Salmonella/Other Bacteria and Humans

[Heidigsd]

I call that fear mongering and it really annoys me.

You know what really annoys me Lauri? Is the one-sided anecdotal advise about raw feeding that has been given on this board for many years by people that have absolutely no background/training in veterinary medicine or nutrition. As soon as someone posts something that is not pro raw feeding it gets dismissed.

Collette17n can make up her own mind I am sure with information that represents both sides

Michaela

[msvette2u]

Originally Posted by Heidigsd

You know what really annoys me Lauri? Is the one-sided anecdotal advise about raw feeding that has been given on this board for many years by people that have absolutely no background/training in veterinary medicine or nutrition. As soon as someone posts something that is not pro raw feeding it gets dismissed.

Collette17n can make up her own mind I am sure with information that represents both sides

Michaela

This.
Raw is not the be-all and end-all of feeding. I've seen too many complaints about bad breath, dry coats and dandruff, allergies and rashes, broken teeth and blockages to believe it is.
People need balanced info and raw/vaccine issues are never balanced and always involve hype and hysteria.

[onyx'girl]

What did domestic dogs eat before the invention of kibble? Table scraps~ old food that was probably a bit on the green side and I wonder if the life span was longer because they had strong immune systems.
I've fed raw for almost 7 yrs and knock on wood, my dogs have only had two experiences of gastro illness. Both times it was in November(different years different dogs) and I can't blame the diet on their sickness.
If you feed a balanced diet and take care of cleaning up after you feed, there is no difference in making a meal for humans using meat or feeding our dogs raw meat.
I've never had bad breath, dry coat, or rash, broken teeth. Allergies, yes, but this is one of the reasons I went with raw, so I could be sure exactly what my dog was ingesting. She ended up being allergic to dust mites and grasses, with a bit of sensitivity to chicken and fish.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by Heidigsd

You know what really annoys me Lauri? Is the one-sided anecdotal advise ...

I wouldn't call over a decade of experience feeding raw to over 20 dogs (including old, young, healthy, seriously unhealthy and 7 dogs weaned directly to raw and never tasting kibble) 'anecdotal'.

I do not consider raw to be the 'end-all, be-all' or the only way to feed. I personally think it's the best way to feed but I don't push it on people.

When people ask about raw I give them my personal experiences.

If raw meat were SO dangerous why aren't there more illness/death among butchers, meat packers, slaughter house workers and so on? Those people handle a TON more raw meat than we ever will.

[BowWowMeow]

Salmonella bacteria is found in many different foods. Here's a list from the CDC of recent salmonella outbreaks. You will notice the most recent one was linked to peanut butter and two others were linked to fruit. You will also notice dog kibble on the list. In the dog kibble case, humans who handled the infected kibble were getting sick.

http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/outbreaks.html

[Lauri & The Gang]

And just so people know there's a risk with kibble as well ...

CDC - Information for Pet Owners - Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infantis Infections

[BowWowMeow]

Originally Posted by Lauri & The Gang

And just so people know there's a risk with kibble as well ...

CDC - Information for Pet Owners - Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infantis Infections

Beat you to it, Lauri. Read my post above yours.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by BowWowMeow

Beat you to it, Lauri. Read my post above yours.

Ya got me.

I let my dogs lick me on (and sometimes IN) my mouth after they eat.

I sure don't do that after they've licked their rear ends! Or the cats' rears.

[Heidigsd]

And just so people know there's a risk with kibble as well ...

CDC - Information for Pet Owners - Multistate Outbreak of Salmonella Infantis Infections

I think people are aware of this, it's not a big secret.

The problem with the anectodal advise that is given here is that it is very one-sided and any risk a raw meat diet poses is quickly dismissed. Just because people repeat something over and over doesn't make it true.

There is lots of information from reputable sources advising against feeding raw but it's never presented. People can make up their own minds about how/what to feed their dogs and the risk they are willing to take but should have both sides of the argument. And I for one, prefer to get my information from a reputable source and not a bunch of people that think "Yahoo" is a university.

Raw food diets in companion animals: A critical review

Raw diets: Do they make you want to BARF? (Proceedings) - Veterinary Healthcare

Raw Diets - Veterinary Community Blog post - Find it all here.

[Jax08]

Personally, I think there is a lot of fear mongering on both sides of the table.

There are risks involved regardless of how you feed. Salmonella in the kibble, poison in the China made treats, bacteria shed in the stool of RAW fed dogs.

A RAW diet done poorly, IMO, is worse than the cheapest Ol Roy dog food.

Originally Posted by Heidigsd

. And I for one, prefer to get my information from a reputable source and not a bunch of people that think "Yahoo" is a university.
.

And I can't even tell you how insulting and offensive ^^^ is. Do you really think we just looked on yahoo and tossed a slab of meat to our animals and called it good?

I know what a RAW diet, done properly, has done for my cat with IBD with not a single issue since he was switched to RAW, my 13 yr old Boxer who is the second oldest Boxer my very conventional vet practice has ever seen and the vet who contributed her longevity to dietary changes (RAW diet) that we made two years ago, and my German Shepherd.

I know how much research I've done and how many spreadsheets I have to track nutrients. And I didn't get that info from Yahoo University.