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Therapy dogs and RAW diet

3K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  Mrs.P 
#1 ·
There is currently another thread where a puppy owner has been told they can't feed RAW to a therapy dog.
We have been considering therapy dog training. Our girl is RAW fed.

The question: Those of you that have/had therapy dogs...Have you heard of this? Is RAW diet prohibited for therapy dogs?
 
#6 ·
Only if you do! ;)

There was a study, down by a dog food company, that came out saying RAW fed shed more salmonella in their feces and could, therefore, make the elderly and immune suppressed sick.

You know...the dog poops, licks his butt, licks his body...the old people lick the dog...and it's all down hill from there.
 
#7 ·
Yes, that is the requirement for the Delta Society here in WA.

As someone who is prone to bacterial infections, I think it's probably a good idea since you are often working in hospitals with immuno-compromised people. The vaccinations thing seems like overkill, since those vaccines have been proven to provide immunity a lot longer than one year.
 
#8 ·
I understand that concept, however there are a lot of people who believe that kibble is sterile and it's not. How many dogs have come down ill from salmonella poisoning from kibble?

I think if you're using proper meat handling procedures, that RAW is probably safer than kibble, it's not sitting around like kibble, and people tend to be much cleaner with RAW (wash bowls more often, wash hands etc)

But that is just my opinion, and I am not a scientist. lol
 
#9 ·
Depends of the group you are with. Here in Canada the St. John Ambulance has a therapy dog program, and they just recently changed their policy to no raw fed dogs.

Really too bad, because I was on a waiting list to get Gryffon in for evaluation, but pulled out because of the new policy. The evaluator who phoned me to let me know of the new policy also feeds raw, and will now have to pull her dogs out of the program also.
 
#10 · (Edited)
ha! that was/is me! The one I have found the most positive feedback from has been Pet Partners. They do not allow a raw diet, their rules are to leave a 2 week gap between raw feeding and any kind of therapy visit. I talked to my vet about it and he isn't a supporter of a raw diet. Not because he said its bad for the dog, but because there have been nutritionalists who aren't linked to any corporation or group that have found it isn't that much better than a good-quality dry food.

I question everything and have a little motto "pseudoscience- not even once". Its so easy to fall into cultural fads these days that I just do my own research. I'm going to meet with some of the professors in the biology department at the university to chat about it later this week.

I don't know how they can tell if he/she is on raw.

EDIT: we have a local nursing home with very sick patients that are ALLOWING us to train in their facility, I will be abiding by the rules of no raw for their sake.
 
#11 ·
Vets have very limited training in nutrition, and what they have is sponsored by pet food companies, so take that with a grain of salt.

There are also HPP raw diets that are sterile, FYI.

Castlemaid, that must have been disappointing, but I'm glad you didn't let some policy stop you from doing what is best for your dogs. Hopefully people can push for change.

I do understand where they are coming from though, and patient safety is top priority, but I sincerely doubt enough research has been put in to say that feeding raw is going to make people sick.
 
#12 ·
one tiny link to some illness and it becomes a witch hunt.

Raw-red dogs give you salmonella!
spinach gives you cancer!
your cellphone gives you cancer!
standing by a microwave will cook your brain!

AHHH EVERYTHING GIVES YOU SARS!

:rolleyes2:

you get what I mean :)


Never underestimate the power of uneducated people in large groups.:headbang:
 
#14 ·
The comments I've gotten from my vets regarding raw diet...

Banshee is still here because of the changes you've made in her diet. ----(Banshee, a Boxer, lived to be almost 13 years old)

The raw diet you feed your cat probably saved his teeth. -----(this past week regarding an 8 yr old Himalayan. The breed typically has bad teeth. He lost two due to gum inflammation and 4 incisors due to crowding).

I think they'll find that the bacteria is mixing with the sugars and causing the ulcers. ----(regarding cat teeth in general. basically he was saying the simply sugars in the commercial kibble is mixing with the bacteria in their mouth and killing their teeth.)

