Weddingbee boards

laural    September 24, 2011   Louisiana

As a veterinarian I personally do not recommend homemade raw food diets to the large majority of my clients. But I am not your vet nor do I know the specifics of your case. But I do have a few tips if you really want to go this direction -

1) DO NOT FEED CHICKEN BONES EVER.

-chicken bones are terrible in so many ways - bowel impactions, bowel perforations, cause of lacerations in the mouth. Fish bones and other small bones from pork, beef, and other poultry are also a bad idea.

 

2) It is raw meat. If it is chicken it will be a source of Salmonella and E. coli to the rest of your house hold. This is a major saftey risk to you and your animal.

 

3) You will either need to grind up egg shells or find a good calcium and phosphorus and magnesium supplement. Chewing on bones DOES NOT adequately over the long term provide enough calcium and other minerals for your animal. You do risk many many bone and other diseases.

 

4) Do not expect a raw food diet to cure your allergy problems.

 

5) The domestic dog of today is not the carnivore of thousands of years ago. They need a different diet today. Extremely high protein diets can cause renal issues over the long term.

 

Like I said these are just some tips I would give to any client of mine. I don't know your situation but please consult with a professional nutritionist (and I have yet to meet a breeder that did 4 years of under grad then 4 years of vet school so I do not consider them to be professional nutritionists) before you go down this road.

laural    September 24, 2011   Louisiana

I pulled this info from the file that I keep for client education. Please feel free to read as much or as little as you like.

However, at the most recent AVMA conference I attended, the following point was emphasized: Potential for liability of veterinarians that recommend (and especially those that sell) raw meat diets should be considered, particularly if human disease occurs and proper counseling of risks and infection control measures has not been performed and documented. This point can also be found in the references below.

Salmonella

Most people are somewhat familiar with Salmonella.  They know it represents a type of food poisoning, probably know it is associated with diarrhea that can be severe, and may even know that Salmonella species are bacteria.  Most human cases of Salmonella infection cause fever, diarrhea, and cramping that go away on their own, but in children it can produce more severe disease. As with Campylobacter, the young are more susceptible to more severe illness because they are smaller and do not have mature immunity.  The same is true with puppies and kittens; adult animals are almost never affected by Salmonella infection.

There is an important exception to the Salmonella is rare in adult dogs rule and that is the case of dogs fed a raw food diet.   It has, unfortunately, become popular to feed raw foods to pets with the idea that a raw food diet more closely approximates the natural diet that the feline or canine body evolved to consume, and thus such a diet should be healthier than commercially prepared foods. In fact, the cooking of food is central to removing parasites, bacteria, and bacterial toxins from food. A recent study evaluating raw food diets found that 80% of food samples contained Salmonella bacteria and that 30% of the dogs in the study were shedding Salmonella bacteria in their stool. Adult dogs are often asymptomatic but any infected animal or person will shed the organism for at least 6 weeks thus acting as a source of exposure to other animals or people. Salmonella organisms are very difficult to remove from the environment and easily survive 3 months in soil.  Again, dogs used for therapy around the elderly or children should be cultured for the presence of Salmonella.

There are two syndromes associated with Salmonella: diarrhea and sepsis. Salmonella bacteria, once consumed, attach to the intestine and secrete toxins. The toxins produce diarrhea that can be severe and even life-threatening in the young.  If this were not bad enough, some Salmonella can produce an even more serious These bacteria are capable of invading the rest of the body through the damaged intestine.

In young animals, the syndrome resulting is similar to that of canine parvo, thus similar treatment is expected.

 

AVMA Journals Home | JAVMA online
January 15, 2005

 

Raw meat diets spark concern

In recent years, feeding dogs raw meat has become increasingly popular. The trend, however, has sparked health concerns, because of the risk of foodborne illnesses in pets as well as the public health risks of zoonotic infections. Now, a new study that identifies potentially harmful bacteria in 21 commercial raw meat diets bolsters these concerns.

"This has some potential public health concerns for both the animals being fed these diets and their human owners," said Dr. Rachel Strohmeyer, a researcher at the Animal Population Health Institute, Colorado State University. She presented her findings at the annual meeting of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases held in Chicago in November.

Proponents of raw meat diets say it improves dogs' performance, coat, body odor, teeth, and breath. While high-performance dogs, such as racing Greyhounds and sled dogs, have been fed raw meat diets for years, the trend to feed raw meat to companion dogs is new.

