Turkey is a common ingredient in dog food. In this article, we’ll explore different ingredients with turkey in dog food.
Contents
Fresh Turkey
Turkey is a large domesticated North American bird.
Turkey in the ingredient list refers to fresh turkey meat and skin with or without bone, from turkey parts or whole carcasses[1].
If the bone has been removed it may be called deboned turkey, if the bone is included it can be called turkey with ground bone.
But “turkey” can not include feathers, heads, feet or viscera.
It’s a less common ingredient than beef or chicken. And lumped together with chicken, it is often labeled as poultry[2].
Turkey provides all the essential amino acids and taurine. It is also a rich source of omega-6 fatty acids.
| Nutrients in 100 g[3] | Turkeya | Chickenb |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 69.1 g | 75.5 g |
| Energy | 201 kcal | 119 kcal |
| Protein | 13.3 g | 21.4 g |
| Fat | 16 g | 3.08 g |
| Ash | 1.1 g | 0.96 g |
| Amino acids | ||
| Arginine | 0.867 g | 1.29 g |
| Histidine | 0.504 g | 0.664 g |
| Isoleucine | 0.502 g | 1.13 g |
| Leucine | 1.08 g | 1.6 g |
| Lysine | 1.15 g | 1.82 g |
| Methionine | 0.374 g | 0.592 g |
| Threonine | 0.636 g | 0.904 g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.551 g | 0.849 g |
| Tryptophan | 0.106 g | 0.25 g |
| Valine | 0.544 g | 1.06 g |
| Fatty acids | ||
| Saturated | 5.31 g | 0.79 g |
| Monounsaturated | 5.02 g | 0.9 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 4.51 g | 0.75 g |
| – Linoleic acid | 4.18 g | 0.55 g |
| – α-Linolenic acid | 0.33 g | 0.02 g |
| Cholesterol | 95 mg | 70 mg |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 145 mg | 12 mg |
| Iron | 1.61 mg | 0.89 mg |
| Magnesium | 13 mg | 25 mg |
| Phosphorus | 115 mg | 173 mg |
| Potassium | 173 mg | 229 mg |
| Sodium | 48 mg | 77 mg |
| Zinc | 2.9 mg | 1.54 mg |
| Copper | 0.093 mg | 0.053 mg |
| Manganese | 0.015 mg | 0.019 mg |
| Selenium | 26.5 µg | 15.7 µg |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 2.3 mg |
| Vitamin A | 0 µg | 16 µg |
| Vitamin E | – | 0.21 mg |
| Vitamin K | – | 1.8 µg |
| Thiamin | 0.048 mg | 0.073 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.134 mg | 0.142 mg |
| Niacin | 1.97 mg | 8.24 mg |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.673 mg | 1.06 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.21 mg | 0.43 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.26 µg | 0.37 µg |
| Folate | 7 µg | 7 µg |
bchicken meat from broilers or fryers
Turkey By-Products
According to the AAFCO, turkey by-products are heads, feet, whole carcasses or viscera[1].
Turkey viscera include the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, crop, gizzard, esophagus, or undeveloped eggs and intestines.
Organ meats are sometimes listed turkey offal or turkey giblets.
Assessing the quality of by-products can be a challenging task, considering the variety of turkey parts used by manufacturers.
The fact that they are not typically consumed by humans is the defining characteristic of by-products.
But it’s no reason to doubt their nutritional value, despite not sounding too appetizing.
In fact, these secondary products are often packed with nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, protein, and fat.
Therefore, it’s crucial to look beyond the stigma surrounding by-products and understand their role in making pet food.
Turkey Meal
Turkey meal offers a concentrated source of protein for dogs.
Similar to any poultry meal, a turkey protein meal can be made from various parts of the turkey, such as flesh, skin, and bones, but not from added feathers or heads, feet, or viscera.
To ensure an adequate mineral content, the AAFCO specifies a maximum Ca:P ratio of 2.2:1 for turkey meal[1].
Turkey meal is made by rendering, a high-temperature processing method, that removes the moisture and separates the turkey fat from the solid protein.
Turkey By-Product Meal
Turkey by-product meal is quite similar to turkey meal. It is also made through rendering but can include heads, feet, and viscera.
Some people may view it as inferior to turkey meal but this is just a matter of industry verbiage. In reality, both ingredients are made from plenty of by-products and are a concentrated form of turkey protein.
While more connective tissues may make the amino acids in by-product meal slightly less digestible, the overall composition of turkey by-product meal can be quite similar to that of turkey meal.
It’s unfortunate, but at the end of the day, we often have no way of knowing which animal protein meals are better than others.
It’s important to note that despite the negative connotations often associated with by-products, they are still nutritious and animal-sourced ingredients for dry dog foods.
Further Reading
[1] AAFCO Official Publication. Chapter 6. Free Access.
[2] Pet Food Production and Ingredient Analysis (PDF). 2020. Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), North American Renderers Association (NARA), Pet Food Institute (PFI)
[3] U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov