Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Raw Feeding Journal – Bacteria and Raw Food
The single biggest concern of anyone contemplating feeding a raw diet has to be the bacteria in raw meat. Sorry, actually it’s second behind, “You actually feed your dog chicken bones?”
Yes there are bacteria in raw meat, just as there are bacteria in processed dog food. Can the bacteria in raw meat hurt a dog? Well it might if your dog already had a compromised immune system or some other underlying health issue. Information or should I say misinformation on the Internet also suggests that a raw diet can promote diseases such as kidney disease or pancreatitis. Actually it is more likely the disease already existed and the change in diet brought symptoms to surface.
In reality, a dog is very well equipped to handle the bacteria in raw food from the moment it hits the mouth and all the way along the digestive tract. In the first place, their salvia has antibacterial properties. It contains the enzyme lysozyme that breaks down the cell walls of bacteria. Their relatively short digestive tract moves food and bacteria through quickly which means the bacteria doesn’t get the chance to sit and colonize. Dogs also have very powerful stomach acids which create an environment that is not conducive to bacterial growth. Sceptics of a raw diet will point out that dogs shed salmonella in their feces – and that’s not limited to raw fed dogs even kibble fed dogs do this – and this is supposed to be proof that these dogs are infected with salmonella. All it really proves is that the dog was able to effectively eliminate the salmonella with no ill effect. I suppose a dog can be a carrier of salmonella but there’s an easy solution to that: don’t eat dog poop and wash thoroughly after cleaning up after your dog. In all the years I have fed raw, not one person in my household, young, old or in-between, has ever gotten sick because my dogs are fed raw. I observe the same sensible washing up routine when cleaning up after preparing their meals (preparing means I throw large chunks of RMBs into a dish). Good hot soapy water and undiluted vinegar to wash cutting boards and utensils.
As I mentioned, even kibble fed dogs shed salmonella and other bacteria. And it’s documented that most of the cases of severe bacterial septicaemia were from dogs fed on kibble or those suffering from reactions to vaccines. I am sure we all remember the instances of commercially prepared dog foods being recalled because of bacteria and moulds that produced a deadly toxin in the food. Sadly this had a deadly effect for a large number of companion animals dying horrible deaths.
So how do we combat the bacteria that surround us and our dogs: use common sense! Be vigilant about cleaning up after your dogs. It really is as simple as that. It’s not your dog that is going to have a problem, it will likely be you. Your dog likely licks his bum, licks others’ bums, eats either his own poop or someone else’s poop, and digs up really disgusting things and eats them. Dogs are designed to handle a far greater bacterial load than we. Plain and simple. Raw food is not going to hurt your doodle.
I suggest those who are contemplating a raw diet and are concerned about bacteria that you read Dr. Tom Lonsdale’s book “Raw Meaty Bones”. In it he puts forth overwhelming and convincing evidence that it is kibble not raw meat that causes bacterial issues. More on this in the next blog. I just wanted to get this installment out there.
Cheers all, Andrea
Yes there are bacteria in raw meat, just as there are bacteria in processed dog food. Can the bacteria in raw meat hurt a dog? Well it might if your dog already had a compromised immune system or some other underlying health issue. Information or should I say misinformation on the Internet also suggests that a raw diet can promote diseases such as kidney disease or pancreatitis. Actually it is more likely the disease already existed and the change in diet brought symptoms to surface.
In reality, a dog is very well equipped to handle the bacteria in raw food from the moment it hits the mouth and all the way along the digestive tract. In the first place, their salvia has antibacterial properties. It contains the enzyme lysozyme that breaks down the cell walls of bacteria. Their relatively short digestive tract moves food and bacteria through quickly which means the bacteria doesn’t get the chance to sit and colonize. Dogs also have very powerful stomach acids which create an environment that is not conducive to bacterial growth. Sceptics of a raw diet will point out that dogs shed salmonella in their feces – and that’s not limited to raw fed dogs even kibble fed dogs do this – and this is supposed to be proof that these dogs are infected with salmonella. All it really proves is that the dog was able to effectively eliminate the salmonella with no ill effect. I suppose a dog can be a carrier of salmonella but there’s an easy solution to that: don’t eat dog poop and wash thoroughly after cleaning up after your dog. In all the years I have fed raw, not one person in my household, young, old or in-between, has ever gotten sick because my dogs are fed raw. I observe the same sensible washing up routine when cleaning up after preparing their meals (preparing means I throw large chunks of RMBs into a dish). Good hot soapy water and undiluted vinegar to wash cutting boards and utensils.
As I mentioned, even kibble fed dogs shed salmonella and other bacteria. And it’s documented that most of the cases of severe bacterial septicaemia were from dogs fed on kibble or those suffering from reactions to vaccines. I am sure we all remember the instances of commercially prepared dog foods being recalled because of bacteria and moulds that produced a deadly toxin in the food. Sadly this had a deadly effect for a large number of companion animals dying horrible deaths.
So how do we combat the bacteria that surround us and our dogs: use common sense! Be vigilant about cleaning up after your dogs. It really is as simple as that. It’s not your dog that is going to have a problem, it will likely be you. Your dog likely licks his bum, licks others’ bums, eats either his own poop or someone else’s poop, and digs up really disgusting things and eats them. Dogs are designed to handle a far greater bacterial load than we. Plain and simple. Raw food is not going to hurt your doodle.
I suggest those who are contemplating a raw diet and are concerned about bacteria that you read Dr. Tom Lonsdale’s book “Raw Meaty Bones”. In it he puts forth overwhelming and convincing evidence that it is kibble not raw meat that causes bacterial issues. More on this in the next blog. I just wanted to get this installment out there.
Cheers all, Andrea
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by LucyR on
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Thank you Andrea. Of course the Delta Society takes a completely different viewpoint on raw feeding. Many people read the so-called information on their site and become anti-raw food believers! Ozzie is a raw food eater and has never been in better health! Go back to kibble...??? NO WAY! Excellent post!
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Delta Society is a National Pet Assisted Therapy Organization. They recently excluded from their therapy programs all raw fed dogs, all dogs who are in a household with a raw fed animal, and all dogs that eat raw meaty bones! Check it out: www.deltasociety.org
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No one has ever become sick that I know of. I think that is the experience of most people. Raw fed dogs were banned by Delta not because someone became sick, but because someone MIGHT become sick. Their evidence, shabby as it is, is based on bacterial content of raw food-not transmission of an illness. They have disregarded the issue of bacteria in kibble. They have been influenced and misled by Purina, a large donor to their organization. Their medical advisory board is also poorly informed and highly opinionated. Most rationale thinking individuals, including vets, can see the ludicrous nature of this opinion...and that's exactly what it is. Not a shred of evidence that raw food is harmful. This point has been argued over many different forums and Delta clings to it's misconceptions!
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