Animal digest

Animal Digest is a common ingredient used in pet foods. It is material which results from chemical and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of clean and undecomposed 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. [ [http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04/Perhach/PetFood/Ingredients.htm University of Florida, Defining Animal Digest] ]

As defined by the AAFCO, it is produced by chemically or enzymatically treating animal tissue (such as flesh, bone, organs, etc.) from slaughterhouses and other sources, in a process akin to rendering.

Yet another expert defines this as "a cooked-down broth" which can be made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals. The animals used can be obtained from almost any source and no control is in place over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: "4-D animals" (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, euthanized at animal shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on." [ [http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients Dog Food Project - Ingredients To Avoid] ]

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