What are Rendered Ingredients in Dog Food?

Ever wondered if the raw meat that you feed your dog is healthy enough? If you should change his diet to rendered meals?

Although, a controversial topic among pet food manufacturers and pet owners, we are here to help you know the truth about rendered ingredients in dog food.

Surprisingly a high-quality meat meal can be more nutritious than whole meat. We say this because it has an abundant amount of protein content than the whole meat used to make it. But if this does not convince you we, know what will.

Read on and know about where you might be wrong with your pet’s diet and how you can easily switch to make it interestingly healthy for your pooch.

What is Rendered Meal or Meat Meal in Dog Food?

Rendering is a process of using high temperature and pressure to cook whole animal meat. This process reduces water content and increases essential proteins and fats in dog food.

For rendering whole meat or meat, by-products are placed into huge vats. They are grounded and cooked for up to several hours to reduce moisture content.

This process also separates fat and kills harmful bacteria and parasites that can lead to infections and allergies in dogs.

The separated fat is animal fat. The remaining is the dried up protein which after rendering becomes a meal. For example chicken meal, beef meal, salmon meal, etc.

This process creates a fine powder of meats and by-product meats. This fine powder is further made into kibbles that dogs crave for crunching.

The research has shown that rendered high-quality meal contains a higher amount of digestible animal protein in combination with necessary nutrients for a dog’s overall growth.

These rendered meals are also easier to digest. They easily fulfill the nutritional requirement of dogs

These processed meals are available in different types that you can choose from.

You just need to consider what your dogs love the most, his age, and the protein it requires. So here’s all you should know.

Types Of Rendered Ingredients in Dog Food

Now that you know why including a rendered meal is a good choice, here are the types of rendered ingredients you can include in your dog’s food.

Every rendered ingredient is either combined with different ingredients to increase its health benefits or to balance nutrients. Read on pick your favorite for your pet friend.

Chicken Meal

The most loved meal by dogs and dog owners is the chicken meal. Not just for its nutritional value but also for its pleasing taste and aroma. As Per wellpet “Chicken meat meals are dry, ground, and rendered clean flesh and skin, with or without accompanying bone. It is derived from parts of a whole chicken carcass, not including chicken feet, feathers, and entrails.”

Dogs love chicken and hence, chicken meal is a pretty good option. It improves digestion, strengthens muscles, joints, and skin. It is also reduces chances of obesity due to a lower amount of animal fat in the chicken meal.

These days even puppy foods like Wholesomes Puppy food contains chicken meal and rice for a balanced diet for your cute little friend.

Beef Meal

If a beef meal is a primary ingredient in dry dog food like Victor select beef meal know that it is a rich source of protein, vitamins, and amino acids.

This helps support strong muscles and provides needed energy to keep your dog healthy.

Turkey Meal

Turkey is loved by dogs but its raw form is not always good for dogs. So a healthier alternative is the turkey meal.

As rendering reduces the water content, turkey meals like Blue Buffalo Basics Turkey Dog Food contain rendered turkey that is rich in necessary nutrients. It contains proteins, riboflavin, and phosphorus that are essential for the dog’s health.

Lamb Meal

Lamb meal, like Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula, when combined with taurine rich ingredients, are a good source of proteins, animal fat, and nutrients required for the healthy growth of dogs.

It improves a dog’s skin and coat, helps build a stronger immune system. Lamb meal is also good for dogs with chicken and beef allergies.

Salmon Meal

Salmon meals are an excellent source of amino acids,omega3 and omega 6. It promotes improvement in skin and hair coat, digestion, immune system, bone health, and metabolic function of dogs.

Hence, dog foods like CRAVE Grain Free adult dry dog food contain salmon meal as a key ingredient.

Pork Meals

Dogs require a higher amount of animal protein for healthy growth. So pork meals like Inception pork meal Wet Dog Food contains a good amount of protein after the rendering process.

Along with protein, pork meals are a good source of amino acids and thiamine, a mineral useful for improvement in cell functioning.

