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Concerns
Many clients indicate concerns for feeding raw meats to their pets. The number one concern is food-borne illnesses such as Salmonella and E. coli, and spread of these zoonotic pathogens to humans. (Zoonotic means a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people.) Raw food can also harbor other potentially toxic organisms, like Toxoplasma gondii. Other concerns include choking on bones and perforation of the stomach or intestines from bones. Feeding raw foods to sick or debilitated pets is another concern.
In our experience, when feeding these diets to our patients, illness in dogs and cats resulting from ingesting raw meats potentially tainted with Salmonella and E. coli is a rare concern. The gastrointestinal tracts of our patients are designed for handling and digesting raw meats. When raw meat is ingested, the stomach pH goes to a highly acidic pH of 1, making it very difficult for these organisms to survive. Furthermore, the short digestive tract of a carnivore enables the food to be digested, packaged, and ready to go (as feces) within 6 hours. It is not until hours later that E. coli begins to multiply significantly. If you are concerned about infecting your pet with Salmonella, E. coli, we recommend feeding only commercial brands of raw foods that take measures to control against the presence of these organisms. (see Raw Foods and Supplements Available at Wilmington Animal Hospital) Currently we carry Archetype (dehydrated) by Wysong.
The second concern is for public health and the spread of Salmonella and E. coli to humans. These are real concerns which make the feeding of raw foods an undertaking that should be handled prudently and only when the people in contact with the dog (and some cats) are in good health. The main method of transmission of these pathogens is fecal-oral. In dogs and cats, this would occur through the removal of feces followed by inadvertent contact of the hands to the mouth. Since feces can carry many other harmful organisms, including worm eggs and larva as well as toxoplasma oocysts (in cats) that can infect people, humans should always wash their hands thoroughly after cleaning litterboxes and picking up outside after their dogs. (And a special note here: humans should ALWAYS pick up their dogs' feces outside!).
A theoretical concern is for the transmission of pathogens from the animal's saliva to the humans in contact with them. No one has thoroughly studied the survival time of zoonotic pathogens in the animals' mouths. Some speculate that factors like washout by saliva (dilution and swallowing) might serve to remove the pathogens within minutes. In any case, it is prudent to minimize your pet's licking of humans. We do not recommend feeding raw foods in households with small children and with immunocompromised contact individuals (for example, AIDs, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunosuppressive drugs, and general poor health.) If all humans in contact with your pet are healthy, and you want to feed raw foods but are concerned about feeding raw foods containing Salmonella and E. coli, we recommend feeding only commercial brands of raw foods that take measures to control against the presence of these organisms. (see Raw Foods and Supplements Available at Wilmington Animal Hospital)
Raw meats can also harbor Toxoplasma gondii and Neosporum caninum. While problems related to ingesting meats infected with these organisms are uncommon, they are still possible. Freezing of the meats at zero degrees Fahrenheit (normal freezer temperatures) for at least a few days will kill these organisms. Since commercial raw diets are already deep-frozen for longer than this, these diets do not put your pet at risk for these organisms. If you purchase your own raw meats, you should always freeze them for a week or longer before feeding them to your pets. Neosporum is not present in high quality commercial raw diets as the protozoan resides in aborted fetuses, which are not included in diets using meat fit for human consumption. Note that the main source of toxoplasmosis for cats is small creatures that are hunted and eaten. Once exposed, the cat goes through a once-in-a-lifetime shedding period of one to two weeks, during which time the feces, if left in the box for more than 48 hours, can be infective to people. Other non-raw meat sources of toxoplasmosis include cockroaches and potting soil.
Regarding choking on bones and perforation of the stomach and small intestines, while these events are rare, they are still possible. Most dogs and cats "know" what to do with chicken and other meats containing bones. However, some dogs and cats still manage to eat raw bones and choke on them, usually by eating them too quickly. To circumvent this concern, the owner may first elect to chop up the bones into small pieces. Likewise, numerous commercial raw diets are now available that contain the bones in chopped up form. When cats are fed raw meat with bones, the food should always be chopped up into very small pieces, one-quarter inch or smaller. Never feed cats whole chicken necks.
If your pet is sick or debilitated, we advise you to first have one of our doctors examine your pet before you embark on feeding it a raw diet. In actuality, feeding raw diets can be one of the best ways to rebuild the health of some pets. Contrary to popular medical opinion, cats in kidney failure, cats suffering from Feline Leukemia Virus and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and dogs with many conditions such as "food allergies" can improve markedly while on raw food diets.
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