Now that the fair is winding down, it's time to get back to regular post!

This week on Tuesday Tech Talk, I felt it was time to re-visit the issues concerning dog foods.  Many of you have seen this information, but it also serves as a reminder.  In the coming weeks, we will dig deeper into which foods we recommend and which ones we don’t.

Animal Digest

What is Animal Digest, and is it good or bad for my dog?

Ever look at the ingredients on a bag of standard over-the-counter dog food?  Some of the ingredients make you wonder.   One in particular is “Animal Digest”.

What is Animal Digest?

Here it is by definition of AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials):

Animal digest is a material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and un-decomposed animal tissue. The animal tissues used shall be exclusive of hair, horns, teeth, hooves and feathers, except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice and shall be suitable for animal feed. If it bears a name descriptive of its kind or flavor(s), it must correspond thereto.

Sounds all fine and dandy.  The problem is, (even though some of the large over-the-counter food companies will defend its use) is that by and large it’s not regulated.  It is supposed to be, but let’s just say it’s at the bottom of the priority list.  Another definition puts it this way: 

Animal digest is a cooked-down broth made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals. Any kind of animal can be included: goats, pigs, horses, rats, etc. The animals can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination.

Here at Frosty Meadow Farms, we avoid it.  However, we will let you be the judge. 

Here are two different websites that examine both sides of the story. 

http://www.dogguide.net/blog/2007/10/ingredient-to-avoid-animal-digest/

http://purinaproclub.com/sportingdog/SportingLibrary/by-products-and-animal-digest.aspx