Jason Broersma wrote:
If you've ever been to a 'rending' plant where they make pet food, you wouldn't consider this a viable option. When they cut up a cow (or whatever), the best cuts are removed and packed, leaving behind the dregs (i.e. the face, head, spinal tissue, etc). Most of the dregs get reprocessed into patties for the fast food industry (really gross). The leftovers from this process get shredded and mixed with animals deemed unfit for human consumption and made into pet food. Bon appetit!
There are really good reasons why I haven't eaten at places like McDonald's or Burger King in a very, very long time. There are even better reasons why I have never eaten pet food. Not even out of morbid curiosity...
I've worked in the meat industry, grew up on a farm, and am not the least bit squeamish about food. That said, I think the "fit for human consumption" is stretched to the limits (and past) of what you would actually be willing to risk. Dogfood must be a whole order of magnitude worse.
In other news, I once ate a freeze-dried liver dog treat. Just raw liver, freeze-dried. It smelled so good. I did not die either, but it was touch and go for several hours I spent in the bathroom engaged in a pair of activities, both known to lead to dehydration. Am I being too cryptic? It wasn't pleasant at all.