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Where does our meat come from? And what about germs or parasites in raw meat? These are the two most often asked questions we receive! To make it easier to give you the in depth answer these questions deserve, we have created this special page of our website. If the information given here still leaves you with concerns, please email us with your specific question and we will do our best to answer you as promptly as possible. The popularity of fresh-food diets based on raw ingredients is suddenly soaring. This is great news, as it means more pet owners are becoming aware of healthier alternatives to dry, packaged pet foods! Due to this sudden interest, there has been some propaganda circulating, from the FDA, regarding the tendency of some manufacturers to use what is called "4D meat" in their products. This in turn has led to an influx of inquiries from concerned and educated pet owners, who absolutely have the right to be informed about what goes into the food they are feeding their pets. We want our customers to be assured of the high quality of each and every ingredient that passes through our doors and into our manufacturing facility. All of our meats are USDA inspected and graded for human consumption. Some of our meats are Certified Organic, while others are from smaller farms following the rules for being organic, but perhaps not officially certified. We would never even consider using anything "4D" or less than "good enough for humans" to eat, in any of our products! CHICKEN We are very pleased to be using poultry from Bell and Evans, of Fredericksburg, PA. "The Excellent Chicken" is all-natural, minimally processed, no artificial ingredients, no antibiotics administered, and is fed an all vegetable diet containing no preservatives and no animal by-products. Bell and Evans provides chicken to the Whole Foods and Fresh Fields food chains. You can read more about this supplier, and direct any questions to their representatives, through their website. Click here to visit Bell and Evans online. We use mainly leg quarters, necks and backs, but occasionally we'll add frames, wings, or even whole birds. The ratio of bone to meat is approximately 10-15%. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio of our Chicken Dog Food is 1.3:1. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio of our Chicken Cat Food is 1.7:1. TURKEY We are very pleased to be using poultry from Bell and Evans, of Fredericksburg, PA. Their turkey is all-natural, minimally processed, no artificial ingredients, no antibiotics administered, and is fed an all vegetable diet containing no preservatives and no animal by-products. You can read more about this supplier, and direct any questions to their representatives, through their website. Click here to visit Bell and Evans online. Turkey is a seasonal item from Bell and Evans; therefore, we also use turkey from Eberly. Eberly poultry is certified organic and free-range. Click here to read more about Eberly on their website. We use various parts of the turkey, to provide a good overall combination of meat and bone. The ratio of bone to meat is approximately 10-15%. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio of our Turkey Dog Food is 1.5:1. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio of our Turkey Cat Food is 1.25:1. BEEF Our beef is imported from BSE-free countries such as New Zealand, Argentina, and Australia. These countries raise cattle naturally, with no hormones or antibiotics. The cattle are free-range and grass-fed. The beef we use is in approximately a 95:5 lean:fat ratio. The beef formula is our only recipe that contains no real bones. This is because our equipment is not capable of handling beef bones. Instead, we have included other ingredients rich in calcium to keep the Calcium:Phosphorous ratio where it should be. The ratio is 2:1 in the Dog recipe and 1.8:1 in the Cat recipe. RABBIT The rabbit we use comes from a variety of domestic sources. We do not use Chinese rabbits! The rabbits we use are raised according to strict "natural" standards, with no hormones or antibiotics used. Many of them are grass-fed, where the climate allows for it. All meat is inspected by the USDA and our processors also sell the same meat that we use to restaurants for human consumption. We use the entire rabbit, including bones, as well as liver and heart. We do not use the heads, feet, fur or intestines. Some interesting facts about rabbit meat: it is all-white meat, very lean (95% fat free), and low cholesterol. Furthermore, the type of fat found in rabbit meat is comparable to that in fish, in terms of the composition of the essential fatty acids. In other words, this is a very "heart-friendly" protein source, and makes a great choice for allergic, overweight or sensitive pets. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio is 2:1 in the Dog recipe and 1.8:1 in the Cat recipe. LAMB Our lamb is mostly imported from New Zealand and Australia. No hormones or antibiotics are used, and they are free-range, grass-fed animals. We also have access to a limited supply of locally raised meat, from a certified organic farm in the state of Maryland. We use the breast, which resembles a rack of ribs, and also the flank, which looks similar but contains no bones. The ratio of bone to meat is approximately 10-15%. