a fact sheet entitled “Disposal (Rendering) of Deceased Animals from Los Angeles County Animal Shelters“. This document describes how euthanized animals from county shelters are regularly picked up and rendered by West Coast Rendering of Vernon, CA.

    Although the document clearly denies these rendered products may be sold to pet food companies, there are simply too many smaller municipalities around the country that still participate in this shameful practice.

  • Marie

    Yes, I agree pentobarbital is present in many lower end pet food. No doubts there. Yes, it is disgusting. D:

    However, pentobarbital != cats or dogs.

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Amanda… I know how you feel. However, you can easily avoid worrying about feeding your dog a food contaminated with euthanized pets by avoiding the meat and fat products that can contain them.

    Never feed recipes containing generic (unidentified) animal based ingredients like meat meal, meat and bone meal, meat by-products or animal fat. The words “meat” or “animal” are not very revealing.

    And they’re the most likely components that could potentially contain these shameful ingredients.

    Just check our reviews before you buy. The suspicious items are listed with bright red fonts. Hope this helps.

  • http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/euthanized-pets-dog-food/ amanda

    I simply started looking at pet food recipes for a treat for my dog- not wanting to get her fat. The more I looked into homemade dog food- and researched dog food companies, I am appauled, disgusted, disturbed, and upset that dog food companies can even think of using “Fluffy” (or other helpless critters) to feed my dog! My dog has been raised with cats and loves to play with cats! She would never think of eating one! And yet- there is a great possibility that she is! It makes me sick!

  • Shawna

    Okay, admittedly — I have major moronic moments.. The video I linked is the video here on this page… Sorry Mike — apparently I first saw the video here!

  • Shawna

    Here it is “cattle or sheep or horse – or Fluffy”. What I don’t know is if this video clip is legit? Looks like it is but…?
    http://bullmarketfrogs.com/blog/2010/08/aafco-admits-rendered-pets-in-pet-food/

  • Shawna

    PS — I did watch a video interview of a gentleman in another government agency that states cats and dogs are used!!! I’ll see if I can find the video…

  • Shawna

    I’m not sure about the “20 years” Marie mentions. But, I did read the article regarding cat, dog and horse DNA that she is citing. IMO however, it doesn’t matter what species the pento comes from —- it’s still in the food and still just as dangerous imo (and that of other government agencies not protecting corporate interests :) )..

    “A test, derived to determine source of pentobarbital in pet food, is so sensitive it can identify the species of origin for animal products on a scale of 7 lbs. per 500 tons. Tests find no cat or dog DNA in pet food.” http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm093929.htm

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com Mike Sagman

    Hi Marie… You said, “The FDA routinely tests and had tested commercial pet foods for cat and dog protein and DNA and has not, in any one case, found any trace in over 20 years.”

    Unfortunately, I wish what you said here was true. But it’s not.

    Marie, I can understand your disbelief. I used to feel the same way myself.

    However, there are numerous government documents confirming the presence of euthanized companion animals available (for anyone to access) within the Federal electronic archives.

    For example, in this official 1998 U.S. Government document (updated 10/28/2009), the FDA reported:

    “There appear to be associations between rendered or hydrolyzed ingredients and the presence of pentobarbital in dog food. The ingredients Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), Beef and Bone Meal (BBM), Animal Fat (AF), and Animal Digest (AD) are rendered or hydrolyzed from animal sources that could include euthanized animals.”

    Take a minute to look over the actual FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine report summary entitled, “Dog Food Survey Results – Survey #1, Qualitative Analyses for Pentobarbital Residue” documenting the results.

    Unfortunately, there are many other links posted throughout this website confirming the truth of this issue.

  • Bob K

    Marie – Can you provide something to backup your statement? Perhaps a FDA report or website? How about horses? Lab animals, Zoo animals etc……. What DNA do they find?

    Why does the FDA keep testing for 20 years if there isn’t a problem?

  • Marie

    The FDA routinely tests and had tested commercial pet foods for cat and dog protein and DNA and has not, in any one case, found any trace in over 20 years.

    Euthanized cats and dogs are rendered into fertilizer, however.

  • Shawna

    Hi Rodney,

    I’m not going to get in the whole debate of using pets to feed other pets. I do however want to comment on one aspect of this article – “euthanized” animals.

    Here’s what the US Fish and Wildlife has to say about feeding animals (including livestock) pentobarbitol tainted ingredients.

    Rendering is not an acceptable way to dispose of a pentobarbital-tainted carcass. The drug residues are not destroyed in the rendering process, so the tissues and by-products may contain poison and must not be used for animal feed….

    All pentobarbital-euthanized carcasses should be prominently tagged with one or more highly-visible “POISON” warning labels. Bagged animals should have a label affixed to the carcass itself and also attached to the outside of the bag.” http://cpharm.vetmed.vt.edu/USFWS/USFWSFPentobarbFactSheet.pdf

    Some people have decided that slowly poisoning their pets is probably not a financially wise (if they see a vet when their pet is ill) way to go.

  • melissa

    “It called Nature”

    No Rodney, its called poor pet ownership. Allowing your dogs to run free to kill who knows what, exposing them to potential rabies, getting hit by cars etc. I think Mike P hit the nail on the proverbial head.

  • Mike P

    Hi Rodney. So tiny dogs are not real dogs in your world ? That’s interesting Rodney. I’m glad to hear you at least let your real dogs in the trailor . Real good old boys like you usually keep em tied up outside. Isn’t your Min Pin a little on the tiny side. Oh but he kills Coons and Rodents so he’s cool. What exactly do you feed? Do you actually buy food or do you throw road kill in the back of your truck? You never mentioned to us freaks what you feed. Please let us know…

  • Rodney

    Oh and they kill things because they are ANIMALS. Not like your little SHITzu…real dogs. I routinely find dead rodents or racoons from both my little min pin and my shepard. Both are inside dogs and fed well. It’s called nature.

  • Rodney

    Who cares, their dead. They are gunna feed the worms and maggots anyway. Why not use them to nourish another pet that is currently in loving care in a home? You hardcore pet freaks are so illogical. It’s an animal not a freaking person. If you don’t believe me, message me in 12 years and let me know how Fido or Steven or w/e is doing.

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