Because of this trend, and because the safety of these raw diets has received limited attention, Dr. Strohmeyer tested 21 commercially available raw meat diets, two dry dog foods, and two commercial canned dog foods for non-type specific Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, and Campylobacter spp. The researchers purchased diets of beef, lamb, chicken, and turkey in four months, trying to space the purchasing times far enough apart so that they came from different lots. Three samples from each product underwent bacteriologic culturing each time.

The researchers did not find Campylobacter spp in any of the foods, but non-type-specific E coli was isolated from all raw meat products. Ten of the raw products contained S enterica. "It is really important to note that 99 percent of raw meat samples were contaminated with aerobic bacteria, and 79 percent had gram-negative, probably enterica, contamination," Dr. Strohmeyer said.

The scientists also found non-type-specific E coli in a few of the samples taken from the dry food, and believe post-processing contamination is to blame for these results.

"There is a greater apparent risk to animals and humans from feeding a raw meat diet," Dr. Strohmeyer commented. "I really do not think that there is any advice we, as veterinarians, can give to improve safety. You can give basic food safety guidelines like hand washing, cleaning surfaces, and bowls, etc., not letting the food sit out for extended periods of time. I just think that it would be a disservice for a veterinarian to give any recommendation for the safety of dogs and their owners (except to not feed raw meat to pets). Bacteria are not the only health concern, there are also parasites and protozoal organisms that can be transmitted in raw meat, even meat labeled fit for human consumption."

Other veterinarians, including Dr. Jeffrey LeJeune, a food safety molecular epidemiologist and microbiologist at The Ohio State University, agree that pets should not be fed raw meat. This may be a hard sell, however, to some clients.

"From my own clinical experience, owners that feed raw (meat) pretty much have their minds set that they are going to feed raw," Dr. Strohmeyer said. She thinks clients who are thinking about feeding raw (meat), however, can be swayed fairly easily, just by basic education.

RSS Feed-->
How safe is a raw diet? Not very—and the facts are chilling: Ann Martin has spent her career taking on the pet-health establishment

by Ann N. Martin | June, 2005 | 0 Comments

Dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years. They have eaten file residue of man's diet, which, since the inception of fire, has been cooked. In the past 15 years, a number of purported natural diets for dogs and cats have grown in popularity. Although the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diet is cited most often, many variations exist. Basically, the diet is composed of raw meat, bones, vegetables and, sometimes, grains.

How safe are these diets? In 1995, I began researching them and sought opinions from veterinarians, breeders and people who had, or were, feeding this diet to their animals. I also consulted research studies. What I found convinced me that I wouldn't be feeding a raw diet to any of my pets.

Pets are just as susceptible to the bacteria and parasites in raw meat as humans arc. Sahnonella, E. coli, campylobacter and trichinosis can cause severe illness and death. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that a high percentage of meat and poultry contains at least one strain of bacteria. Hence, the agency advises that you thoroughly cook meat and poultry. Toxoplasma, a parasite found in warm-blooded animals, can also be transmitted from raw or undercooked meat. David T. Roen, DVM, writes, "A veterinary neurologist told me the other day that they have seen au increase in seizure disorders in dogs and cats caused by toxoplasmosis, especially in areas where raw meat diets are trendy."

When I asked Geoff Stein, DVM, he wrote: "The problem with these 'natural' diets is the misguided assumption that 'natural' is better. It's 'natural' for wolves to die of salmonella once in awhile." He added that wolves would probably be healthier if they ate cooked meat.

Many raw food proponents theorize that freezing meat will kill bacteria. Not so. Laboratories preserve bacteria and viruses by freezing them. Cooking meat is the best way to eliminate the potential for illness.

Proponents also theorize that bacteria is destroyed by stomach acid. But Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, from the National Animal Poison Control Center, disagrees. "Pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, clostridium and campylobacter have evolved 'coats' that protect them in their transit through the stomach, and this allows them to take hold in the intestines," she says. This could be the cause of the severe diarrhea some raw food people attribute to "detoxing."

Cats are also susceptible to bacteria found in raw meats. A case study, published in 2003 in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, involved cats that developed salmonellosis as a result of a raw diet. "The salmonellosis caused gastrointestinal upset, weight loss and anorexia, leading to both cats' deaths." Salmonella cultures from one cat were identical to cultures from the raw meat the cat was fed. "The resulting infection was confirmed as cause of death in both cases," the study said.

