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Is horse meat safe and nutritious for my pet's food? How common is it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 7 years and 9 months old | 17 lbs

Hello, thank you Melanie for your reply! I thought that horse plants weren’t reopened in the US? Is horse meat a safe and acceptable/nutritious meat to use in pet food? I thought that it was considered unsafe/unsuitable. How commen is the practice of using horse meat in pet food?Thank you!!

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 17th, 2020

Hello, I'm always glad to help you! I'm not sure about horse plants in the US, but I know they have them in New Zealand where I live. Yes, it is safe and acceptable to use in pet food, there are plants here that process horses for pet food. I *believe* a lot of it is sent overseas. I'm not sure how common it is. I hope this helps!

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