Diseased Animals Processed into Pet Food

I did not realize that diseased animals were processed into pet food. My
question for the group is, how harmful is this practice? I realize that the
thought can only make us shudder, but is such food, as repulsive as it is to
us, ok for pet cats?

I don't want to start a religious war on what to feed our cats, but I do
want advice.

Here's the story: A cow with mad cow disease was discovered at a pet food
company in Texas. I don't suppose the company is at fault, as it caught the
problem and properly reported it. The NY Times story suppresses the name of
the company, but a Reuters article names Champion Pet Foods of Waco, TX.

Please read, and tell me what you think.

Dick

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/30/national/30cow.html

June 30, 2005
Case of Mad Cow in Texas Is First to Originate in U.S.
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
The cow that was found last week to have mad cow disease spent its whole
life in Texas, making it the first domestic case of the disease, the United
States Department of Agriculture said yesterday.

Dr. John Clifford, chief veterinary officer for the department's animal
health inspection service, said DNA tests had traced the herd the cow was
born in. The animal was about 12 years old and did not leave the ranch where
it had been born until it was taken, near death, to a pet food plant in
Waco, Dr. Clifford said.

The animal's age made it likely that it was infected before the 1997 ban on
feeding protein from ruminants like cows and sheep to other cattle, he said.

The Food and Drug Administration, he said, will check the feed logs from the
ranch where the cow was raised and the processing records of plants where
that feed was made to see that the ban was complied with.

The Agriculture Department is now trying to trace any animals born on the
ranch in the same year or in the years before or after, as well as any
offspring of the cow born in the last two years. All will be tested for the
disease, which will mean killing them because parts of the brain must be
scooped out to do the tests.

Dr. Clifford would not identify the ranch, calling that "privileged
information." Nor would he name the pet food plant, explaining that the
department relied on the voluntary cooperation of such plants for brain
samples. They specialize in turning diseased, dying and dead animals into
pet food or into dried meal for poultry and pigs, as well as into tallow,
gelatin and other products.

It is too early to tell what effect the announcement will have on beef
sales. On Saturday, after it became clear that the United States had a
second case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and
that it did not originate in Canada as the first had, Taiwan reimposed a ban
on American beef it had lifted two months ago.

But domestic beef sales and futures prices have remained relatively steady.

Asked whether any other states might ban imports of Texas cattle, Dr.
Clifford said he hoped not. "It wouldn't make sense with the safeguards we
have in place," he said.

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas issued a statement urging citizens to remain calm
and be reassured that they could trust the state's beef.

"I, for one, will continue to eat red meat, and intend to do so later
tonight with complete confidence," Mr. Perry said. He later issued a revised
statement that dropped the reference to his dinner plans but added that
Texas beef was "as safe today as it was yesterday."

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company Home

Dick Peavey wrote:
I did not realize that diseased animals were processed into pet food. My
question for the group is, how harmful is this practice? I realize that the
thought can only make us shudder, but is such food, as repulsive as it is to
us, ok for pet cats?

I don't think there's been any proven cases of "mad cow" in cats or dogs,
but you never know if any will turn up in the future....

Personally, we've stopped eating American beef, but we still feed our cats
Science Diet wet. If "mad cow" can be transmitted to cats, I'm wondering
if maybe the incubation period may be longer than a cat's normal life, or
if it would affect them the same way, or ..... Just speculation until
something's proven, though.

Go here for lots of information:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

Yeah, some of it's biased, but some of it's just straight facts (and some
interesting quotes from Nat'l Cattlemen's Beef Assoc. in one story).

brian
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Dick Peavey wrote:

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company Home


I never even read your post.

If this has gone on, it is illegal! It is cannibalism!

It's illegal, it's how you get mad cow and crazy cat disease

Dick Peavey wrote:
I did not realize that diseased animals were processed into pet food. My
question for the group is, how harmful is this practice? I realize that the
thought can only make us shudder, but is such food, as repulsive as it is to
us, ok for pet cats?

I believe it's referred to as the 4-D's (dead, dying, diseased and I
can't remember what the fourth one is). I think the cheaper brand pet
foods probably don't use very good sources for their food. I think if
you stick with the better companies, it should be fine, or you could
always feed homemade. I feed my cats a homemade diet and they've been
doing really well on it. I recommend for a commercial food Petguard,
Wysong or Wellness.
Here's an article you might find interesting:

http://www.api4animals.org/79.htm

Dick Peavey wrote:
article
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company Home

This is the same thing they was doing with beef cattle;
putting the remnants back into the feed. The result was mad cow disease
Transferable to humans.

