Blood and blood products. Sometimes we simply have to stop and ask ourselves — are some of these dog food ingredients for real?
Actually, they are. On pet food labels it’s not unusual to find items like:
- Animal plasma
- Blood meal
- Dried blood
In dog food, blood products can be controversial.
Although some argue blood is a natural part of a dog’s ancestral diet, many are disturbed to find these items listed on a label.
A By-Product of
the Meat Packing Industry
Although some companies insist blood meal is a high quality source of animal protein, this particular pet food ingredient is actually a by-product of slaughterhouse waste.
Because blood products can carry BSE (mad cow disease), the FDA has banned their use in making feed for cud-chewing livestock.
However, so long as these products come from pork (or horses), blood can still be used to make cattle feed.1
Although no cases of BSE have ever been reported in dogs, cats are susceptible to their own version of mad cow disease — a deadly disease known as FSE.2
And that’s what seems to worry most opponents.
Dog Food — or Plant Food?
The truth is, blood meal is more commonly used as a fertilizer to feed crops. Not dogs.
Just the same, many dog food companies insist animal plasma and blood meal add quality nutrition to a commercial dog food.
That’s because blood-based ingredients like these are not only rich in protein, they’re also low in ash.
So, as long as the source of these uncommon ingredients can be identified, they can still be considered safe and nutritious.
In any case, blood products are certainly controversial enough to qualify them to be highlighted on a dog food ingredient list.