Pork And Bone Meal

Pork processing leaves tissue and bones outside the cuts sold as meat. Renderers cook those materials and separate much of the water and fat, producing a dry ingredient that stores and ships as feed.^6,10

1. 01 // Source Pork tissue and bone A pork meal supplier describes its raw material as swine slaughter byproducts, mainly meat and bone.
2. 02 // Process Cooked Rendering uses heat to cook the material and remove much of its water.
3. 03 // Process Fat separated Much of the released fat is removed, leaving solids that contain protein and bone minerals.
4. 04 // Output Ground meal The cooked solids are ground into uniform particles for a kibble maker to weigh into a recipe.

1. 01

   Adds animal protein

   Rendering removes much of the water and fat. The resulting dry meal adds pork protein without bringing the moisture of fresh pork into the kibble mix.^6,10

2. 02

   Supplies bone minerals

   Bone contributes calcium and phosphorus alongside protein. The formulator must count those minerals when balancing the finished food.^4,5

3. 03

   Uses processing leftovers

   Rendering turns pork slaughter byproducts into feed. A pork meal supplier also markets lower formulation cost and less need for separate mineral sources.¹⁰

How much One dog study tested diets containing 30% meat and bone meal; that experimental amount is not a usual inclusion rate for pork meal.¹

1. Brands say

   The bone supplies calcium and phosphorus

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Bone is a mineral source. Feedipedia's high-fat meat-and-bone-meal table averages 48.7 g of phosphorus per kg dry matter. That shows a real nutrient contribution, but no special bone health benefit, and it is not a pork-specific figure.^4,5

2. Brands say

   Dogs digest its protein well

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Across 8 meat and bone meal samples, protein digestibility in dogs ran from 72.6 to 79.4%. A separate kibble study included rendered beef meal. Neither study guarantees the digestibility of a pork batch.^1,2

3. Owners say

   Pork is safe for every food sensitive dog

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In blinded protein challenges involving 11 dogs with diagnosed food reactions, pork triggered 5 reactions. The study tested pork protein powder, not this meal, but a dog that reacts to pork must avoid pork protein.³

4. Critics say

   Pork and bone meal is just filler

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   It supplies protein and bone minerals, and dogs digested 72.6 to 79.4% of the protein in tested meat and bone meals. The fair concern is variation in bone share and protein quality.^1,4,5

5. Critics say

   Rendering destroys the value of pork protein

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In one dog kibble study, rendering appeared to slightly reduce small-intestinal digestion for poultry but not beef. Pork was not tested, so that study cannot support a blanket claim about rendered pork.²