(Pet) Food for Thought

[MCwyo]

My workplace saves the oil from our fryers. The oil goes into big 55 gal drums and is picked up by a removal company. Just found out today that the removal company uses the oil from all the restraunts in town for pet food... I am so grossed out. All that fat and grease and salt... no wonder there's so many over sized pets around these days. I woudn't feed that used oil to my worst enemy. Ugh. Makes me want to give my dog a steak dinner :(

[-MARWOLAETH-]

That's messed up

[Stefan-A]

I'd like to know the details of how they use it, before I'd let it bother me.

Oversized pets are caused by their owners. As an owner of an oversized pet, I wouldn't even dream of blaming anyone else for it.

[thamneil]

That is just disgusting! I often wonder about the things that go into prepared pet foods.

[ConcinusMan]

I agree with Stefan. No big deal. You don't know how they use it or what kind of pet foods is used in. Besides, I think the dude is possibly full of it. There's way more money in biodiesel these days and that's what most used cooking oil is used for.

[infernalis]

I'd like to know the details of how they use it, before I'd let it bother me.

Oversized pets are caused by their owners. As an owner of an oversized pet, I wouldn't even dream of blaming anyone else for it.

My dogs get whatever they want, but get several miles of walking, swimming & exercise daily and have no weight issues.

I thought most fryer oil was being used to make bio diesel?? This is the first time I have heard of it being used for pet foods.

[Selkielass]

Yeah, biodiesel and in the past, soap.
Pet food is usually made from meat by products a step (or several steps) below what goes in hot dogs bologna and head cheese.

[d_virginiana]

Yuck. I'm not crazy about that idea, but at least it is food grade. A lot of the components of dog/cat food aren't, sadly...

[Steveo]

If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for my dog.

[RedSidedSPR]

My dogs get whatever they want, but get several miles of walking, swimming & exercise daily and have no weight issues.

Same, he gets anything, and walks/runs daily, no weight problems whatsoever. Actually he's probably the fittest dog I've seen. He also eats multiple kinds of pet food.

I have a friend who feeds healthier stuff to her dog, she's like OCD about it.. but never gets excercise and he's the fattest damn dog you'll ever see.

It's not the pet food.

[ConcinusMan]

If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for my dog.

Well, much of what we eat isn't "good enough" at all.

[MCwyo]

From what I could find out it is sprayed on as a flavoring. True enough that we eat plenty of fried food, but we eat other things too. Dogs only get the same kibble day in and day out. Wasn't trying to stir things up, it just grossed me out thinking about my dog eating that gunk every day. While I was trying to find out more info, I came across this site- Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble (http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/) They look at each thing that goes into the food and explain it. I feed my dog Purina Dog Chow, it got a horrible rating. I may try a healthier food for her as soon as I can afford it. I try to give my snakies a diet that will be healthy for them, I'd like to do the same for my pup.

[ConcinusMan]

As a general rule, any grain ingredient should NOT be the first or even the second ingredient. That's your first clue as to the quality of dog food. The good ones will list some sort of meat first, meat by-products second. Wheat and/or any kind of "gluten meal" should be avoided altogether.

Purina Dog Chow:

http://www.bestdrydogfood.net/images/PurinaDogChowIngredients.gif

[ProXimuS]

Wheat(gluten), and corn are not a great grain to have in the food in general...I feed a raw, grain free diet.

[kimbosaur]

Do you follow the Prey Model? Do you find it messy? I was just about to ask if anybody feeds raw!

[ConcinusMan]

Oh, I've seen "real" raw food for dogs & cats that you can buy rather than prepare yourself so there's no mess there, but it's refrigerated and the prices... ouch.

There's just some dogs that can't tolerate a diet like that either (my pomeranians included) and with 3 of them, plus another dog, it's just not economically practical.

Even though I did just lose one not long ago, after a short illness, to an unknown cause, the remaining 3 poms are 11 and 12 years old but very healthy and active for their ages. They just can't eat "real" food though. It will upset their digestive systems something terrible. There's very few commercial dog foods they can eat as well.

[ProXimuS]

Yea some dogs do have very sensitive stomachs and can't handle those things. My pom had a very sensitive stomach as well, and we fed her Hill's Science Diet until I found out it was bad...:rolleyes: Then I got her on Wellness(before it went commercial) and she did very well with it. She live to be 14:)

Kim, I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm interested! Can you explain(prey model)?

