Let's start this off first of all, with some information on the process of making most kibble, and rendering plants. Here are some very good articles to read to bring you up to speed if you need it:
http://www.jlhweb.net/BOSS/thought.html
http://www.jlhweb.net/BOSS/think.html
And just in case you need a visual (Warning, very graphic images of a rendering plant):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9DTzDfYMxo&feature=related
Products that come from rendering plants are unspecified meat products, such as; Meat Meal, Meat and Bone Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Animal Fat, Animal Digest (of any type), Blood Meal, Fish Meal, Liver Meal, and Poultry Meal.
I was curious. I wondered how many Wal-mart brands have these lovely tidbits in them? So I went on their website and looked at the ingredients of all the dog food that they sell.
The following products contain ingredients that in all likelihood come from rendering plants. Some had more than five unspecified meat products, and some as few as one.
Dog Food
Alpo Come'n Get It: Mixed Grill Beef/Chicken/Liver & Cheese Flavors Dog Food
Alpo Wet: Prime Cuts Savory Beef Dog Food
Dad's Healthy Homestyle: Beef & Veggie W/8 Soft & Crunchy Pieces Dog Food
Dad's Trail Mix: W/Beef/Chicken/Cheese/Bacon & Liver Dog Food
Natural Life: Adult Complete Chicken Protein & Whole Grain Dog Food
Natural Life: Adult Lamaderm Lamb Protein & Rice Dog Food
Natural Life: Puppy Lamaderm Lamb Protein & Rice Dog Food
Purina Dog Chow: Complete & Balanced Dog Food
Purina Dog Chow: Naturally Complete Healthy Life Nutrition Dog Food
Purina Puppy Chow: Healthy Morsels Soft & Crunchy Bites Puppy Food
Purina Puppy Chow: Healthy Life Nutrition Puppy Food
Purina Little Bites Healthy Life Nutrition: Big Nutrition & Taste Dog Food
Purina Healthy Morsels: Healthy Morsels W/Lamb Meal & Rice Dog Food
Purina One Total Nutrition: Adult Chicken & Rice Formula Dog Food
Purina One Total Nutrition: Adult Total Nutrition Lamb & Rice Formula Dog Food
Purina One Total Nutrition: Healthy Puppy Formula Dog Food
Purina One Targeted Nutrition: Large Breed Adult Formula Dog Food
Purina One Targeted Nutrition: Adult Sensitive Systems Dog Food
Purina One Targeted Nutrition: Adult Healthy Weight Formula Dog Food
Purina One Natural Blends: Natural Blends Plus Vitmains & Minerals Chicken & Oatmeal Formula Dog Food
Beneful: Healthy Weight Dog Food
Beneful: Healthy Radiance Dog Food
Beneful: Original Dog Food
Beneful: Healthy Growth For Puppies Dog Food
Beneful: Healthy Harvest Dog Food
Beneful: Playful Life W/Moist Meaty Chunks Dog Food
Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy Large Breed
Iams: Premium Protection Senior Dog Food
Iams: Premium Protection 1-12 Months Dog Food (Only Iams foods to contain unspecified meat product - Fish meal)
Gravy Train: Beef Dog Food
Rachael Ray Nutrish: Premium W/Real Chicken and Veggies Dog Food
Rachael Ray Nutrish: Premium W/Real Beef & Brown Rice Dog Food
Ol' Roy: Dog High Performance Food
Ol' Roy: Dog Complete Nutrition For All Breeds Food
Ol' Roy: Dog Food Krunchy Bites & Bones
Ol' Roy: Dog Meaty Chunks & Gravy Food
Ol' Roy: W/Beef/Chicken/Cheese & Real Vegetables Dog Food
Ol' Roy: Puppy Complete Nutrition With Beef & Chicken Flavors Food
Ol' Roy: Skin & Coat Formula Dog Food
Ol' Roy: Dog Puppy Complete For All Breeds Food
Ol' Roy: Kibbles Chunks & Chews Dog Food
Pedigree: Weight Maintenance For Overweight Or Less Active Dogs Dog Food
Pedigree: Lamb & Rice Dog Food
Pedigree: Senior Dog Food
Pedigree: Small Breed Dog Food
Pedigree: Adult Complete Nutrition Dog Food
Kibbles 'n Bits: Homestyle Grilled Beef Steak & Vegetable Dog Food
Kibbles 'n Bits: Wholesome Medley Chicken Brown Rice Fruit & Vegetable Flavor Dog Food
Kibbles 'n Bits: Original Savory Chicken & Beef Dog Food
Basically ALL dry dog food sold at Wal-mart is suspect. If at all possible I would highly recommend steering clear of any foods there. Iams was notable that the majority of their foods did not contain unspecified meat product. However if you've seen my previous post you'll know why I don't recommend buying their products.
Wal-mart used to sell a brand of dog food called Maxximum Nutrition. This was undoubtably the best Wal-mart brand of dog food you could buy. It had no unspecified meat products, by-products, or artificial colors or preservatives. It cost less than Iams, and you ended up feeding less too. If someone ever asked me what dog food to get at Wal-mart, my answer was always Maxximum. Now, for an unknown reason, Wal-mart has stopped carrying Maxximum in most stores. Why they cut out the highest quality dog food they had to offer is beyond me, but now when people ask me that same question, I don't have an answer, because I would never feel comfortable recommending ANY dog foods sold at Wal-mart now.
You may be wondering why I didn't bother to list any cat foods. I strongly believe that cats should not be fed dry food under any circumstance. Cats are obligate carnivores, who get their main source of water from their food and have naturally low thirst drives. Take moisture away from their food, and you will have major health concequences. I will expand further on that in a later post.
If you currently feed a Wal-mart brand of dog food and are thinking of switching, a great website and tool is http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com. They review most brands of kibble, and give reasons why you should or should not feed them.
That's all for now,
Autumn
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