Duck Meal

Dogs that are allergic to beef and chicken, can eat duck meals. Duck meal is helpful in managing gastrointestinal issues and skin irritation in dogs.

Products with duck meal like Lucy Pet Formulas for Life contain a good amount of amino acids and proteins that are beneficial for the digestive health of dogs.

Venison Meal

A venison meal contains a pretty good amount of protein compared to whole venison meat.

It is a good source of vitamin B and minerals like zinc, phosphorus, and iron and hence is the best alternative for dogs allergic to chicken or beef meal.

Whole Meat vs. Meat Meals

Now that you know what rendered ingredients are it is by far quite easier to understand the difference between whole meat and meat meals.

Whole meat contains 70% water and just 18% proteins. Since whole meat isn’t cooked at higher temperatures it often fails to get rid of serious bacterias. This can lead to severe allergies and health issues in dogs after consumption.

Also, whole meat contains a lower amount of essential minerals and protein which leads to an unbalanced diet. Dogs are at higher risk of different protein deficiency.

If not been enough careful dogs can eat the bones present in meat and can break teeth or cause internal damage.

On the other hand, meat meals are dried, grounded, and cooked at a higher temperature. This leads to a reduction in moisture content. Rendering increases the amount of protein present in meat meals.

Meat meals are often combined with different rendered or whole ingredients to either bind the kibble together or balance the nutrients. This reduces the chances of deficiency and health risks. Meat meals are crunchy and chewable and also loved by dogs.

Hence, with the certain risk associated with whole meat, we feel meat meals are a pretty good dietary addition to dog food.

Also, there are certain plant protein meals that you can include in your dog’s diet in combination with animal meals.

They have some excellent benefits for your dog’s health. So here are the few best plant-protein meals you didn’t know about until now.

Plant-Protein Meals in Dog Food

Dogs are omnivores and can easily digest plant-based proteins as well. So why not provide them what they can get the most out of.

These plant proteins when combined with animal proteins provide many health benefits to your dog.

Corn Gluten Meal

Although called corn gluten meal, this isn’t true gluten. It has abundant corn proteins that improve dog’s digestion and prevents bladder stone in dogs.

It is a good source of methionine and cysteine. Corn gluten meals in combination with meat meals like chicken, beef, turkey is one of the best ways to provide a protein-rich diet to your pooch.

Purina ONE SmartBlend is one of the best dog food with corn gluten meals you can get if you want to feed your dog a balanced diet.

Alfalfa Meal

Alfalfa is a medicinal herb that contains amazing vitamins and minerals. It is beneficial for dogs with arthritis and also improves digestion, skin, and coat.

Alfalfa meal also has many anti-inflammatory compounds that prevent cancer in dogs

It is often combined with a chicken-salmon meal for added benefit. Natural Balance Low-Calorie Dry Dog Food is one of the best dog food with an adequate amount of alfalfa for health benefits to the dog.

Canola Meal

Canola meal is a by-product of canola oil. Although a by-product, it contains a lot of proteins and vitamins essential for the dog’s muscle growth. It promotes quick injury recovery and pain.

Since all these three plant-proteins are by-product, you might think if it’s safe for your pooch. Well, yes they are completely safe for dogs and won’t likly harm your pets unless they are allergic to such ingridients.

If you are concerned about by-products meals, you would be surprised to know that by-product meals either plant or animal-based are as nutritious as other meals you find in the market. Here’s what you should know about by-products in dog food.

What are By-Products in Dog Food?

While shopping for dog food, you will most probably come across the term by-product in the ingredient list. But that does not necessarily mean that the dog food is bad or unfit for a dog.

According to Purnia “Animal by-products in dog food and cat food aren’t fillers like most people think. Many believe by-products are low-quality or even inedible parts of an animal, such as hooves, hair or feathers.” This is because by-products are no fillers like most people think. By-products contain nothing like hairs or feathers, wool, etc. unless you are investing in high-quality dog food.

