Another piece of evidence that proves just about anything is allowed into rendered pet food ingredients.
Thanks to one of you great petsumers out there, we have learned of a news story regarding a Louisiana rendering facility. This time, a “severed hand and foot of a primate” was found at Reigel By-Products (Louisiana Proteins).
Reigel By-Products is described as “a chicken processing plant” in a lawsuit from 2007 (resulting from the death of an employee at the plant).  The same legal document explains the plant “processes animal by-products into meal-like substance which is used in the manufacture of animal feed.”
So how did body parts of a primate end up at a chicken processing plant? Which animal feed manufacturers does Reigel By-Products sell to?
If the food you provide your pet contains ‘meal ingredients’ such as chicken meal, meat meal, by-product meal, or the ingredient animal fat – call the manufacturer and ask them for proof the meal or the fat is sourced solely from USDA inspected and approved meats. Ask them to provide their Pledge to Quality and Origin.
Without solid proof or their Pledge, rendered ingredients could contain the remains of just about any animal including 4D (dead, diseased, dying or disabled) animals. To learn more about the rendering industry, Click Here to read a 2004 report provided to Congress.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com
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Shannon
December 18, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Your article poses the question “Which animal feed manufacturers does Reigel By-Products sell to?”, but does not answer it.
Susan Thixton
December 18, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I wish I knew – no rendering facility will release that information.
Michael Farkas
December 18, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Buster (black lab mix), Coal (my latest addition last year- an unwanted neighborhood outcast that adopted us- Belgian sheepdog mix and a sweetheart) and I wish you a recuperative holiday season, peace and good health for the future. People that do good works (especially for animals that cannot speak for themselves) will be rewarded in heaven. I sincerely believe I will see you there someday. All the best to you and yours.
Summer
December 18, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Michael,
And while we’re on the subject, I thought you might appreciate this quote (one of my favorite, most days) by Fyodor Doxtoyesky.
“Man, do not pride yourself on superiority to animals; they are without sin, and you, with your greatness, defile the earth by your appearance on it, and leave the traces of your foulness after you-“.
Not us of course, and those who read this site!
nancy
December 18, 2012 at 12:20 pm
How do they know it was a primate??……gross….
Kim
December 18, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Nancy, it was probably identified visually. Certainly primate hands and feet don’t look like chicken.
Andrea
December 18, 2012 at 8:01 pm
I read an article about this. They initially thought it was a human hand and foot, so they had it tested. It was then identified as primate.
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Carol Anne Rayson
December 18, 2012 at 2:24 pm
The bigger question here is , “from where did that poor primate’s hand and foot originate ?”- hopefully not from one of the US universities that still experiment on primates and other innocent,terrified animals
Michelle
December 18, 2012 at 8:57 pm
Carol, Yep….my thoughts exactly. And if it ended up in the end product, what unknown toxic chemicals have now been passed on to some unknowing pet.
UrbanCollieChick
December 18, 2012 at 3:55 pm
“A primate.” Hmmmmmm. YOu meannnnnn HUMAN?!?!?! 😮
KathCA
December 18, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Since these renderers collect form shelters, vets offices, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think the animal died at a zoo.
Jennifer Boehme
December 19, 2012 at 9:49 am
I’m just going to start making my own dog food. This just gets worse every day. Don’t they even care what our animals eat!
Dr. Laurie Coger
December 19, 2012 at 7:24 pm
It just gets better and better, doesn’t it? Yet the various pet food companies assure owners their foods are “wholesome” — whatever that means!
Feed your pets whole foods, fit for human consumption!Know what you put in their bowls!
Ruth Ann Foxall
December 20, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Yes, but anymore, fit for human consumption is even suspect. I’m not a fan of Monsanto.
Pinky
February 1, 2013 at 1:57 pm
I am disgusted more often than not on the ingredients in commercial dog food. That is why my dogs don’t eat DOG FOOD. My 12 year old Corgi & 14 year old Border Collie has been raw fed or home cooked for since 2003, they were both very young. My Corgi has never been sick, my border has but she is doing incredible considering she is inbred, came from a puppy mill situation, but she IS 14 and doing well! I wouldn’t feed commercial food if it were given to me for free.
A Lover of Fur Child
January 4, 2022 at 8:38 pm
Putting my dog halfway on homemade raw. I’m hoping once my family sees the results they’ll let me switch him all the way/