Nutritional Problems

In March 2001, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published a paper written by Lisa M. Freeman, DVM, and Kathyrn E. Michel, DVM, and their evaluation of raw food diets for dogs. Five diets were tested; three were homemade, and the other two commercial. The findings of Freeman and Michel pointed out a number of problems with raw diets, including low phosphorus and potassium levels, calcium-to-phosphorus ratios of 0.15 and high concentrations of zinc--all of which are areas of concern with growing puppies. One of the homemade diets yielded E. coli 0157:H7, which has been attributed to death in humans. Said the authors: "The results ... indicated that there are nutrition and health risks associated with raw food diets."

To date, there are no studies that conclude that raw diets are healthful for pets. Even the Pottenger Study--often cited by raw food supporters--was undertaken between 1932 and 1942 and provides no clear-cut consensus whether it was the raw meat, the cod liver oil or the raw milk in the diet that promoted a mortality decrease in cats. Until the study can be replicated with today's control standards, we can't accurately interpret the results.

Raw Bones

Many diets also encourage the feeding of raw bones. Julie Churchill, DVM, a specialist in nutrition, states, "Bones, even raw and ground bones, Call perforate the gastrointestinal tract. This call lead to peritonitis, severe infections or emergency surgery, and dogs die from this each year." Linda Dugger, DVM, told me about the problems she had seen in dogs that had ingested raw bones. "I've seen intestinal perforations, broken infected teeth, esophageal irritation and colitis from these things."

You also have to consider the damage to teeth by chewing on raw, meaty bones. Veterinary dentists whom I contacted were opposed to this practice. Fraser Hale, DVM, wrote that people think that feeding bones helps dogs have clean, white teeth. "What I see are dogs with sparkling teeth with crown fractures and endodontic disease." Gregg DuPout, DVM, expressed virtually the same opinion: "I don't recommend feeding bones due to the common occurrence of fractured upper 4th premolar teeth requiring root canal or extraction." Instead, he recommends brushing your pet's teeth to achieve good dental health.

 

Evidence Based Clinical Nutrition

Studies Documenting Nutritional Inadequacies

 A 1992 survey of 200 homemade diets for both dogs and cats recommended by veterinarians for diagnosis and/or management of adverse food reactions found the majority to be nutritionally inadequate.12

 Another study compared 85 published home-cooked recipes for dogs and cats to AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) standards and found 86% inadequate in at least one nutrient, 55% deficient in protein and perhaps most importantly 77% of those diets deficient in taurine.13

Studies Documenting Contamination of Raw Foods

 One study reported the isolation of a variety of serovars of Salmonella spp. from 45% of raw meat samples.14

 A more sensitive DNA probe detected Salmonella in 66% of samples. Salmonella spp. were found in 56% of samples of meat fed to Greyhounds in another study.15

 A small study reported isolation of Salmonella spp. from 8/10 (80%) homemade raw meat diets.14 A study of commercial frozen raw meat diets in Ontario reported isolation of coliforms from all diets ranging from 3.5 x 103 to 9.4 X 106 CFU/g, Salmonella spp. and Clostridium perfringens from 20% each, C. difficile from 4%, but no E. coli O157 or Campylobacter spp.11

 A larger Canadian study reported isolation of Salmonella spp. from 22% of commercial frozen diets, spore forming bacteria from 100% and C. difficile from 8%. In this study, chicken diets were 4 times more likely to contain Salmonella spp. than other types.16

 E. coli O157:H7 is a significant human pathogen with a very low infective dose, and it is has been identified in raw dog food.17

Studies Documenting Fecal Shedding of Pathogens

 Joffe and Schlesinger in 2002 reported isolation of Salmonella spp. from 30% dogs fed raw chicken, but 1/10 dogs fed commercial diets.10

 Murphy reports that feeding raw meat or raw bones to dogs was associated with shedding of resistant E. coli.18

 A recent study evaluated Salmonella colonization of dogs fed commercial raw dog food that was identified as naturally contaminated with Salmonella spp. Seven/16 (44%) dogs fed a single meal of contaminated raw meat shed Salmonella compared to 0/12 dogs fed Salmonella-free raw meat. No abnormal clinical signs developed in dogs that were shedding Salmonella, but they shed Salmonella for up to 11 days.19

 Preliminary results of a prospective study of pathogen acquisition and shedding by dogs involved in therapeutic visitation programs has identified a high incidence of Salmonella shedding in raw meat-fed dogs, and a cluster of infected dogs that were fed meat from the same butcher. This group is of additional concern because of contact with hospitalized humans, who must be considered at higher risk of infection.

