Raw diets can pose hazards
to both pets and their families

Some pet owners have come to believe that so-called “raw diets” are the healthiest and most natural way to feed their pets. Ironically, however, this type of diet can have serious health implications – not only for your pet, but for you and your family as well. So before you start out with the best of intentions and end up giving your best friend a “raw deal,” it might be best to see what some of the experts have to say on this. And if you’ve already started in that direction, you may want to reevaluate the idea.

Perhaps the principal risk of raw-food feeding is the same one that any human would face who embarked on a similar nutritional course – that of contamination by certain types of microbes that are responsible for a variety of debilitating and possibly life-threatening illnesses.

You may have thought that things like drinking out of the toilet or eating off the floor are proof that your pooch is immune to disease-causing germs. Even if it’s true that animals have a somewhat greater tolerance for bacterial contamination than humans, that doesn’t mean for a moment that dogs and cats are impervious to infection via ingestion.

Among those warning about the possibility of raw diets putting humans at risk of disease is the FDA’s own pet-food specialist, Dr. William Burkholder, a veterinarian and Ph.D. "The FDA believes that feeding raw-meat diets to pets is not consistent with its goal of protecting the public from significant health risks," notes Burkholder. But realizing that many pet owners will continue to do so, he urges that various precautions be taken when preparing raw foods, including using soap and hot water to wash hands, utensils, containers and surfaces that come into contact with them, and not allowing a pet to lick one’s face right after it has eaten raw meat.

In addition to concerns about bacterial contamination, Wendell O. Bellfield, a veterinarian and author who spent seven years working as a veterinary meat inspector, has observed that raw meat may harbor the larval form of a tapeworm. "Since the adult tapeworm is found in the dog, cat, fox and wild carnivores, it is reasonable to postulate that consuming the larvae of this tapeworm can and will infect the dog and cat, developing into the adult stage," he cautions.

In another study, jointly performed by Tufts/University of Pennsylvania, components of the diets were analyzed while still fresh. According to Churchill, not only were several contaminated with bacteria, but every diet tested showed some nutritional deficiency.

Dr. Lisa Newman, president of the International Natural Pet Care Association and author of eight books on natural pet care, believes the daily consumption of raw meats and bones may result in such problems as irritable bowel syndrome, digestive ailments and immuno-related weaknesses.

In addition, the bones used in some raw food diets have reportedly caused instances of intestinal obstruction, gastrointestinal perforation, gastroenteritis and fractured teeth.

As Dr. Bellfield puts it, "True, the early dogs and cats in the wild did consume their meat raw; (but) how many became ill? How many died? These questions cannot be answered."