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio of our Lamb recipe is 1.3:1. GOAT Our goat is imported for us from New Zealand. No hormones or antibiotics are used, and they are free-range, grass-fed animals. We use the entire carcass, including all cuts of meat, all bones, liver, and heart. The ratio of bone to meat is approximately 10%. The Calcium:Phosphorous ratio of our Goat recipe is 1.5:1. Many people are nervous about parasites and "germs" in raw meat. This is once again largely due to negative press. It is simply not true that all meat is automatically contaminated with e.coli and/or salmonella or any other type of germ. Most bacterial contaminations are directly attributable to poor handling and storage techniques. Here in our facility, we practice strict safety precautions and we are stringent about keeping sanitary working conditions. This includes maintaining clean and disinfected floors, utensils and stainless steel work surfaces, and wearing gloves while handling meats. We maintain our work area at a colder temperature, and our meats never rise above freezing temperatures. We even use environmentally-friendly cleansers and disinfectants, along with 200 degree hot water for cleanup. In short, we run our kitchen as well as you run your own, never forgetting that we are responsible for the safety of the products we produce. In addition to the safe handling practices we employ, several of our recipe ingredients do double duty as germ-fighting assistants. Honey is a well known antibacterial (did you know you can heal skin wounds with raw honey?). Apple cider vinegar is active against several types of germs and parasites. And of course garlic is famous for its antimicrobial properties! In addition, we utilize regular internal testing on each batch produced to ensure that no salmonella or e. coli is present. The tests are made for use in human food facilities, with a zero-tolerance for any level of bacteria. If ever a batch test were to return a result other than Negative, that batch of food would be destroyed before it ever got packaged for sale. We also back up our internal testing by periodically submitting samples to independent outside laboratories. We have never had a single positive result in nearly 10 years of producing our products. Now, let's address the concern about the possible presence of salmonella and e.coli despite our best efforts to eradicate them. Your dog, cat, or ferret is a carnivore. Carnivores differ from humans in some important ways on the inside. Mother Nature has designed our carnivorous companions to be able to handle very high levels of "bugs" that would probably make a human very ill. Carnivores have very strong stuff in their stomachs, called hydrochloric acid (HCl). We have this same acid in our stomachs, but it is not nearly as strong (because we don't have any need for it to be that powerful). This acid can take care of just about anything, including parasites or germs that may be encountered in the food. Also, carnivores have a much shorter digestive tract, compared to ours. This means food passes through their systems much more quickly, leaving less time for bacteria to get a foothold and cause problems or illness. Finally, it is important to remember that germs like salmonella and e.coli are everywhere around us all the time. They are part of a normal, healthy digestive system. They are routinely excreted/shed in feces (both human and animal), and this is not cause for alarm. It is normal! They only become problematic when a person or animal with a lowered or compromised immune system comes into contact with a higher than usual concentration. Did you know that the only documented cases of people or animals becoming sick from dog food involve a dry, packaged dog food that contained salmonella? There have also been recalls of several dog treats, such as pig ears, again for salmonella contamination. And don't forget, dogs and cats lick their back-ends (and other body parts) routinely, as well as rolling in or even eating dead birds, rodents, fish, garbage, etc., without contracting illnesses. As long as you use common sense when feeding a raw diet to your pet, the chances of either of you becoming ill from raw meat are extremely small. It is recommended that you use hot, soapy water to wash your hands, wash your pet's dish, and keep your counter top areas and utensils clean. Also, do not leave dishes containing raw foods "out" for any length of time. If your pet does not clean his or her dish at mealtime, either dispose of or refrigerate any leftovers promptly. Of course, if you are feeding Aunt Jeni's Home Made® pet food, there's slim chance of "leftovers!" We hope this information has been helpful to you. We are happy to share freely all information regarding how the things we do could affect you and/or your pets. If you think there is something missing from this page, that you would like to see addressed, please let us know. As always, we wish you and your pets the very best of health! For further reading on this subject: The B-Naturals website, article on anatomy and physiology of carnivores Beginners Guide to Feeding a Raw Diet The Importance of Feeding a Natural Diet Organic Foods: What's the Fuss
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