Is it safe to feed my dog raw food?
The risks of feeding raw food outweigh potential benefits. There are several risks to consider if you are going to feed your pet raw food and the biggest one is the concern around food safety and harmful pathogens. Additionally, there is concern about the nutritional adequacy of raw food diets.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) stand united in their position that feeding raw food to dogs is potentially dangerous to the dog, to other pets in the house, and to the dog owner.
A study conducted from 2011 through 2012, screened commercially available raw dog foods for bacteria that can cause illness. The raw dog food products were frozen in tube-like packages, made from ground meat or sausage. Nearly 25% of the raw food samples tested positive for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. These bacteria can pose a health risk for the dogs who eat the raw food and for the dog owners who handle the food while preparing it. In addition, the harmful bacteria can be shed through saliva or feces, so other pets in the house can also be at risk, even if they are not fed a raw food diet.
What kind of illness does salmonella cause?
Contamination of raw meat by bacteria is common. The CDC estimates that 1.2 million or more cases of food-borne salmonellosis occur in humans in the U.S. each year. There is some uncertainty about the total number of cases, because milder cases may not be diagnosed. Approximately 400 people die of salmonellosis each year.
Symptoms of salmonellosis in humans generally start 12 to 72 hours after exposure and include:
- Fever
- Diarrhea (often bloody)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain
Children, the elderly, pregnant people, and immunocompromised individuals (e.g., those with HIV, undergoing chemotherapy) are at greater risk for more severe symptoms. Dogs can carry salmonella in their intestines without showing signs of illness, thus serving as a reservoir for ongoing exposure to humans in the household. They can also get sick from it. In dogs, the symptoms of salmonellosis may include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea (often bloody)
- Fever
- Inappetence (not eating, or not eating enough)
- Lethargy
What kinds of illness does Listeria cause?
Listeria monocytogenesis is a leading cause of human hospitalization and death from food contamination. While it is rarer than salmonellosis, over 90% of people with listeriosis end up in the hospital. In the U.S. annually, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are about 1,600 cases with about 260 deaths. In the European Union, the numbers are similar. One of the problems with listeria is that the bacterium is quite hearty, surviving in salty, acidic, and cold environments.
Listeriosis particularly targets newborns, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Listeria can invade many tissues, including the brain, the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord, the gastrointestinal tract, and the bloodstream. Symptoms depend on which tissues are affected.
The time between exposure and illness is about three weeks, making it difficult to pinpoint the precise exposure event. Pregnant people may experience non-specific, flu-like symptoms. The babies they are carrying may be born prematurely or even stillborn. Newborns fare the worst with listeriosis, as up to one-third will die, despite aggressive treatment. Dogs can carry listeria without showing any signs, making them a potentially dangerous reservoir of the disease.
How can I protect myself and my family if I occasionally offer raw food to my dog?
While your veterinary healthcare team will strongly recommend avoiding raw food completely, if you do choose to offer your pet raw food, there are some precautions you can take to try to reduce the risk.
- Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw food.
- Clean and disinfect all surfaces and objects that come into contact with raw food.
- Keep raw food frozen until you are ready to use it, and then thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave (not in the sink or on the counter).
- Keep raw food separate from other food.
- Use a completely separate set of dishes, storage containers, and cutting boards for your pet’s raw food.
- Cover and refrigerate what your dog does not eat, or discard the leftovers safely.
- Do not kiss your dog on the face or allow him to lick your face – particularly if they have just eaten raw food.
- Wash your hands after petting or being licked by your dog.
- Clean up feces immediately and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
Is raw food nutritionally appropriate for my dog?
Raw food diets come in many forms and can be grouped into two categories: commercial and homemade. Dogs have requirements for several essential nutrients, including amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that they must get from their food. Raw food diets likely contain more than enough protein but can be deficient in important vitamins and minerals, which can lead to clinical disease. If you feed them a commercial food, you can check the label for a nutritional adequacy statement, which indicates that the food is complete (contains all essential nutrients) and balanced (in the correct amounts and proportions).
Many, but not all, commercial raw food diets do not contain a nutritional adequacy statement, which means there is a risk that some nutrients are either missing, too low, or too high. Homemade raw diets are likely not complete and balanced unless a recipe has been formulated by a nutritionist.
Should my dog’s raw food diet include bones?
Another concern with raw food diets is the risk of obstruction by a foreign body – like a piece of bone. This material does not get digested and can cause a blockage in the intestinal tract, which can lead to serious problems. Often the foreign body needs to be surgically removed and, in some cases, it penetrates the intestines, leading to more severe complications such as sepsis.
What is the best diet for my dog?
There are many different diet options to choose from. For healthy adult dogs, it is essential to select a diet that is nutritionally complete and balanced and that has undergone testing for harmful bacteria.
If you choose to continue to feed a raw diet, ensure you inform your veterinarian so they are aware, and they may be able to offer you guidance around options that might be safer than others.
Are any raw food diets safe?
If you decide to feed a raw food diet, despite the risks, consider contacting pet food companies to ask questions about food safety, pathogen testing, the use of a kill step, and whether the diets are complete and balanced, before choosing a raw food for your pet.