Studies Documenting Clinical Infection

 In one report, Salmonella spp. were isolated from feces and food samples of Greyhounds with diarrhea, leading the authors to conclude that the diet is the primary vehicle for Salmonella infection in this breed.15

 Fatal Salmonella Newport gastroenteritis and septicemia was reported in two cats fed a home-prepared raw-meat diet. An indistinguishable isolate was found in the diet, strongly suggesting it was the source.20

Studies Documenting Environmental Contamination

A recent study of cleaning and disinfection practices for experimentally-inoculated food bowls reported Salmonella could be isolated from food bowls experimentally inoculated with a residue of Salmonella-containing raw meat for the entire 2 week study period. Further, this study reported that common cleaning and disinfection practices were inadequate for complete elimination of Salmonella from bowls.21

Studies Documenting Human Infection

Potential public health risks associated with handling and feeding raw diets may be of greater importance than disease in animals. At the time of writing, there were no published reports of human infections resulting from contact with raw pet food or raw-meat-fed animals. This does not necessarily indicate an absence of risk. Risks of handling raw meat intended for human consumption and ingestion of raw or undercooked meat are well known and there is no reason to assume that raw meat intended for pets would be any different. If anything, meat intended for pets could pose a higher risk because of fewer regulations regarding origin, processing, handling and storage of meat not intended for human consumption. One study has reported an outbreak of salmonellosis in people associated with dried-beef containing pet treats, indicating potential for human disease from Salmonella-contaminated pet products.22

Recommendations

There is no objective information indicating a health benefit of feeding raw diets. There is evidence to support concerns about raw diets with respect to nutritional adequacy, pathogen contamination, fecal shedding and environmental contamination. Potential for liability of veterinarians that recommend (and especially those that sell) raw meat diets should be considered, particularly if human disease occurs and proper counseling of risks and infection control measures has not been performed and documented.

If owners or veterinarians intend to feed or recommend raw foods, careful consideration should be given to deciding when it is inappropriate. This should include situations where the implications of infection are particularly serious, and situations where clinical infection is more likely to occur. In humans, infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised (disease or treatment) individuals are classified into these groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for preventing opportunistic infections among high risk groups such as hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients and HIV-infected persons state that eggs, poultry and meat products fed to pets must be well cooked.23 Similarly, feeding of raw meat is probably inappropriate in situations where pets in the household are likely at higher risk (i.e., breeding operations, immunocompromised pets).

Household infection control practices should be carefully explained to clients. Standard guidelines for handling raw meat and prevention of foodborne infections are available.24,25 Hand hygiene is the most important general infection control practice. Hands should be thoroughly cleaned after handling raw meat. Raw meat should be stored so it will not come into contact with other food items. All items that contact the food should be disinfected after use. Cutting boards used for raw meat should not be used for anything else. Because many bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, raw meat should not be thawed at room temperature or allowed to sit in bowls. Bowls should be cleaned shortly after feeding. Any remaining food should be removed, the bowl should be scrubbed to remove debris and then disinfected. High risk individuals should not have contact with food bowls. Water bowls should probably be treated with similar caution. Feces should be handled with care. Fecal contamination of the environment should be cleaned promptly, with hands washed thoroughly after contact with feces.

Proponents

Raw meat feeding was popularized by Dr. Ian Billinghurst after the publication of his 2 books; Give Your Dog A Bone and The BARF Diet.5-6 The latter book introduced the term "BARF", "Biologically Appropriate Raw Food' or "Bone And Raw Food", which has become widespread terminology. These books, which lack any scientific evidence, are based on the author's belief that commercial pet food is contributing to serious health problems in pets.

