The Feather Meal Fluff

Worm meal would be more digestible than feathers. However is more likely to introduce dirt to the mixture also. Feathers are already found in pet kibbles. How is mixing with water supposed to change the crude protein into digestible protein? And with all that processing how then will it be cost effective?

Then they have to ADD flavorings to make it palletable for the pet?

I am sooo happy my furred companions eat a whole prey, raw meaty bones diet and no longer eat ANY kind of kibble! They are healthier, more vibrant, more active and have already lived longer than their kibble fed counterparts!

What goes around comes around. Many long years ago I used to buy 50# sacks of blood, bone and feather meal for my “organic” vetetable garden. Then one day realized that all this stuff comes from factory farms. Egads!!! You can buy a 50# sack of feather meal for $50.00 at the garden supply store.

Another thought. Chickens on factory farms are routinely fed chicken feed that contains arsenic. I wonder if that contaminates the feathers, too. I don’t feed my dog any chicken or turkey pet foods or treats.

To Brittany Dean: I have a 14 yr. old poodle who will throw up chicken within 20 minutes of consumption! He lacks an enzyme to digest it. Which means he can’t eat any poultry products or poultry additives. He will eat grass, and throw up bile, if not fed every morning at the same hour, meaning he has a very acidic stomach. He’s had a $1500 pancreatitis bout, that will reoccur if fed fat. He used to be able to eat Orijen’s original formula 70/30 but not when they changed it to 80/20. Yet his stools are firm when fed a much less expensive brand, but the brand worried me. He bites at his sides if fed lamb (considered a “hot” meat) and licked his paws obsessively when fed solely a fish formula. He was also plagued with skin tags, some which nearly required removal. I say all this, to help the reader above, in part, who’s dog also has very serious dietary issues. I recommend this approach NOT to be critical or to be condesending. But only to suggest that learning about pet nutrition is a VERY evolutionary (and sometimes experimental) experience! During the journey the average PetSumer goes through absolute and utter disbelief, disgust, doubt, denial, defensiveness, anger … and if they make it that far … sometimes even guilt. Commercial PF contains so many elements, including the synthetic vitamins, minerals, colorings, flavorings, etc. it’s almost impossible to track down the real cause of a dog’s “allergic” reaction. Even with the so-called single ingredient PFs. That’s why a Vet will often recommend an owner go back to a basic diet of protein + rice when the dog is very sick. That’s not an optimal diet in any way, but it eliminates so many other dietary variables, that it allows the pet to come back to status quo. It’s only meant to be temporary. Some Vets choose to use the prescribed diets only because they know exactly what the composition is made up of, and they can therefore, center their testing and tracking around those diets (to eliminate other variables).
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I promise you, that if you try a home made diet, your dog will improve. Dogs are much easier to feed than cats. Pick a protein (in my case beef stew meat works great because I can control the fat level) and minimally bake it (15 minutes) so it’s safe to handle. Figure out if your pet can eat egg (at least the white). You can add cooked liver crumbles. Pick a carb (cooked Oatmeal is the easiest) but Sweet Potato also works well. THK’s Preference is also very easy! Steam some green veggies and fruits (aides digestion) and add a little lactose free (fat free) yogurt or kefir to also aid digestion. You may have to take these steps one at a time, building to the eventual full recipe. But your dog will thrive, with less (no more smelly) stools. My dogs have gained a welcomed 1-lb this past year, they’re full of energy, and very satisfied during the day. It has greatly improved their temperment, especially the 14 yr. old. Eventually you can add a pet supplement (Udo’s Pet Essentials is based on organic whole food compounds) so you know your dog won’t be missing anything in the diet.
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Good luck; the people who follow TAPF only want to be helpful. Please don’t take offense.

Using feathers that have been chemically treated to make them digestible sure doesn’t appeal to me for my pet’s diet. I try to minimize chemically treated foods in general.

I don’t mind the worms so much. Surprisingly, they are a high fat/high protein food source. My friend had a Silky Terrier show dog that kept getting fatter and growing a magnificent coat. She kept cutting the dog’s food back and she wouldn’t lose weight. Finally, she discovered her dog was eating earthworms at night in the damp, dew covered soil in her area. I’ve never seen a more robust and beautifully coated dog!

You’d have to wonder though, what’s in the soil the worms are eating? Just like you have to wonder what’s in the feed given the chicken or beef in your dog’s diet. Many commercial feeds for livestock are loaded with things that can cause their meat to affect sensitive individuals. The dog that can’t eat meat of most normal sources might be able to eat those same meats if the chicken, beef, etc. were fed organic feeds without chemical additives or GMO grains. It can go back farther than just the type of meat, it can be the diet given that meat source causing the problems!

I’m completely torn. My dog is a 7 year old mix with the most sensitive digestive system imaginable. Thousands of dollars spent on specialists, naturalists and on every slight chance of hope I could find, just to improve his situation. Every expert was going to show up all of the ignorant attempts before them, but to no avail. Enter anallergenic with its feathers and worms. So gross and fundamentally against everything I stand for! Guess what? It took about 24 hours and he has been perfect ever since. It has been over a year, maybe two years.
He is probably the best dog anyone who meets him has ever known. Collie Briard mix. Handsome, smart and well trained . Now I can’t bring myself to make him sick again and take him off the potentially hazardous and disgusting food. My other dogs eat super quality, well monitored diets tailored to them. I’m a consumer and in the trade. What would you do for this angel of a dog who is finally comfortable? I’m torn.