Loose Lips- diet question regarding pork

[mybuddybinks]

Hmmm...i've read so much about diet...but can't seem to find info on feeding pork.

seems to me that i never see pork-flavor canned foods, and have not spotted info about it in the raw food discussions.
can someone clarify the reasons for me?

reason I ask is because Binks absolutely loves the bbq pork we get with our chinese food, or buy at the store
...but i haven't dared let him have any as i
don't have a clue what the carbs might be.

celi

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

BBQ Binks! BBQ KT! I just based my 'is it ok' question on the human studies of 'the other white meat'. KT loves pork and I've also wondered why no pork cat food. There's pork DOG food.

 

[mybuddybinks]

Goggiez getz pork????
kittehs don't???

das jus' wrong!!!

binks

 

[Jacspets]

I've aleays heard pork (for dogs and cats) has higher fat and can continbute to pancreatitis. Though I think those conversations were always centered around bacon or ham, rahter than lean white meat like a pork chop. My instinct is that ribs would not be great as that's not lean white meat.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Ask and Google answers:

Pork is not used in pet foods because in the list of meats that cats AND dogs can digest, pork is WAY down the list.

At the top is eggs, followed by chicken and other poultry. then you have lamb and fish. then you would have your beef and pork. Any company that knows about pet nutrition would realize that putting pork in the food means that it compromises the pets health because even though the package may as 32% protein, because they can't digest pork, they really only absorb 15% of the protein.

Low grade companies like Purina, Pedigree, Iams, Science Diet, etc would use pork but it would most likely be labelled as 'animal' or 'meat'....meaning the company got it from a rendering plant and has no idea what is actually in the food.

So, just for the record, if you do a bit of digging, you will find that this is the correct reason.
Source(s):
I am a pet nutritionist.

And Celi, what kind of sauce is on those Chinese ribs? I'm betting there's something sweet -- hoisin or something that's got carbs in it.

 

[mybuddybinks]

Oh yeah...it's brushed with a lot of sweet sauce.
he's not gonna get any...but it did spike my curiosity about the pork thing.

I knew someone here would have the answer!

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

good question! i never thought about it and wouldn't ever had considered that they couldn't digest it.

on the other hand, i'm trying to imagine binks hunting and bringing down a 300lb pork chop! :lol:

run faster, binks, faster!

 

[Linda and Bear Man]

I think that pork has been in cat food for a while, but has appeared as "meat" or "meat by-products". I see that Rx diets such as Hills and Royal Canin list pork, pork fat, and pork by-products as ingredients. I expect that pet food companies consider cost as a major decision making factor in what goes into the food. Whatever meat is cheapest will go into the food.

I believe that Dr. Lisa includes bacon drippings in her raw food recipe, but gets a variety from a place like Whole Foods which is not preserved with nitrates. For other considerations for pets and humans with respect to raw pork and parasites, see: http://rawmeatcatfood.com/2010/08/16/pork/

I have certainly seen people here using deli ham or luncheon meats to entice their cats to take a pill. Preservatives, sodium, and flavorings should probably be considered if offering pork. A bit of cooked lean pork chop would likely do no harm if given occasionally as a treat.

 

[Michelle & Jetson]

So, prosciutto is out of question? Only asking because Suzy ran off with a slice off a plate I was making for ME - and she seemed to like it very much.
Of course, I was not very happy either, as I only had 4 slices to start with! Oh well.

 

[Amanda]

It's actually finding its way into a lot of high end dog foods - Fromm comes to mind. I was always surprised as I had heard the same things mentioned above...mainly that the fat content was too high.

 

[mybuddybinks]

on the other hand, i'm trying to imagine binks hunting and bringing down a 300lb pork chop! :lol:

he might have pulled one down back when he weighed 19 lbs :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: