Dear Dr. Jody: My husband feeds our dog a raw diet. We have a baby on the way and I don’t feel that it is healthy for the baby to be in the same environment as a dog who is on raw food. What information can I share with my husband that might change his mind about raw food?
A recent trend among pet owners is to feed more “natural” diets. These diets often include raw meats. Fans of raw diets state that the processing methods used in the manufacture of commercial pet foods destroy essential nutrients, and that raw foods improve overall health, energy, and coat and skin condition. To date, however, no scientific research has been published that support these claims.
A study published in the 2002 Canadian Veterinary Journal (Can Vet J, 2002 June; 43(6): 441-442) by a colleague of mine in Calgary evaluated the presence of Salmonella in the diet as well as in the stool of ten unrelated dogs being fed a raw food and ten dogs being fed a dry commercial pet food. None of the dogs being fed the dry kibble were shedding Salmonella in their stool, and none of the dry dog food tested contained Salmonella.
Conversely, eight of the ten raw diets did contain live Salmonella bacteria. Three of the ten dogs being fed raw food were shedding live Salmonella in their stool. Even more frightening is that studies have shown that the Salmonella shed in dogs’ stool is often resistant to dishwashing and even bleaching. The results of this study show that raw food is significantly more likely than a commercial diet to contain Salmonella, and raw-fed dogs are more likely than commercially fed dogs to shed this organism in their stool. The fact that all of the dogs enrolled in the study were outwardly healthy demonstrates that dogs can “silently” shed dangerous organisms in their stool without us being aware that the dog is infected. This scary statistic shows how easy it would be for a dog owner to believe that their pet does not pose a threat to their family’s health.
Because Salmonella shed in pet stool is readily transmissible to humans, the data presented in this study should serve as a caution to pet owners who feed raw food, especially households with small children, infants, elderly, or immunocompromised individuals.
In addition to the risk of Salmonella, it is not uncommon for dogs and cats to contract tapeworms from eating raw meat. Even “human-grade” uncooked meat products can contain microscopic tapeworm cysts that can easily mature into adult worms that grow and reproduce in the digestive tracts of our pets as well as ourselves.
Raw food has never been scientifically proven to be superior to commercially prepared pet food in any published study. Because of the significant risks of feeding raw food to our pets, we should think twice when considering such diets for our four-legged family members.
If you would like more information about this published study or on how to choose an appropriate diet for your pet, please contact your veterinarian.
This way of thinking is archaic and usually spouted by dog food companies, it is well known they fund vet. colleges with massive amounts of money. I wonder if you 'sell' kibble? I have always had dogs and have never fed raw - till my latest one. She is 9 years old and the healthiest dog we have ever had. She has never had bad breath (people comment on this) She had a beautiful coat and heals so quickly from any wounds - she is a bird dog and very active.
ReplyDeleteWe have had many grandchildren around and I have never had a thought about them being harmed. I do not know where - other than dog food companies you have got this information, but they are the BIG business that is trying to of course, promote their kibble.
Many years ago dogs never had kibble and things were fine.
Of course we do have the melamine problem with kibble that killed so many dogs (and cats) a few years ago - I'm so glad we missed that one.
Raw food is so healthy and your vocal 'opinion' has set us back ten years! I am so glad I go to a vet in Cochrane who is 100% behind the raw diet. I will be much more pro-active about recommending them - especially now.
Carol
PS: I would like to refer you to this Wickepedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_feeding
There is NO known case of humans EVER contracting salmonella from pets fed raw diets. You really should get your facts straight before you publicise them!
Hard to imagine how a bowl of over-processed dry food with absolutely no variety could compare at all to fresh. Dogs who eat raw food are healthier, smell better, have much cleaner teeth and don't beg and mooch as much (since they are actually satisfied). I've seen the difference and I'll never go back. I wouldn't feed my kids processed food, and now I don't feed it to the dog either...
ReplyDeleteThe proof is in the pudding. Handle the meat the same you would do with your own steak dinner.
Congrats on your new baby!
Great comments! The blog site wouldn't let me attach a long article as a comment, so please see my newest post above for a reply to your feedback.
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