rehctub,

That's a bit like when I was a child and didn't want to eat the food that was put in front of me: "The starving children in India would like to have such nice food" (or words to that effect).
The reply that Mum could give it to them didn't wash.

There are distribution problems and having worked in the dry pet food industry I know that there are problems of hygene and food being fit for human consumption.
We could hardly have a double standard and argue that overseas food relief should use the meat, chicken left overs (as chicken autolisate),second grade grain, blood and bone etc., that goes into the typical dry pet food.

There is one pet food manufacturer who can, at the flick of a switch by the control computer, change the makeup of their product to being fit for human consumption (plus about one hour cleaning portions of the production line) however this provision is only for national emergencies as market and other research has shown that the product would not be acceptable as an ordinary food, particularly by the Governments of recipiennt countries; there is a centain stigma to eating pet food that would have political repercussions.

We used to produce some of the emergency food for breakfast on the night shift; just making sure that the system worked of course.

*There are around two billion people world wide who will have nothing to eat tonight.
Which do you think should take priority!*

There is plenty of food out there to be bought, Rehctub, it
just needs somebody to write the cheque. Care to volunteer? :)

All those euthanized dogs & cats should be recycled into pet food or minced for people in poor countries with basic hygine standards of course. Such waste should be utilized one way or another. Maybe fertilizer.

Belly: I have had to shoot dogs, put broken ones down. Never did it without it hurting me.

I sympathize Belly. I've had the same experience. My dog knew what was going to happen, he came & lay beside me & licked my face then turned around & lay down facing away from me. Yes, I cried like a baby for days but I wouldn't have let anybody else do what had to be done & I feel he knew that.

<All those euthanized dogs & cats should be recycled into pet food or minced for people in poor countries with basic hygine standards of course.>

These animals are used to produce rendered fats, which has uses including a flavouring for pet foods. But remember that such a practice has been suggested as the cause of mad cow disease in England.

http://www.mad-cow.org/~tom/scrapie_human.html

Odd to see pet ownership described as a barbaric practice. If this were so then barbarity would correlate with pet ownership. I have seen studies showing a positive correlation of violent crime with animal cruelty, but the only correlation of pet ownership and violence I know of is the increased pet ownership of victims of domestic violence.

http://cfhs.ca/athome/human_animal_violence_connection/

Fester: but the only correlation of pet ownership and violence I know of is the increased pet ownership of victims of domestic violence.

Ah Ha! So now we know why so many men have dogs for mates.

Fester:“Odd to see pet ownership described as a barbaric practice. If this were so then barbarity would correlate with pet ownership.”

Barbaric has primitive as a meaning so it probably wont be understood until future humans look back and call us such. I reckon they will be correct; Pericles is just way ahead of most of us.

Besides that yep there has been an identified correlation between cruelty to animals and domestic violence or child abuse. That’s why I think RSPCA and child welfare services around the world are hooked up. Either that or there just happens to be money to be made.

I can’t see euthanised pets making good pet food because you’d have to test each animal for disease and that would probably affect the price of recycled pet. Could do it with dead humans though – usually they’ve had health checks beforehand or cause of death is tested anyway.