"Dick Peavey" wrote in message
...
I did not realize that diseased animals were processed into pet food. My
question for the group is, how harmful is this practice? I realize that
the
thought can only make us shudder, but is such food, as repulsive as it is
to
us, ok for pet cats?

I don't want to start a religious war on what to feed our cats, but I do
want advice.

{snip}

Dick

Not just diseased. All the meat at your local grocery that no one buys on
time? That goes in there, styrofoam, plastic wrap, and all. Hooves, beaks,
legs... aaaaall of the animal goes in. If you see 'by-products' on the
label, that's every part of the animal put into the grinder. Cows treated
for various diseases (with all the doses of antibiotics that involves) go
into the mix. Quite creepy. Downright frightening, when you think about it.

Look for foods that have no by-products on the label. Innova, Wellness,
Eagle Pack, Felidae... iirc, those are all excellent "human grade" foods.
wholecatjournal.com may have more information.

Kalyahna wrote:


Not just diseased. All the meat at your local grocery that no one buys on
time? That goes in there, styrofoam, plastic wrap, and all. Hooves, beaks,
legs... aaaaall of the animal goes in. If you see 'by-products' on the
label, that's every part of the animal put into the grinder. Cows treated
for various diseases (with all the doses of antibiotics that involves) go
into the mix. Quite creepy. Downright frightening, when you think about it.

And patently untrue.

Look for foods that have no by-products on the label. Innova, Wellness,
Eagle Pack, Felidae... iirc, those are all excellent "human grade" foods.
wholecatjournal.com may have more information.

Where do you get your information from? That isn't what by-product is
at all. As for the foods you mention, those foods tend to be excessive
in phosphorus, calcium, sodium, and other things that ARE NOT listed on
the ingredient label. Those foods don't utilize a fixed formula and
are mostly kitten foods (not suitable for an adult or senior cat). Not
to mention that ingredient lists are only listed by the weight of the
ingredient, not by "how much" is in there. The ingredient list doesn't
tell you the quality of ingredient, either. Also, there is NO SUCH
THING as "human grade" ingredients in pet foods. That is simply a
slick marketing ploy designed to appeal to consumers that have
anthromorphic tendencies. Cats eat mice and birds, but I don't see
many humans doing the same thing!

As for whole cat journal, that's a biased source of info to begin with.

" wrote in message
oups.com...


Kalyahna wrote:


Not just diseased. All the meat at your local grocery that no one buys
on
time? That goes in there, styrofoam, plastic wrap, and all. Hooves,
beaks,
legs... aaaaall of the animal goes in. If you see 'by-products' on the
label, that's every part of the animal put into the grinder. Cows
treated
for various diseases (with all the doses of antibiotics that involves)
go
into the mix. Quite creepy. Downright frightening, when you think about
it.

And patently untrue.

Look for foods that have no by-products on the label. Innova, Wellness,
Eagle Pack, Felidae... iirc, those are all excellent "human grade"
foods.
wholecatjournal.com may have more information.

Where do you get your information from? That isn't what by-product is
at all. As for the foods you mention, those foods tend to be excessive
in phosphorus, calcium, sodium, and other things that ARE NOT listed on
the ingredient label. Those foods don't utilize a fixed formula and
are mostly kitten foods (not suitable for an adult or senior cat). Not
to mention that ingredient lists are only listed by the weight of the
ingredient, not by "how much" is in there. The ingredient list doesn't
tell you the quality of ingredient, either. Also, there is NO SUCH
THING as "human grade" ingredients in pet foods. That is simply a
slick marketing ploy designed to appeal to consumers that have
anthromorphic tendencies. Cats eat mice and birds, but I don't see
many humans doing the same thing!

I do. I eat chicken almost every day. And there are people in the world
who swear by roasted rat! ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

As for whole cat journal, that's a biased source of info to begin with.

"CatNipped" wrote:

I do. I eat chicken almost every day. And there are people in the world
who swear by roasted rat! ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

But are they human grade?

-mhd

CatNipped wrote:
" wrote in message
Cats eat mice and birds, but I don't see
many humans doing the same thing!

I do. I eat chicken almost every day. And there are people in the world
who swear by roasted rat! ;

Hugs,

CatNipped

I also don't see many cats taking down chickens, killing, and then
eating them.