You'll find articles out there that poo poo the idea of feeding a felv positive cat an raw diet because of the potential for salmonella. Don't let it discourage you. ---(cat tested positive for felv this week)

Chem17 run on all animals always comes back great. Everytime they see my animals, they comment that the raw diet is what is making them so healthy. This from vets that a few years ago, cringed when I told them I was feeding raw.
 
#19 ·
HPP = high pressure pasteurization

It kills pathogens in food, I think it does diminish the nutrients somewhat (minimally), but is an option for dogs with immune issues, or who have had recent GI surgery etc. There is a bit of info in the link I posted.

"the types of raw food currently on the market.
There is a whole class of raw foods currently available that are sterile at the time of purchase. Just as much of the human meat supply has been treated with a sterilization technique called high pressure pasteurization (HPP), many raw commercially available pet foods have also opted for this sterilization technique to reduce potential pathogens."
 
#20 ·
I'm disappointed to learn this about RAW feeding and the therapy dog programs. I was thinking how nice it would be to "give back" with my dog in the future.
I understand to a point with the concern of salmonella.
However, my dogs health and well being will be first and for most. I shrug and hang my head in a bit of defeat with this news.:(
We have become such a "germ-a-phobe" society. I personally so believe that people get so sick from everything these days because we over sanitize everything in our daily lives. IMHO the general population has no immune system by design of today's paranoia of all germs big and small. Even those beneficial to normal healthy living. :(
 
#21 ·
My friend has a therapy dog and he explained me why. Any raw meet contains worm eggs, which could be destroyed by boiling. Long freezing destroys them as well, but vitamin structure is destroyed as well, so, there's no reason to freeze. You provide your dog with medication three times a year, but that is targeted against particularly dangerous worms if there's any, medication itself poisons your dog's liver and it is strongly advised not to do worm more often. But, your dog is reinfected only two weeks after with worms living in the guts. The majrity of worms living in guts and in the liver considered not dangerous, in fact all humans have them as well. Or, you think you don't? Then, you must be an alcoholic (LOL). We consume many products which regulate number of the worms (alcohol, garlic, many herbs, etc make worms leave our organisms through the annus) and never have any issues with our health, unless we are underweight, or seriously ill. I provide my dog weekly with 5-6 cloves of garlic forcing them into her throat and another good thing - raw pumpkin seeds, crushed in a coffee grinder and admixed into her meal. I always consume the same myself just in case, I like salads with crushed raw garlic, and pumpkin seeds are simply tasty, they are aphrodisiac, and availabe shell free. It something happens with worms in a weak organism, like they know that it is going to die, and worms take the best chances to reproduce. They start to reproduce in huge numbers. The death rate in children and puppies is high, that's why it always recommended to treat young organisms. People in hospitals are far not so healthy, many of them are very weak, and breeding worms will start to poison their organisms if many, even bring to death.
So, don't feed any kibble, just cook what you feed your dog, boil it for the length of time you would do for yourself. People of ancient times started to cook meat not for taste improvement, but exactly to prevent worm and bacteria infections.
 
#22 ·
Just forgot to say: don't feed any cooked bones. Calcium changes its structure with thermal treatment, bones become rigid, and cannot be digested. Tubular chicken bones are simply dangerous. Provide vitamins separately in tablets, raw ground vegetables, cod liver oil, etc. It is not such a trouble as you may think, if you buy a 15 litre cooking pan (my friend has it), cook a week supply, and put devided portions into your freezer. Maybe you will start doing good money with your therapy dog, then you can afford employing your elderly neighbour to do that.
 
#23 ·
Wow. Pretty soon RAW feeding nurses who allow their dogs to sit on all the furniture won't be allowed to work because I can transfer bacteria to my patients. Get over it! I can tell you that demented patients, many who have feces under their nails, who frequently attack other patients in the nursing homes pose a larger risk than our raw fed dogs!

Metro 10/2005-5/2013
Sabo 3/2013-now
Kia 1/2014- now
 
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