Many proponents have made very strong claims, including 'Dogs fed cooked and processed food and no bones will always develop a weakened immune system and poor dental health."7 Some have reported that raw diets are useful for prevention or control of a wide range of conditions including chronic digestive, allergic and metabolic disease, urinary bladder stones, feline lower urinary tract disease, intermittent vomiting or diarrhea, seborrhea sicca and recurrent ear infections.7 More specific claims of the 'disappearance' of many dental problems, many skin problems, ear infections, anal sac problems, arthritis, incontinence, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, diabetes and reproductive problems, and improvement of behavioral problems have also been made.8 An interesting claim is that "As a general rule, any genetic fault that your pet may have inherited will have minimum chance of expression when the BARF diet is fed."8 There is frequent discussion about presumed negative effects of cooking, including destruction of vitamins, enzymes, "anti-ageing factors," reducing protein value and availability, and production of "foreign foods."7

Proponents tend to dismiss infectious disease concerns, with statements such as "Salmonella and Campylobacter are of absolutely no consequence to a healthy dog."7 While Billinghurst claims that there are numerous feeding trials that show dogs fed raw foods are much healthier than dogs fed cooked foods, there is no objective evidence suggesting a beneficial health effect of feeding raw foods.

Opponents

Nutritional adequacy, foreign body (i.e., bone) ingestion and infectious diseases are all cited as concerns regarding feeding raw foods. Infectious disease risks have received the most attention and is the area where more published research is currently available. As with any raw meat, there is the potential for contamination of raw meat-based pet foods. Salmonella spp. has gathered the greatest attention as a possible risk, however Campylobacter, Clostridium difficile, C. perfringens, C. botulinum, E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes and enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus are also of concern.8-10 Recent studies also suggest that the potential exists for foodborne disease in pets eating raw meat but also disease in humans who are in contact with raw meat or the pet. Additionally pets fed raw meat are capable of contaminating the environment.

Bacterial contamination can be present in meat prior to slaughter in sick animals, however contamination occurs more commonly during slaughter, evisceration, processing and packaging. Ground meat, with its higher surface area to volume ratio and the need for additional processing, is more likely to be contaminated. The term "human grade" has no regulatory definition and its use has been prohibited. Since a significant portion of food sold for human consumption may be contaminated with a variety of pathogens, the use of 'human grade' meat does not indicate an absence of contamination. Once purchased, improper storage can result in bacterial growth. Some pathogens can grow at room temperature, while others can produce enterotoxins that cause disease.

If bacterial contamination occurs during slaughter or processing, the organisms must survive for a variable period of time to be able to infect a dog or human. Survival characteristics vary greatly between bacteria and storage environments. In general, storage guidelines for raw meat are intended to prevent bacterial growth, not kill contaminants. There may be a misconception amongst lay people that freezing raw meat is a useful method to decrease or eliminate bacterial contamination. Freezing is the preferred method for storing most bacteria. Thus, freezing cannot be expected to have a significant impact on most pathogens.

Improper storage may create an environment which favors increases in bacterial numbers. As a result clinically irrelevant levels may become levels that can cause disease. Many organisms grow quickly at room temperature and sub-optimal refrigeration temperature highlighting the need for proper storage guidelines and concerns about growth in food residues in food bowls.11

Ingestion of pathogens is the first step to developing disease. Many pathogens of concern, such as Salmonella spp., are dose dependent and large numbers are necessary to cause disease in most hosts, particularly if the host is otherwise healthy. However, some pathogens such as enterohemorrhagic E. coli can cause disease at very low doses and some individuals may be more susceptible.

Summary

Veterinarians and other healthcare team members are often asked for advice about feeding alternate and raw foods to pets. At present, there are no published studies documenting the benefits of raw diets. Numerous published studies document potential complications of homemade cooked or raw foods as well as commercially prepared foods. Owners should be informed of the potential for pathogen contamination and the risks to both pets and humans if raw diets are recommended. In addition, nutritional adequacy of homemade cooked or raw diets and commercial raw diets should be critically assessed; it may be helpful to consult with a veterinary nutritionist for additional information.

References

1.  Notermans S, et al. The HACCP concept: specification of criteria using quantitative risk assessment. Food Microbiology 1995;12:81-90.

2.  Fenlon DR, Wilson J, Donachie W. The incidence and level of Listeria monocytogenes contamination of food sources at primary production and initial processing. Journal of Applied Bacteriology 1996; 81:641-650.

3.  Remillard RL. Advising clients who feed raw diets to pets. North American Veterinary Conference Clinician's Brief 2005; 3:29-30.

