DogFoodAdvisor is reader supported See how
Dog Food Advisor is 100% impartial and is never paid to promote any brand. But if you buy using links on this page, we may earn a referral fee.
It’s not unusual to find blood meal and other blood products on a dog food label. These ingredients can include:
- Animal plasma
- Blood meal
- Dried blood
Although blood products are part of a dog’s natural ancestral diet, many are disturbed to find these items on a label.
Are Blood Products Healthy?
Blood products are a by-product of slaughter. Yet depending upon their source, they can be a quality source of animal protein.
For example, blood meal can be considered a blood concentrate that contains nearly 300% more protein than fresh meat.
In addition, they’re also low in ash.
Are They Safe?
Because blood products can carry BSE (mad cow disease), the FDA regulates their use in animal feeds.
So long as they are sourced from healthy livestock, blood products may legally be included in pet food.
Although no cases of BSE have ever been reported in dogs, cats are susceptible to their own version of mad cow disease — a deadly disease known as FSE.
The Bottom Line
As long as blood products are sourced from a quality supplier, they can be considered a safe and nutritious addition to any pet food.
Final word
The Dog Food Advisor does not accept money, gifts, samples or other incentives in exchange for special consideration in preparing our reviews.
However, we do receive a referral fee from online retailers (like Chewy or Amazon) and from sellers of perishable pet food when readers click over to their websites from ours. This helps cover the cost of operation of our free blog. Thanks for your support.
For more information, please visit our Disclaimer and Disclosure page.
