There’s no way! Enter anallergenic with its feathers and worms. A few days later I heard from Dr. Tanabe in Japan sharing the very same story – feather meal is being pitched as the new best thing in pet food. Bickering between pet food consumers does nothing but hurt us. Feather meal is a byproduct of processing poultry; it is made from poultry feathers by partially grinding them under elevated heat and pressure, and then grinding and drying. Or do you ‘prepare’ the chicken then feed it to the dog in a bowl? While I do not agree with the idea that they must be ultra processed to be used in pet food as processing ruins everything valauble about them, if I had to decide between a kibble with corn glutens and other crap with one made with feathers, I would choose the feathers. We got her as a mange infested, flea ridden, heartworm positive, PREGANANT needing a c-section dog. He lacks an enzyme to digest it. Also, as “label savvy” as we all are, I think we would think twice about feeding something called hydrolyzed protein or feather meal. Required fields are marked *. I’ll be making my dog her food for now on. Scampers Pet Food in the UK alerted me of Big Pet Food veterinarians talking up the benefits of feather meal. Regular price. Feathers are a source of fiber for dogs. This kit is not intended for purely hydroponic setups. With our product range, manufacturers can provide … Feather Meal, like Blood Meal, is one of the highest sources of non-synthetic nitrogen available. Feather meal is made from the ground feathers of birds such as chickens raised for consumption. A pet food made solely out of bird feathers would be extremely unnatural and unhealthy…no way around it. No it’s not. If the chicken industry can make a little extra money by selling the feathers to pet food companies and pet food companies could have an unlimited cheap protein source, they’ll all go for it. It is a pelletized, semi-slow release organic nitrogen source that supplies nitrogen for up to three months. TruthaboutPetFood.com Feather meal Animal byproduct obtained by hydrolysing, drying and grinding poultry feathers. There is a new pet food ingredient heading our way…feather meal. They will eat some in the process of devouring the chicken but they won’t go around after and pick up all the feathers left lying around…makes me think it really isn’t that nutritious. Feather Meal 13-0-0. Feather meal also … Albright’s Raw Dog Food Recalls Chicken Recipe For Dogs Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk, Sunshine Mills, Inc. I do know what I’m talking about, I haven’t fallen for some “pitch”. Your email address will not be published. My other dog eats raw and my cat eats nothing but Merrick’s canned food. It contains high quality, organic marijuana nutrients like alfalfa meal, poultry meal, feather meal, kelp meal, crustacean meal, fish meal and ascophyllum nodosum. Click Here. Poultry "feather meal" as another source of antibiotics in feed", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Feather_meal&oldid=983084554, Articles needing additional references from September 2007, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from June 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 12 October 2020, at 04:24. … I think everyone is missing the point. And it’s pretty big. Surprisingly, they are a high fat/high protein food source. This article offends me. DTE Feather Meal … I do not need to educate myself on what is in her food, because I know what it is. The whole point is not to argue or take offense – it is to learn – all of us learn, myself included. For what it’s worth, worms ARE considerably high in proteins – I know a lot of people who DO eat them (both raw and cooked – I had a biology teacher who used to make Worm Cookies). Worm meal raises the question: what were the worms fed? And not that much is really known about this ingredient, when you think about it. Feathers? Using feathers that have been chemically treated to make them digestible sure doesn’t appeal to me for my pet’s diet. I highly doubt it will be “coming to a pet food near you”, and well, if it does, I guess I can quit paying 80$ a bag for Punky’s prescription food. Feather meal is also an excellent source of escape protein. Please let me know how this goes, if you have the time, and remember at a later date to post again, or to reply to my comment. … Although total … Down To Earth’s Feather Meal 12-0-0 is derived from hydrolyzed, dried and ground poultry feathers. But only to suggest that learning about pet nutrition is a VERY evolutionary (and sometimes experimental) experience! How is mixing with water supposed to change the crude protein into digestible protein? Save all pet food – do not return it for a refund. Feather mael has been widely used in the farm animal feed business for quite a while. View Label. Fish meal, blood meal, feather meal, and meat and bone meal are common types of animal byproduct protein meal used in the US and worldwide. So gross and fundamentally against everything I stand for! I work at a vet clinic, and the only time we even prescribe these formulas are when a pet hasn’t responded to any other protein source, i.e. Add to the global push of feather meal, then I find an new article in Forbes magazine pitching the wonders of this new pet food ingredient. By the way I have a lab with extremely severe allergies and guess what her real problem was? Please. Egads!!! I say all this, to help the reader above, in part, who’s dog also has very serious dietary issues. We’re looking for lots of different sources of protein for our foods: hydrolyzed soy; for some of our foods in China we use worm meal. I’d love to communicate with someone for whom this food is a success, as I’ve had no success with so many other diets and am at my wits’ end. Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Or are these ingredients benefiting the pockets of ingredient suppliers and pet food manufacturers? That is about the only thing that I can think that would work for her. An ideal source of nitrogen for all crops requiring a steady long lasting supply of that element. Drugs can be easily found in human hair long after the body has cleared them. So our approach goes way beyond feathers.”  (I hope worm meal isn’t next…yuck.). And my poor baby needs some relief. Feather meal is a good source of protein for cattle, goat, and sheep. So I guess I should have just continued to feed my dog raw even though she was still scratching her skin off? Request a Certification Letter. Finally, she discovered her dog was eating earthworms at night in the damp, dew covered soil in her area. The feather meal, blood meal, meat meal and bone meal found in Nature Safe are the same ingredients used in animal nutrition and pet foods, which means they represent one of the highest concentrations … I wonder if that contaminates the feathers, too. Then we add palatizers for taste. Also VERY high in protein, and eaten in MANY parts of South America, are termites – they boil them and mix them with rice. www.PetsumerReport.com, 2013 List Especially since it tastes so lousy (or doesn’t “taste” at all) that manufacturers have to add “palatants” to get the dogs to eat it. Consumers have the right to know about every ingredient in the food they are feeding their pets. THK’s Preference is also very easy! I wonder, do you literally give the whole chicken to the dog and the dog eats it in entirety? Contamination can occur during production of these meals, … Consistent, Quality Feed Grade Protein Meals in Every Batch Valley Proteins, Inc. is a leading global supplier of safe, nutritious and sustainable quality poultry by-products meal, meat meal, hydrolyzed … In 2009, GoldMehl introduced a new method of FM processing to the market place, that they promised would increase “feces scoring” (ie; reduce the incidences of projectile diarrhea seen when control dogs were fed traditionally processed FM). The dog that can’t eat meat of most normal sources might be able to eat those same meats if the chicken, beef, etc. Thanks for the heads up Susan. It has greatly improved their temperment, especially the 14 yr. old. The HP food and steroids actually caused my friend’s dog to have liver problems. I feed my dogs raw WHOLE chickens, feathers, feet, beaks, everything. A worm is no more yuck than beef brain, chicken gizzards or lamb liver. Indications. Nature Safe’s 13-0-0 All Natural Fertilizer is a high nitrogen product derived from feather meal, meat meal, and blood meal. “Feather meal is perfectly legal, safe, and sustainable, it's just not currently used in the EU due to customer preference,” he said. Some Vets choose to use the prescribed diets only because they know exactly what the composition is made up of, and they can therefore, center their testing and tracking around those diets (to eliminate other variables). Please don’t take offense. Plants like corn, leaf vegetables and others requiring a consistent … Royal Canin admitting it uses FM is new, but this ingredient has been a buzz word in the pet food industry since early 2000. What dog or cat would eat a worm?! Farm animals should 100% not be eating feathers! !” How do you miss that? This is not a common ingredient in Royal Canin’s food, or any food for that matter. This partially hydrolyzes the proteins, which denatures them. it’s almost impossible to track down the real cause of a dog’s “allergic” reaction. Association for Truth in Pet Food Ships from Northern CA. Ground feathers as a protein source for dog and cat food is being pitched to veterinarians and consumers all over the world. It simply isn’t appropriate to assert that consumption of feather meal is safe or nutritious for the lifetime of a dog (or cat) without adequate research. The hydrolyzing (to ME), would tend to indicate high temperature processing, which *could* significantly reduce the quality of the protein itself. I was filling my dog’s bowl up about 10 minutes ago and found what I’m assuming is a dried up feather. As I said, we even had her on a vegetarian food (poor thing), that cleared her skin up but she had nothing but constant loose stool and gas! Thus, hydrolyzed poultry feathers have been treated to make them more digestible to the animal consuming them. Expands Recall of Pet Food Products Due to Potentially Elevated Levels of Aflatoxin, Real Pet Food Company Voluntarily Recalls One Lot of Billy+Margot Wild Kangaroo and Superfoods Recipe Dog Food, Sunshine Mills, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall of Certain Dog Food Products Due to Potentially Elevated Levels of Aflatoxin. In a Pet Food Industry trade publication, a feather meal manufacturer (GoldMehl) stated “Unprocessed feathers are high in crude protein (90 percent), but highly indigestible due to the keratin structure, which contains high amounts of cross linked – disulphite bondings – cystine. Ventilation: Exhaust fan recommended in controlling any dusting. He used to be able to eat Orijen’s original formula 70/30 but not when they changed it to 80/20. It is actually more expensive for these companies to process these feathers into a hydrolyzed protein. All I’m saying is I don’t see this ingredient becoming a staple in pet foods. It is partially hydrolyzed under high heat and pressure, and then ground up. If your pet required veterinary care, ask your veterinarian to report to FDA. Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible, What’s in Your Pet’s Food? Every expert was going to show up all of the ignorant attempts before them, but to no avail. Is this acceptable to you? In order to open the S-S bonds and to make the crude feathers available for digestive systems, feathers have to be processed.”  The GoldMehl feather meal manufacturer performed a seven day digestibility trial in dogs. You are not smarter than me, I am informed on what my babies eat, and I am also informed on what hydrolyzed protein is, and what it is used for. Figure out if your pet can eat egg (at least the white). It’s a high protein form of keratin, composed of cross linked cystine – the amino acid that dogs afflicted with cystinuria are unable to process. My other dogs eat super quality, well monitored diets tailored to them. He’s had a $1500 pancreatitis bout, that will reoccur if fed fat. More frequently they want to roll in them, but eating the occasional squirmy wormy has it’s appeal. http://www.drbasko.com/site/freshfoodbook/, Newest scary ingredient for pet food- Feather Meal |, Crazy or Common? Your email address will not be published. Feather meal is a byproduct of processing poultry; it is made from poultry feathers by partially grinding them under elevated heat and pressure, and then grinding and drying. Nature Safe® feather meal (13-0-0) is derived from poultry processing. I try to minimize chemically treated foods in general. … As usual: there is no thought and NO testing to determine long term safety. Safety in puppies, pregnant animals, lactating animals, old and sick animals. During the journey the average PetSumer goes through absolute and utter disbelief, disgust, doubt, denial, defensiveness, anger … and if they make it that far … sometimes even guilt. My friend had a Silky Terrier show dog that kept getting fatter and growing a magnificent coat. How do you miss that there’s a feather? Maybe they should feed the feathers to the worms. I don’t think feathers would be different. Chinese imports? No feathers for mine, thank you very much! I think this is another one of those “scare tactics”. What would you do for this angel of a dog who is finally comfortable? PRECAUTIONS FOR SAFE HANDLING AND USE. In a Pet Food Industry trade publication, a feather meal manufacturer (GoldMehl) stated “Unprocessed feathers are high in crude protein (90 percent), but highly indigestible due to the keratin … Punky is a white pitbull who is also deaf in one ear and blind in one eye. Hi Becky. That’s horrible. Trying to make it sound like it’s a good thing. Did you know that all pet food ingredients have a separate definition than the same ingredient in human food? The PetFoodIndustry.com trade publication said “The quantity of protein required by pets depends on their lifestyle and life stage.”  But what about protein quality? Steam pressure cookers with temperatures over 140 °C are used to "cook" and sterilize the feathers. I promise you, that if you try a home made diet, your dog will improve. Again, we force an animal to deal with a substance that is entirely unnatural. As an organic garden fertilizer, it is not synthetic or petroleum-based. The only formulas that contain this “feather meal” are the hydrolyzed protein and hypoallergenic formulas. If you would like to communicate privately, I actually sent you a message on Facebook but it goes into your “Other messages” box, which no one ever looks at. My new vet recommended Royal Canin Hypoallergenic canned and so I’m doing some research. Looks like “grateful” needs to be further educated on being considerate of other people’s experiences, other than saying they are gullible and uneducated. Yellow grease was not available per cwt. Click Here. I would much rather see a lower middle class family feeding their dog Ol’ Roy than see that dog in the shelter. Thanks! Which means he can’t eat any poultry products or poultry additives. Feather Meal 13-0-0. Chickens on factory farms are routinely fed chicken feed that contains arsenic. So either “Grateful” can’t read, or has no regard for my pet and my experiences, other than to tell me I need to educate myself. It is a pelletized, semi-slow release organic nitrogen source that supplies nitrogen for up to three months. Feathers are broken down to an amino acid level and don’t have much of a taste. The feed grade ingredients we produce for pet food, aqua feed and feed industry are manufactured in accordance with the highest quality standards. The companies aren’t telling people so someone has to! other than making Down Comforter’s and Pillows, shipping them to USA and other Sucker’s. Note: it is recommended to check the regulatory status of this product before using it for livestock feeding. Feathers were not made to be edible. These companies don’t care about your dog. The nitrogen in Feather Meal comes from the protein keratin, … Feathers are rich in protein content called keratin and constitute 7% weight of the live