Heh. I'd like to see those studies.I have always wondered how the people who feed raw food diets justify using raw homemade diets instead of cooked homemade diets, while the USDA has confirmed through studies that there is no nutritional advantage to feeding the meat raw as oppose to cooked ( both are as digestible and have the same nutritional value). Therefore why not feed a cooked balanced homemade diet instead which would provide the same health advantages but would greatly reduce the risks of Salmonelle, campylobacter, E.coli and Clostridium infections in both dogs and humans?
I have always wondered how the people who feed raw food diets justify using raw homemade diets instead of cooked homemade diets, while the USDA has confirmed through studies that there is no nutritional advantage to feeding the meat raw as oppose to cooked ( both are as digestible and have the same nutritional value). Therefore why not feed a cooked balanced homemade diet instead which would provide the same health advantages but would greatly reduce the risks of Salmonelle, campylobacter, E.coli and Clostridium infections in both dogs and humans?
Why? Because as real as the risk is, it's very small. If you follow the raw feeding circle they tend to minimize that risk to zero based solely on anecdotes. But surely it isn't zero. It's more like no harm, no foul...until your dog dies.Therefore why not feed a cooked balanced homemade diet instead which would provide the same health advantages but would greatly reduce the risks of Salmonelle, campylobacter, E.coli and Clostridium infections in both dogs and humans?
I have always wondered how the people who feed raw food diets justify using raw homemade diets instead of cooked homemade diets, while the USDA has confirmed through studies that there is no nutritional advantage to feeding the meat raw as oppose to cooked ( both are as digestible and have the same nutritional value). Therefore why not feed a cooked balanced homemade diet instead which would provide the same health advantages but would greatly reduce the risks of Salmonelle, campylobacter, E.coli and Clostridium infections in both dogs and humans?Raw vs. cooked...same reason that humans live longer on a vegan raw diet than a cooked diet. You lose precious vitamins and enzymes when you cook any food.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism
A percentage of all dogs, whether raw fed or kibble fed, excrete salmonella and other bacteria. And Cornell studies show that cattle fed on a grass diet had far less excretion of E. coli that cattle fed on a grain diet. So all animals, including humans, excrete bacteria. Bacteria live in our guts to digest our food. It's only when that bacteria blooms beyond normal levels that treatment becomes necessary. (and you probably don't want to read the studies done of culturing bacteria from tooth brushes left within 10 feet of a flushed toilet...let's just say that your tooth brush should stay in the cabinet...)
If you prepare raw meat for your human family you have the same exposure to bacteria on raw meat as if you are feeding it to your dog. I limit the mess by feeding my dogs outside. But if the weather is bad and they eat inside I do it in the laundry room so I can just quickly mop up and ick left on the floor. And to reduce the bacterial load on all meat that I buy, for human or dog consumption, it is immediately frozen unless eaten the same day. Bacteria and parasites cannot survive freezing. Proper defrosting techniques and handling are crucial and even printed right on the label of meat that you buy at the grocery or elsewhere.
I believe that a bad raw diet is worse than a good kibble. And my dogs eat kibble a few weeks every year when we go on vacation and leave them behind.
Why do I feed raw? I have one dog that failed to thrive, almost died, during the first five years of her life and we couldn't find a commercial food that she would thrive on. The only thin left was raw. And why should we cook it? And lose precious enzymes and vitamins? I'll be happy to post plenty of data showing that dogs as well as humans live longer on a raw diet. Yes, we should be eating as much fresh raw food as we can. But our guts are not designed the same as canids, so we should avoid raw meat. But raw vegan diet is the way to go if you want to live to see 100.
I happen to have access to running blood work on my dogs and cat any time I want. I checked them before we started raw and have checked at least every 6 months since starting raw. Their chemical health is far better since raw than it was before raw. And I'm referring to the chemical markers that we can measure for heart, kidneys, liver, ... Last week one of the older dogs had her bloodwork done and the vet remarked that she looked like a 3-year-old from her blood work. This is the "failure to thrive" dog.