By-products in dog food are basically organ meats like kidneys, lungs, and spleen that is not fit for human consumption but nutritious for dogs.

For more safety byproducts are as well rendered and cooked to kill any harmful bacteria fungus and decrease the amount of water and fat content to make it healthier.

Are by-product meal safe for dogs?

Yes, by-product meals are safe for dogs. By-product meals do not contain any fillers unless you are going for a high-quality brand.

By-products are leftovers that are not safe for humans consumption but are safe for dogs. It has a high amount of protein and healthy fats.

Animal meats at times lack some necessary nutrients. Dogs need nutrients like calcium and vitamin A that are not easily obtained from whole meats.

But by-products meals contain bones and liver. These organs are a pretty good source of calcium and vitamin for dogs.

But it is always mandatory for dog owners to make sure that while purchasing a meat meal or by-product meal they choose high-quality dog foods only.

Meat meals and by-product meals contain different nutrients in different amounts. So here are the most common nutrients obtained from rendered meals in dog food.

Nutrients Obtained from Rendered Ingredients

Rendered ingredients in dog food have certain nutritional benefits that will convince you why you need to make it a part of your pet’s diet. Here are the few nutrients your dog is going to consume from the meat meals that it probably missed while on a whole meat diet.

Proteins

By now you know this well, that rendered meals have a higher amount of protein content as the meat is dried, grounded, and cooked at higher temperatures to reduce water from meats.

This process leads to an increased amount of protein in probably all the rendered ingredients mentioned above. Whether it is a by-product meal or meat meal, it is always a rich source of protein.

High-quality dog foods like Blue Buffalo Dry Dog Food makes sure to include rendered meals in combination with other healthy ingredients to balance the protein content in dog food.

Fat

Dogs have some biological needs and hence need 10 to 15 percent of fats in their regular diet.

Meat meals are often combined with other ingredients that balance the amount of fat. This reduces the chances of obesity in adult dog food.

This balance makes dogs healthier, keeps them active and fit as it provides energy, insulation, and cushioning in the dog’s body.

Vitamins and Minerals

Rendered meals are a good source of vitamins and minerals that dog needs for healthy skin and coat, improved digestion, and better heart health.

Different meat meals contain different nutrients that dogs require and is also combined with other ingredients to maintain a balance.

Hence, each rendered ingredient has unique benefits that will make your pooch healthy compared to home-cooked meats that you have been feeding.

Feeding processed meals to your dogs will fulfill all of their nutritional requirements.

How to Choose the Right Rendered Ingredient in Dog Food?

By now you already know a lot about rendered ingredients in dog food. But there are different options available in the market and it is obvious to get confused.

So here are the points you should consider before adding dog food to your cart.

• Check the ingredients and their benefits for your pooch.
• Focus on the amount of protein, fats, and other nutrients it contains.
• If you find a new ingredient like specific herbs or plant-based proteins that are not very common, consult your vet or feed it in a smaller proportion.
• Verify the age group rendered meal is prepared for and the form of dog food.
• Do not change the diet of your dog all of a sudden. Add rendered food to the existing diet initially so your dog can digest it with ease.

FAQs about Rendered Ingredient in Dog Food

Conclusion

So that was all you should know about rendered ingredients in dog food and why you need to switch your dog’s diet from whole meat to meat meals.

With these amazing benefits and a variety of rendered ingredients, your dog won’t probably miss out on any proteins, vitamins, and minerals he requires for healthy growth.

Consider understanding each ingredient before you include it in your dog’s diet. Hope you find a meal your pooch loves the most!!!

Resources

1. Rendered Products In Pet Food[1]
2. How Pet Food is made[2]
3. Pet Food (What You Need to Know) for Your Pet’s Sake[3]

REFERENCE:

1. John, J. D. (2023, March 3). The Shocking Truth About Rendered Ingredients in Dog Food. DogLikesBest. Retrieved March 3, 2023, from https://www.doglikesbest.com/rendered-ingredients-in-dog-food/