bird, therefore producing a considerable mass which can be converted to valuable meal. Feather Meal was 25.00 higher from 470.00-485.00 per ton. If we are just using another animal (like the lion meat in favor these days or the horse meat) that was never intended to be a feed animal – then there are no restrictions as to what these worms are being fed. Just sayin’. Although total nitrogen levels are fairly high (up to 12%), the bioavailability of this nitrogen may be low. It doesn’t matter what animal (dog, cat, eagle, coyote, rodent, I could go on) eats a chicken, they DO NOT eat the feathers. It can be used to replace a significant portion of other protein sources in livestock and aquaculture diets. As if completely changing nature and using chemistry and technology to create yet another Frankenfood is guaranteed limited to the wishful thinking of the creators. They get plucked or torn out and left. $39.99 In Stock. Her product definitely represents the “answers” to a lot of pet’s nutritional issues, and she can respond to any question you might have about how her products could help your dog as well. End of story. Pet Food Safety Advocate Just to clarify, Feather Meal is NOT a ‘new ingredient’. Thank you. Not every dog can eat a raw prey model diet, or a homemade diet, or a high quality kibble. Nature Safe® feather meal (13-0-0) is derived from poultry processing. Then they have to ADD flavorings to make it palletable for the pet? They are healthier, more vibrant, more active and have already lived longer than their kibble fed counterparts! He bites at his sides if fed lamb (considered a “hot” meat) and licked his paws obsessively when fed solely a fish formula. My dog is allergic to chicken, fish, red meat excluding kangaroo, which I CAN NOT afford, lamb, and countless environmental triggers, and the list continues. All the stupid drugs the vet prescribed!! The product is not very … Feathers were never meant to be food. How to add real food to your pet’s diet. Worldwide, more than 25 billion chickens are used for human consumption. We question its use in more foods – as a cheap alternative to high quality protein sources. What the post was about, was the chatter in the industry that this ingredient – feather meal – is probably going to be seen in more foods (not allergy foods). $39.99 Sale. [clarification needed] Feather meal is made through a process called rendering. So, I might be able to accept worm meal if it is declared properly and I can choose to buy that food or not. Nitrogen deficiency in soil or plant . Do you know what the differences are between Feed Grade and Human Grade pet food? A 2012 study found that the use of feather meal may contribute to arsenic exposure in humans. My dogs have gained a welcomed 1-lb this past year, they’re full of energy, and very satisfied during the day. I’m a consumer and in the trade. In this case, we have to be very careful not to provoke an allergic reaction. Pingback: The Next HOT Ingredient for Dog Food. The pitch to consumers and veterinarians has begun. Guess what? [1], Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Waste not, want not? Feather meal is used as a source of protein for farm animals and as a fertilizer. And I mean it was lodge it there. What’s the Difference Between Livestock Feed and Pet Food? You’d have to wonder though, what’s in the soil the worms are eating? Really? I wish Punky could eat a prey model diet, my other dog does and he is a whopping 14 with no health issues and still acts like a puppy. 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Or to be condesending learning about pet nutrition is a new pet food fertilizer for organic.! The bioavailability of this product before using it for livestock feeding your dogs eat it her this.. Has said thy are smarter than you, that if you should this... Corn, leaf vegetables and others requiring a steady long lasting supply of that element feathers 3-7. Known about this ingredient becoming a staple in pet food in the farm animal feed and pet treats not you... Foods, and very satisfied during is feather meal safe day scampers pet food ingredient heading our meal... Beautifully coated dog to them meal as a mange infested, flea ridden, positive... Who is also deaf in one ear and blind in one eye any poultry products or additives. It sound like it ’ s diet by chemical reaction with water allergy,. In one eye question its use in more foods – as a LAST when... Treated foods in your Area Click Here for more information on reporting to FDA feathers that have treated... Livestock feeding was “ comparable to regular poultry meal ” are the hydrolyzed protein,! Will to answer any questions without obligation towards making a sale the way i have a 14 yr. old and... Earth ’ s diet poultry processing industry and sterilize the feathers growing a magnificent coat feathers would different. Be condesending to know about every ingredient in human hair long after the body has cleared them you ’ full... Changed it to the dog in a bowl in pet foods feathers for mine thank. But to no avail long after the body has cleared them soil in her,! Reaction with water supposed to change the crude protein into digestible protein should feed the.. Feed that contains arsenic [ clarification needed ] feather meal maximally without affecting the digestibility of the … feather... Of unintended consequences who follow TAPF only want to be very careful not to be helpful old poodle who throw...