>Please remember that you should AVOID BY-PRODUCTS.  This means it can be
>made from tissue of dead, diseased, dying or disabled animals.  Consists
>mainly of hooves, hair, hide, beaks, feet, feathers, urine, fecal matter.
>
>Liz T
 
This is not a true statement about by-products, I am sure it it isn't
bad,.  In fact, in the wild the ferret would be eating the whole animal,
getting bone, skin some intestine, or brain, and so on.  It can not
contain diseased animals, or contaminates, these are simply false
statements perpetuated by people who have agendas against the pet food
industry.  If you want you can search for the info through the regulatory
agencies who set the standards.  Don't rely on the web sites that are
preaching you not to feed processed pet food, or the one's set up by the
pet food industry, look for one's that are non-biased or the government
agency pages.
 
Also, not all chicken is the same grade, and you can't assume it is better
just because it isn't chicken meal or by-product, you just have to trust
the company by their reputation, and the quality control they use.
 
"By-products, simply put, are the parts of animals people do not normally
eat.For example, if a chicken were raised for its white meat then the
remaining meat would be considered a by-product.  The by-products used
in pet food are an important source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins,
minerals and essential amino acids.  Like all pet food ingredients,
by-products from animals or grains are safe, nutritious and approved for
use in pet food by federal and state government agencies.  " from
http://www.petfoodreport.com/
 
 and
 
"POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL contains such clean parts as feet, undeveloped
eggs, and intestines, where CHICKEN MEAL doesn't contain such parts.
BONEHEAD advocates the consumer's right-to-know, changing from by-product
to protein is a misguided attempt to mislead the public.  It is also
BONEHEAD's objective to provide a clear understanding of petfood.  The
CHICKEN MEAL guys bashing of POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL is just marketing.
POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL is an excellent petfood ingredient.  Since
chickens are not raised to make petfood, it's highly likely that the
demand outstrips the supply, resulting in poor quality or adulterated
chicken meal".  for more
http://hometown.aol.com/lifegard/petfood/index.htm
 
Patty
[Posted in FML issue 3721]