The two older dogs and cat have not needed dentals or exctractions in over three years now. Previously we did dentals on them every 6 months and they always included extractions.
Lastly, I started feeding raw full time right around the same time as the dog food recalls and deaths due to melamine from China. I have a limited choice of commercial food in my area so I prefer to control what they are eating. And dog food recalls due to salmonella contamination have continued right up to the present. I'll never be able to know where (what country) a commercial dog food manufacturer is obtaining the products. So I choose to only feed them what I know.
Oh, and I forgot about almost no poop to clean up and lack of vet bills.
But I still maintain that a bad raw diet is worse that a good kibble. Raw feeding is not for everyone.
Guardian? I always thought I was the owner. ;-) Last time I looked, I owned my dogs. My name is on the papers, I call the shots and decide what do with 'em.Because many guardians want to do what's best for their dog, and what better way to do that than by controlling the ingredients in the dog's diet. There is also a growing resentment over veterinary practices...the one person you should be able to take nutritional advise from may not be educated in unconventional diets.
I don't really care what title you choose. If it suits you, fine. If you're proud of it, fine. But don't bother trying to persuade my choice of words, and I won't bother with yours.Guardian? I always thought I was the owner. ;-) Last time I looked, I owned my dogs. My name is on the papers, I call the shots and decide what do with 'em.![]()
Um it's called doing your research and using common sense. And as far as contamination being real - lets not forget this is an animal that uses the same tongue to lick it's butt as it does your face. Based on your logic, you might want to keep dogs away from children and sick people entirely.Hello,
I won't try to argue the cooked vs raw case anymore but I just wanted to let you know that Salmonella is not naturally present in the digestive tract of any animals. When Salmonella is present in the gut this is an abnormal infection, while most of these infected animals do not show clinical signs of the disease they still excrete the parasite and therefore can contaminate other dogs or humans. Some dogs however do get seriously infected with Salmonella and can become severly ill.
Also most bacteria and parasites are not killed by freezing. Thus freezing does not remove the risk of parasites or bacteria, however cooking does.
In reality however the basic problem with raw homemade diets or cooked homemade diets is usually the fact that they are not nutritionally balanced ( no supplements added, for example).
The risk for human bacterial contamination from dogs that eat raw meat however is real and I hope that if you feed raw meat you make sure to be very careful around kids or immunosupressed people, since these people can be severely affected.
I'm a multiple dog owner and started feeding raw in the early/mid '90s. I'm also an "immunosupressed" person. I have Lupus. So far all my dogs have never had any major health problems and neither have I.I...n reality however the basic problem with raw homemade diets or cooked homemade diets is usually the fact that they are not nutritionally balanced ( no supplements added, for example).
The risk for human bacterial contamination from dogs that eat raw meat however is real and I hope that if you feed raw meat you make sure to be very careful around kids or immunosupressed people, since these people can be severely affected.
Hmmmmm.................. have you researched what is in that commercial kibbleHello,
I won't try to argue the cooked vs raw case anymore but I just wanted to let you know that Salmonella is not naturally present in the digestive tract of any animals. When Salmonella is present in the gut this is an abnormal infection, while most of these infected animals do not show clinical signs of the disease they still excrete the parasite and therefore can contaminate other dogs or humans. Some dogs however do get seriously infected with Salmonella and can become severly ill.
Also most bacteria and parasites are not killed by freezing. Thus freezing does not remove the risk of parasites or bacteria, however cooking does.
In reality however the basic problem with raw homemade diets or cooked homemade diets is usually the fact that they are not nutritionally balanced ( no supplements added, for example).
The risk for human bacterial contamination from dogs that eat raw meat however is real and I hope that if you feed raw meat you make sure to be very careful around kids or immunosupressed people, since these people can be severely affected.