(Pet) Food for Thought

[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 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

[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.