In a recent article from the Salt Lake Tribune - livestock owners were warned not to feed "cheap pet food to livestock". "Utah's state veterinarian is warning ranchers to avoid giving inexpensive pet food to their herds. Earl Rogers says most pet food has ingredients that could help spread an illness in livestock called BSE. It's against state and federal law to give it to cattle." By the way - BSE is mad cow disease!

Pet food manufacturers deny using any risk meat materials in pet food, however this article proves otherwise. Pet food ingredients 'meat and bone meal', 'meat meal', 'animal digest', and ''by-products' (in any variation) by their legal definition can contain risk meat material that is rejected for use in human foods.

At a USDA meat processing facility - cattle enter the facility and are put in a holding pen for a 24 hour period before being processed. Any animals that are 'down' - meaning they cannot stand - are rejected for use as human food. The concern for human food is that the animal is down because of BSE (mad cow disease) - and all downed animals are supposed to be tested for the disease - again, the intention of not allowing the downed animal into the human food chain is to prevent BSE spreading to humans. The animal would be properly destroyed if shown BSE positive and not put into any food including pet food. That is if it was tested.

State Veterinarians, the USDA, and the FDA are well aware of the possibility of spreading mad cow disease to cattle from eating pet food. Andthey are well aware that pets are eating potentially contaminated pet foods. Mad cow disease has already crossed species to cats and minks around the world. Please avoid feeding your pet foods and treats that use meat and bone meal, meat meal, animal digest, and by-products.