They sound scary, less than healthy, and certainly not something your beloved pet should have in it’s food dish. By-products? Rejects? The truth, however, goes further than the name. At Mission Creek Animal Hospital, we only recommend quality, research-based diets that are proven to meet the needs of our patients.
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Do you know what by-product really means?

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The name “By-Products” is a universal name, mandated by AAFCO, for consistency in labeling. All it actually means is that the item is a by-product of the human food industry, and not that is has no nutritional value. By-products  cannot be products like feathers, hair, hide, hooves or intestinal contents – these don’t add anything to the nutritional value of the food, and are considered ‘fillers’. In the diets we carry, by-products are often nutrient-rich organ meat, like liver, lungs, kidneys and spleen. These are an excellent source of protein and amino acids, and are more digestable in some cases than muscle meat.

In our increasingly environmentally aware world, taking food meant for humans to feed pets just doesn’t make sense. Animal parts that are not eaten by humans are very digestible tissues, and using these for our pets decreases pressure on our already over-burdened food system. Worldwide demand for chicken meat and eggs has increased over the last 30 years, while production has not kept up.

Our clients strive to do the absolute best they can for their pets, and we do, too. All of our staff feed veterinary diets to their pets at home, and we feel confident that we are offering the best nutrition for our pets.