Increasingly, dog owners are finding the benefits of feeding raw and fresh diets to their dogs. Two of the most popular raw dog food diets are the Prey Model Raw (PMR) and the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF). While the PMR diet focuses on a primitive, whole-animal approach to feeding, the BARF diet includes natural foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains, dog bones, and raw meat.
In either case, the raw diet depends on using meat as one of the primary ingredients. For example, the list of ingredients used in BARF dog food will include something like:
- 70% raw muscle from lean beef, turkey, fish, eggs, etc
- 10% safe, raw dog bones
- 10% fruits, vegetables, and herbs
- 5% liver meat
- 5% offal or secreting organ meat
- Occasional supplements
While advocates of raw diets for dogs cite superior joint and bone health, better immunity, and healthier skin and coat as some of the benefits, quality ingredients are essential. If you don’t understand the difference between human and pet-grade meat, you could end up hurting your dog instead of helping them.
Does Meat Grade Really Matter?
You love your dog and treat them like a member of the family. You would never give them anything that might cause harm. But simply feeding them meat graded for pet use could make your pet sick or worse.
In 2021, a number of dogs in Victoria became ill and died because of the consumption of raw beef pet meat. At least 24 dogs died from liver failure while many others remained ill and required lifelong medical care. Experts traced the cause to the knackery.
What Are the Differences Between Human Grade and Pet Grade Meat?
There are several significant differences between human-grade and pet-grade meat. For one, pet food is processed in a knackery like the one in Victoria mentioned above. A knackery only slaughters meat that is used for pet consumption.
An abattoir slaughters animals for human-grade meat. Abattoirs are regulated according to Australia’s standard for the hygienic production and transportation of meat and meat products for human consumption. Knackeries are also regulated by Australia’s standard for the hygienic production of pet meat. What you must know is that following the regulations doesn’t always ensure that pet-grade meat is safe. The difference in the regulations at these two types of facilities is what makes pet-grade meat less safe for pets.
Abattoirs strictly monitor meat during the manufacturing process to ensure that they follow regulations. The law also requires these facilities to be licensed and undergo regular inspections. The human-grade meat must pass numerous points of “wholesomeness” relating to things like disease and contamination. Nearly all these result in the meat being condemned. Sometimes meat that doesn’t pass human-grade regulations is used as pet meat.
A knackery also follows some post-mortem observations, many of which the government allows in pet food. Sometimes the carcass is trimmed or frozen prior to passing the carcass as pet grade.
Pet-grade meat encompasses a much wider range of meat products. It might include the worst rendered meat and fat products often from older animal stock. This meat is frequently covered with dangerous preservatives that help cover smells that pets won’t like.
Pet-grade meat might come from any of the 4 D’s:
- Dead
- Diseased
- Dying
- Disabled
Meat from any of these categories is not permitted to be sold as human grade. There is no way of knowing for certain that it is safe. But it is commonly used in pet food without any transparency about the source of meat used.
Gully Road Makes Feeding Raw Dog Food Safe
Gully Road is passionate about providing you with raw and fresh dog food for your pup. We deliver the best quality human-grade, grass-finished beef available in Australia. If you’ve been considering putting your dog on a raw food diet, lack of transparency is no longer an obstacle. You can have our raw dog food packs delivered to your door.
Our furry friends are with us for such a short while. You want to do everything you can to help keep them safe, healthy, and strong. Learn more about our raw dog food for dogs and get started today.
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