I think we can all agree if you have switched your animal to a fresh and raw diet, you did it because you care about what your animal is eating. You want the best ingredients and nutrients for your animals, and want to make sure that they are eating biologically appropriate foods. That is why this topic of 3D and 4D meats is SO important.

Raw Food Sourcing

Raw feeding is a completely different world that feeding your animal processed kibble. You put a lot more thought, time and resources into finding sources for your dogs diet. Unless you feed a prepackaged raw diet, you are finding butchers, farms, stores, and individuals that you can source your meats from. Prepacked raw foods are great diets! But, if you are like me with multiple dogs, it is much more cost efficient to “piece together” your dogs diet from various sources and vendors.

This is one of the biggest questions that comes up in the raw world. Where do you get your meats from, and how much does it cost? All of us who feed fresh and raw have all gone through this struggle. Most of us want to feed the best things possible for our animals, but don’t want to break the bank doing it. It is no secret, you will probably spend more feeding a raw or fresh diet than you would feeding kibble. Considering most grocery store kibbles are pretty cheap, this shouldn’t be a surprise. But, that isn’t to say that raw feeding cannot be cost efficient (more information to come in a future post).

One of the first areas we all search for raw meat supply is the internet. You will find a lot of suppliers, that all have a variety of different products. You will also see a variety of suppliers when scrolling through social media, as most of us always share where we are getting our proteins from. When I first started my journey, I was googling day end and day out on where to get raw meats from. I was brand new to the world, and thought all meat was essentially the same. Man, was I wrong.

How Did I Find Denatured (3D and 4D) Meat?

Through my searches I was making lists of websites, products, and how much they were per pound to compare. I started to come across some websites that I thought were the holy grail. There were meats that were less than $2.oo a pound. I could buy 10lb rolls of ground beef for around $1.50 a pound. I was finding tons of bulk cases for so much cheaper than I was anywhere else. Something just didn’t seem right to me, so I reached out to some of my raw feeding groups about what I found to see if anyone else had ordered from them before. I was so glad that I did. The terms “don’t buy”, “3D’, “4D”, and “denatured” Filled up my responses quicker than I could read them.

What is 3D and 4D meat?

3D– diseased, dying, or downed animals

4D–dead animals

In a nutshell, 3D and 4D meats are from unhealthy animals that processors do not want to waste. Diseased, dying, downed and dead animals are not fit for human consumption, but they are perfectly legal to use in the animal food world.

3D and 4D meats are treated with many chemicals additives to help make them “safe”, aka denaturing. Charcoal is added, in which the USDA allows pet food companies to label meats and products that contain the charcoal laden meat “all natural”.

Here is a list of other USDA approved denaturants, courtesy of Pet Tao

  • Crude carbolic acid;
  • Cresylic disinfectant;
  • FD&C No. 3 green;
  • FD&C No. 1 blue;
  • FD&C No. 2 blue;
  • FD&C No. 3 green, water, liquid detergent, and oil of citronella;
  • Kerosene, fuel oil, or used crankcase oil;
  • ‘Other proprietary substance’ approved by the USDA;
  • Powdered charcoal or black dyes.

“Other proprietary substances” is possibly the scariest of them all. It is unknown chemicals and substances that companies don’t have to transparent about because they are company trade secrets.

Where is Denatured Meat Used?

Denatured meat is used is used in most grocery store kibbles due to the low cost of obtaining these protein sources. But, in the raw food world there are many suppliers who can also source these meats for much cheaper and turn around and sell them for very cheap. In result, they catch the eye of many individuals who are wanting to have cost savings while feeding their animals raw.

How Do You Know if a Raw Supplier is Using Denatured Meat?

Most raw suppliers are extremely transparent in where they get their protein and meats from. Many will even share the exact farms and conditions of where the animals are raised. To be honest, most good raw suppliers have better sourcing for their animals and meats than some of the stuff you are buying in the store for yourself. Most families who run these top notch raw companies are using the same animals and meats that they are selling to the consumers.

Those who are potentially using denatured meat typically never state where there products come from. Their sourcing is typically extremely vague, if you can find anything at all. If you are unsure, reach out to the supplier you are looking to buy from. If they still don’t share their information, or keep it vague, you probably have your answer.

The cost of the meat is also a good rule of thumb; if the prices are to good to be true, it is probably denatured. You will also sometimes see “charcoal additives” under the ingredients or nutrient breakdown, this is a key indicator of denatured meat.

How Do You Stay Away from Companies Who Use Denatured Meats?

Get to know all of the companies you buy from. Talk to others who use them, read about them online, follow them on social media. You can typically tell pretty quickly who is doing the things the safe and healthy way, and who isn’t. There is a wealth of knowledge out there in the raw feeding community. You will repeatedly see some of the same brands, stores, and companies being used by many raw feeders out there. Not to say those are the only trusted raw food companies, but they are a great place to start if you are unsure where to buy from.

Feel free to reach out to their customer service teams. Most of them do a great job of explaining their sources, products, and can make recommendations for your animals specific health needs. They can also help come up with a transition plan if you are making the big change.

Rule of thumb – transparency is key!