4.  Patil SR, et al. Consumer food safety knowledge, practices, and demographic differences: findings from a meta-analysis. Journal of Food Protection 2005;68:1884-94.

5.  Billinghurst I, Give Your Dog A Bone, 1993

6.  Billinghurst I, The BARF Diet, 2001.

7.  Stogdale L, Diehl G. In Support of Bones and Raw Food Diets. Can Vet J 2003;44:783.

8.  LeJeune JT, Hancock DD. Public health concerns associated with feeding raw meat diets to dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;219:1222-1225.

9.  Weese JS, Rousseau J, Arroyo L. Bacteriological evaluation of commercial canine and feline raw diets. Can Vet J 2005;46:513-516.

10. Joffe DJ, Schlesinger DP. Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets. Can Vet J 2002;43):441-442.

11. Mann JE, Smith L, Brashears MM. Validation of time and temperature values as critical limits for Salmonella and background flora growth during the production of fresh ground and boneless pork products. J Food Prot. 2004;67:1389-1393.

12. Roudebush P, Cowell CS. Results of a hypoallergenic diet survey of veterinarians in North America with a nutritional evaluation of homemade diet prescriptions. Vet Dermatol 1992;3:23-28.

13. Lauten S, et al. Computer Analysis of Nutrient Sufficiency of Published Home-Cooked Diets for Dogs and Cats. Proc ACVIM Forum Baltimore, MD 2005.

14. Chengappa MM, et al. Prevalence of Salmonella in raw meat used in diets of racing greyhounds. J Vet Diagn Invest. 1993;5:372-7.

15. Stone GG, et al. Application of polymerase chain reaction for the correlation of Salmonella serovars recovered from greyhound feces with their diet. J Vet Diagn Invest. 1993;5:378-85.

16. Finley R. MSc Thesis, University of Guelph, 2005.

17. Freeman LM, Michel KE Evaluation of raw food diets for dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2001 Mar 1;218(5):705-709 Erratum in: J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;15;218:1582.

18. Murphy CM. MSc Thesis, University of Guelph, 2004

19. Finley R, et al. The risk of salmonellae shedding by dogs fed Salmonella-contaminated commercial raw food diets. Can Vet J. 2007; 8:69-75.

20. Stiver SL, et al. Septicemic salmonellosis in two cats fed a raw-meat diet. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc. 2003;39:538-42.

21. Weese JS, Rousseau J. Survival of Salmonella copenhagen in food bowls following contamination with experimentally inoculated raw meat: effects of time, cleaning, and disinfection. Can Vet J. 2006; 47:887-9.

22. Pitout JD, et al. Association between handling of pet treats and infection with Salmonella enterica serotype newport expressing the AmpC beta-lactamase, CMY-2. J Clin Microbiol. 2003 Oct;41(10):4578-82.

23. http://wonder.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/m0038328/m0038328.asp

24. www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm#consumersprotect

25. www.fightbac.org/

 

laural    September 24, 2011   Louisiana

Just in case you got lost in all of the above (oops! I didn't realize how much info I had accumulated on the matter) here is the summary:

 

Summary

Veterinarians and other healthcare team members are often asked for advice about feeding alternate and raw foods to pets. At present, there are no published studies documenting the benefits of raw diets. Numerous published studies document potential complications of homemade cooked or raw foods as well as commercially prepared foods. Owners should be informed of the potential for pathogen contamination and the risks to both pets and humans if raw diets are recommended. In addition, nutritional adequacy of homemade cooked or raw diets and commercial raw diets should be critically assessed; it may be helpful to consult with a veterinary nutritionist for additional information.

jindc    March 20, 2011   DC

Lucy would NOT eat PMR.  We tried. However, she took to Primal instantly - I'm sure b/c of the added smells (garlic, etc).  I switched to raw after her creatinine levels were high, which is very troubling in such a young dog and means early stage kidney failure.  The vet wanted me to feed her science diet kidney diet.  No way - I will never feed a dog science diet. 

Primal turned her creatinine level around back to normal range and she did SO great on it.  Great regular solid #2s, too!

However, it's insanely expensive for a dog her size.  So we have started feeding her Orijen in the morning and Primal at night.  After a few months on this plan, we'll take her to check her Cratinine again just to keep that in mind.  Her #2s on the Orijen remind me of why raw is so much better, though....ugh.