"Meat is the clean flesh derived from slaughtered mammals and is limited to that part of the striate muscle which is skeletal or that which is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart, or in the esophagus; with or without that accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of the skin, sinew, nerve, and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh. It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears a name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto."

"Meat by-products is the non-rendered,clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone,partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs.It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto."

"Meat Meal is the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood,hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. It shall not contain added extraneous materials not provided for by this definition. The Calcium (Ca) level shall not exceed the actual level of Phosphorus (P) by more than 2.2 times. It shall not contain more than 12% Pepsin indigestible residue and not more than 9% of the crude protein in the product shall be pepsin indigestible. The label shall include guarantees for minimum crude protein, minimum crude fat, maximum crude fiber, mimimum [sic] Phosphorus(P) and mimimum [sic] and maximum Calcium (Ca). If the product bears a name descriptive of its kind, composition or origin, it must correspond thereto."

"Meat and Bone Meal is the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. It shall not contain added extraneous materials not provided for by this definition.It shall contain a minimum of 4.0% Phosphorus (P) and the Calcium (Ca) level shall not be more than 2.2 times the actual Phosphorus (P) level. It shall not contain more than 12% pepsin indigestible residue and not more than 9% of the crude protein in the product shall be pepsin indigestible. The label shall include guarantees for minimum crude protein, minimum crude fat, maximum crude fiber, minimum Phosphorus (P) and minimum and maximum Calcium (Ca). If it bears a name description of its kind, composition or origin it must correspond thereto."

"Poultry By-Products must consist of non-rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera, free from fecal content and foreign matter except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice."

"Poultry By-Product Meal consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. The label shall include guarantees for minimum crude protein, minimum crude fat, maximum crude fiber, minimum Phosphorus (P), and minimum and maximum calcium (Ca). The Calcium (Ca) level shall not exceed the actual level of phosphorus (P) by more than 2.2 times."

"Animal By-product Meal is the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. It shall not contain added extraneous materials not provided for by this definition. This ingredient definition is intended to cover those individual rendered animal tissue products that cannot meet the criteria as set forth elsewhere in this section. This ingredient is not intended to be used to label a mixture of animal tisssue [sic] products."

Commercial Food

Read ingredient labels conscientously and try to find a commercial pet food that is both AAFCO certified and is free of by-products and artifical colors and preservatives (i.e. free of BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, sodium nitrate). Refer to the definitions above if you don't really understand the label. Don't assume that companies with good advertising campaigns and whose foods are sold by your veterinarian are necessarily the best food for your dog. Many people, including veterinarians, are confused about the different terms on ingredient labels. Personally, when I am too busy to do home-cooking, I use Solid Gold, Wysong, or Nature's Recipe, both canned and dry food.

Home-Cooking

Table scraps and "people" food by themselves will not provide your dog with necessary nutrition. However, home-cooked meals which include proper proportions of ingredients such as rice, lean meats, fatty meats, vegetables,bone meal, Vitamin E, and vegetable oil, can provide a balanced diet for a pet. These can be cost-effective and time-efficient if cooked in bulk. Recipes for home-cooking or for using supplements with commercial foods can be found in the book: Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn, D.V.M., Ph.D.,&Susan Hubble Pitcairn.