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Old 08-19-2013, 12:07 PM   #4
TresCutePiggies
Owned by Rory & Lane
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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I personally wouldn't. Ever since I discovered some Milk Bones have what is simply listed as "meat" as an ingredient, I vowed my girls would never get even another taste of one as a special treat when a well-meaning person offered something up to them. One of my pup's health issues would prohibit it these days anyway, but the bottom line is anything with simply "meat" listed as an ingredient MAY contain euthanized cats and dogs from animal shelters as a protein source. Horrifying doesn't even begin to cover my feelings on this, not a risk I'm personally willing to take. I encourage you to do your own research too.

I've pasted an excerpt below from: Where?s the Beef? Why your dog should never eat another Milk-Bone or Beggin Strip, and you should avoid the Slim Jims. | Dirty Popcorn.

Quote:
Meat and By-Products

Ever glance at a pet food label and see an ingredient called “meat?” Would you buy anything in the grocery store’s meat section that’s just identified as “meat” on the label? What exactly qualifies as “meat” and “by-products”?

Here’s a hint: The FDA has found pentobarbital (the euthanasia drug) in our pet’s food.

According to the FDA, “meat” for animal feed comes from:

“independent [rendering] plants that obtain animal by-product materials, including grease, blood, feathers, offal and entire animal carcasses from the following sources: butcher shops, supermarkets, restaurants, fast-food chains, poultry processors, slaughterhouses, farms, ranches, feedlots, and animal shelters.” [emphasis added]

AAFCO, the organization that works with the FDA to standardize definitions of ingredients and other things for the pet food industry, broadly defines “byproducts”. Poultry byproducts, for instance can include: “the carcass of slaughtered poultry such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines exclusive of feathers except… as might occur unavoidably…”

But it’s not the feathers – or even the addition of McDonald’s used grease – that’s most worrisome. It’s well documented that the FDA also allows 4D animals – that’s dead (as in roadkill dead), dying or diseased (as in anthrax) or disabled (as in mad-cow paralysis) as well as spoiled or contaminated meat to be used in pet food.
One of the best suggestions I'd gotten about treats was from Rory's board-certified nutritionist. She eats the dehydrated fruits and veggies you can make yourself (too much work for me) or buy in little bags. Blueberries are a good one. I like the Just Tomatoes brand, though the blueberries are called Just Blueberries, for obvious reasons. We buy ours at Whole Foods: Organic - Just Tomatoes, Etc.!.

Cocotherapy also makes some good training treats too. I personally like the Fruit Crunch, Veggie Crunch, and Five Star Organic treats (only one calorie each).

CocoTherapy Fruit Crunch Dog Treats, 100% Fruit Treats for Dogs, Coconut Oil Pet Treats
Cocotherapy Veggie Crunch Dog Treats
Coconut Gingered Pumpkin Five Star Organic Dog Treats by Cocotherapy
Coconut Banana Five Star Organic Dog Treats by Cocotherapy.

All the Cocotherapy treats are USDA certified organic and people can (and do) eat them too.

As far as "dog food" treats, I like the Stella & Chewy's Carnivore Kisses, but these days with the limitations on one of my girls I stick with the fruits and veggies primarily, and I love knowing it is literally human-grade food in there. Even the best pet foods, don't have many ingredients fit for human consumption in them.
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Rory and Lane now have a dog blog, Doggie Debutantes. Find us on Facebook here.

Last edited by TresCutePiggies; 08-19-2013 at 12:11 PM.
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