What are animal by-products?
By-products mean the ingredient contains the identified meat, plus a wide variety of "secondary" items from meat animals, including some of the internal organs. This term can be used to refer to everything from the trachea to the viscera. These items will never be included in Pet Promise.

What are added growth hormones?
In today's industrialized agricultural system, animals such as beef cows are commonly injected with or fed hormones simply to make them grow more quickly. Although no studies have been done specifically on pets, studies by the U.S. General Accounting Office and Consumers Union have warned of a link between growth hormones and cancer in humans.

What is antibiotic-fed protein?
Disease is always a danger when farm animals are overcrowded as they can be in some of today's industrialized agricultural systems. Animals in overcrowded situations are commonly fed low doses of antibiotics. Although no studies have been done specifically on pets, a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine warned that the maintenance use of antibiotics in animal feed may be sparking an increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria. We source our proteins from producers who do not use these maintenance antibiotics, but instead give their animals ample living space.

What are rendered meats?
Rendered meats are commonly listed as chicken meal, meat meal, and meat or poultry "by-product meal" on the ingredient label of pet foods. By-product meal, for example, includes the cooked and processed remains of the leftovers in meat and poultry processing. Rendered meats may be a source of protein in some pet foods, but will never be included in Pet Promise.

Why no artificial colors, flavors or ingredients?
We want pets to eat as nature intended. Many pet foods contain artificial colors to appeal to the consumer, not the pet. And, because Pet Promise is packed with natural meat and poultry ingredients, we don't need to use such artificial flavors or ingredients to enhance palatability.

Does Pet Promise conduct animal testing?
We are passionate about our mission, Changing the Way Farm Animals Are Raised and Companion Animals Are Fed because we are compassionate about animals on the farm, and in our homes. The two go hand-in-hand.

The Pet Promise mission starts with our family of more than 1,400 ranchers and farmers. We source our protein from farm and ranch families who provide their animals with plenty of open space, room to move, and green pastures. We’re proud that each of our suppliers has a commitment to humane animal treatment.

We know, also, that you are looking to us to provide your companion animals with high quality nutrition. And, we’ve worked with leading nutritionists to develop recipes that meet your pet’s nutritional needs.

The only way to know if cats and dogs enjoy the taste of Pet Promise, and if our products meet their dietary needs, is to consult with the experts…pets themselves. All of our Pet Promise taste testers are kept in humane conditions, with a staff of trained veterinarians and concerned pet care providers looking after their needs. Each pet has plenty of clean living and exercise space, with attention given to their physical needs, as well as their need for socialization.

We use side-by-side product feeding samples to see which product pets enjoy, and we analyze the waste products to determine that Pet Promise meets the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. In this way, we assure that all animals are getting the very best from Pet Promise.

Is there corn in Pet Promise?
Pet Promise is formulated with "corn gluten meal" which is different from the traditional corn grain used by many pet foods. Corn gluten meal is the high-protein part of the corn kernel that remains when the starch, bran, and germ are extracted. It provides a rich source of the essential amino acid methionine, which is important to overall pet health, as well as essential vitamins and minerals. Corn gluten meal is also a highly digestible ingredient.

Corn and corn gluten meal are often blamed as the source of allergic reactions in companion animals. However, corn gluten meal is - in fact - among the least allergenic ingredients for pets. Additionally, according to veterinary dermatologists, corn is not considered an ingredient most often suspected of causing food allergies.

What does rendering mean?
Rendering is a process that uses very high temperatures to "render" the leftovers and waste products of the meat industry into a source of protein for pet food and animal feed. These products may consist of the carcass after meat has been removed for human consumption, and internal organs such as spleens, lungs, and the paunch (undigested contents of stomachs) from slaughter plants. Some types of rendered products can also contain 4D meat.

What is 4D Meat?
4D meats are derived from animals that were dead before slaughter. Pet food material coming from rendering factories may contain 4D meat. 4D ingredients will never be included in Pet Promise.

What are waste products?
These are products left over after most of the meat has been removed from a carcass for human consumption. This would include internal organs not usually consumed by people, such as intestines, spleen and lungs.

What is chicken by-product meal?
Chicken by-product meal contains chicken, plus a wide variety of "secondary" items from chickens, including some of the internal organs, which have been ground or reduced in size and partially dried. It is incorporated into pet foods as a source of protein, energy and minerals, but will never be included in Pet Promise.

How does antibiotic residue get into the food chain?
In industrialized agricultural systems, animals are often fed continuous doses of low-level antibiotics to make them grow quicker and to prevent sickness in animals that can occur from crowded conditions.

What do you mean by "natural"?
Technically, the term "natural" means that no chemically synthesized ingredients are used in the product. Unfortunately, pet food produced with rendered meat sourced from animals raised with added growth hormones and antibiotics can still be labeled "natural." Pet Promise's specifications go beyond the AAFCO standards for product labeled as "natural." The Pet Promise definition of "natural" is product that is made without animal byproducts, added growth hormones, antibiotic-fed protein, rendered meats, or artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. We have a unique system for tracing our meat ingredients to ranchers who do not use antibiotics or growth hormones in raising their animals. Unlike many other products called "natural," we never use rendered meat or chicken meal. We promise that your pet receives only natural ingredients, with added vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Nothing more, and nothing less.

What do you mean by "pure"?
The term "pure" simply describes an ingredient in its natural form. Thus, a label proclaiming "made with pure meat" only means that it was made with meat. Our Promise of Purity is much more. We promise that every morsel of Pet Promise your pet enjoys contains meat ingredients that were raised without added hormones or antibiotics, and that were never rendered.