[kimbosaur]

I think there are basically two ways of feeding raw. One is called the BARF diet, and that's where you suppliment with veggies and things like that. The other one is Prey Model, and that's the one where you basically mimic their wild diet as close as possible with 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs.

I was interested but I don't think I have the balls to try and balance everything. Home cooking sounds more appealing for the human, but the same balancing issue for me so my puppy is currently on dry food.

[guidofatherof5]

The barf method. Sounds like the method my X used.:D

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I don't think I want a dog ,they seem more complicated than looking after a baby.

[ConcinusMan]

They're both a pain the...

But you don't get arrested for leaving dogs at home.

[ProXimuS]

I think there are basically two ways of feeding raw. One is called the BARF diet, and that's where you suppliment with veggies and things like that. The other one is Prey Model, and that's the one where you basically mimic their wild diet as close as possible with 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 5% liver, and 5% other organs.

I was interested but I don't think I have the balls to try and balance everything. Home cooking sounds more appealing for the human, but the same balancing issue for me so my puppy is currently on dry food.

I think I see what you mean. What she eats is more towards the prey model I guess. It's Nature's Variety Instinct. It's 95% protein(meat, livers, etc...) 5% fruits/vegetables. I'm thinking about looking into making it myself though...The only issue is that the raw food made for the dogs is treated at very high pressure to kill bacteria and what not. The stufff at the grocery store isn't, because it was intended to be cooked.

[ConcinusMan]

the raw food made for the dogs is treated at very high pressure to kill bacteria and what not. The stufff at the grocery store isn't, because it was intended to be cooked.

It's treated because many of the ingredients weren't or couldn't be kept clean/unspoiled in the first place. And it's not treated to protect the animals, as they don't need such protection. It's treated to keep it from spoiling on the shelf. If you're referring to the raw refrigerated dog food, I don't think the stuff at the grocery store was treated because it doesn't have the same problem as the stuff that was treated. The raw stuff at the grocery store was not intended to be cooked. Dogs don't need the bacteria killed. They could eat food spoiled with salmonella and it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't make them sick like it would do to us. Dogs can eat rotten road kill happily and like it.

[ProXimuS]

By the stuff at the grocery store, I meant like the human meat.....Wait, not human meat, but the meat intended for human consumption:p It's raw, but it is supposed to be cooked, so there is allowed to be a certain percent of salmonella and what not. The raw stuff I feed her is treated, if not for the dogs protection maybe more for the humans that are dealing with the food. I don't feed her that nasty refrigerated crap dog food from the grocery store. Her stuff is frozen. This kind isn't sold in grocery stores, but it is getting picked up by Petco and/or Petsmart, which slightly concerns me:rolleyes:

[MCwyo]

Cleaned the fryers today & made sure I paid attention to the lables on the 55 gal drums where we put the used oil- Platte Valley Pet Food, Inc, located in Scottsbluff NE. So yes the oil is used for pet food. I had been thinking that maybe someone at work gave me incorrect info, after everyone on here was saying that fry oil is usually used for bio fuel.

[d_virginiana]

Cleaned the fryers today & made sure I paid attention to the lables on the 55 gal drums where we put the used oil- Platte Valley Pet Food, Inc, located in Scottsbluff NE. So yes the oil is used for pet food. I had been thinking that maybe someone at work gave me incorrect info, after everyone on here was saying that fry oil is usually used for bio fuel.

Any idea what brands they sell? I tried googling it, but didn't really find anything...

[ConcinusMan]

I don't think they sell any pet food brands or finished product. I think they just do the rendering and supply other companies that make the actual finished pet food. Under their "products and services" it says:

Products & Services

Rendering
Restaurant Grease & Store Meat Scraps
We Pick Up Fresh Dead & Disabled Cattle & Horses

[Selkielass]

Modern version of 'the knacker' sounds like.

[MCwyo]

Ugh... what a horrible, horrible job that would be...

[Selkielass]

'Dirty jobs' has done several episodes at meat and fat rendering plants and pet food processing facilities.
that's about as close as I want to get.
(Working on the dmfbait bait write up. That facility was remarkably fresh and clean, if you don't count worms, castingsand peat as dirty, which I consider 'clean' dirt, like potting soul and wee finished compost.

[ConcinusMan]

I wouldn't want to live downwind from a place like that.:cool:

[Greg'sGarters]

Sickening