NEWS:

  

Please Read the following information on the Pro's & Con's of

feeding your pet a Raw Diet. 

Bones & Raw Food (BARF) Diets:  What are the Facts?

Increasing numbers of pet owners are asking their veterinarian about feeding Bones and Raw Food (BARF) diets.

BARF diets consist of a combination of raw meat, raw meaty bones, vegetables, raw eggs, and other assorted ingredients.

The reasons for increased interest in these diets are wide-ranging and include an owner’s desire for greater involvement with

their pet, the appeal of natural ingredients, and the belief that variety will enhance the animal’s acceptance of the food.

his Nestlé Purina Nutrition Brief discusses the key safety concerns associated with BARF diets, including

complications from raw bone ingestion and contamination of raw ingredients by bacteria, parasites and protozoa.

Safety Considerations for Pets

I. Dangerous microorganisms
Raw meat or poultry may become contaminated with harmful microorganisms at any step during the processing from slaughter through storage.

Tests have demonstrated that raw meat diets may contain pathogenic1 bacteria such as:

  • Yersinia enterocolitica
  • Shigella
  • Echinoccus
  • Escherichia coli
  • Clostridium perfringens
  • Listeria
  • Salmonella
  • Campylocacter
  • Staphylococci
  • Mycobacterium bovis

Pet owners should consider all raw-meat diets to be contaminated with bacteria. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

developed guidelines for making and labeling raw meat pet foods. In those guidelines,

the FDA states that it “does not believe raw meat foods for animals are consistent with the goal of protecting the public from

significant health risks, particularly when such products are brought into the home and/or used to feed domestic pets2.”

Adequate cooking and/or irradiation of raw ingredients are the most effective and efficient ways to minimize infections and food-borne illnesses2.

II. Bacteria in raw eggs
After cleaning and disinfection, raw Grade A eggs may still cause salmonellosis; studies have shown that .

salmonella bacteria are capable of contaminating the egg during ovulation, before the shell has formed.

III. Injury from bones
Advocates of BARF diets believe that raw bones are less likely to splinter, compared to cooked bones3.

However, a BARF diet that includes raw bones can increase the risk for many injuries in dogs and cats:
1. Jagged or sharp points on raw bones can cause oral trauma, and increase the likelihood of bones becoming

      lodged in the esophagus or elsewhere in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
2. Feeding whole raw bones can cause:

  • constipation
  • gastroenteritis
  • septic peritonitis
  • intestinal obstruction
  • GI perforation

Any of these conditions could result in the need to seek veterinary assistance.

Safety Considerations for Pet Owners

I. Microorganisms in BARF diets may be harmful to pet owning families
Household members who prepare BARF diets may be at an increased risk for bacterial infections from the raw ingredients if proper handling procedures are not carefully followed. Even if pet owners feed their pets raw meat labeled for human consumption, it may contain bacteria, parasites and protozoa that can potentially cause disease in both pets and humans when not properly cooked. Most of the dangerous pathogens of raw meat or poultry are found on the surface of the food, therefore it is very important to adhere to good hygienic practices during preparation. Owners should be counseled to wash their hands, pet bowls, and kitchen surfaces very thoroughly after handling and feeding the raw meat to their pets. Caution should also be used during cleanup of animal feces1. Salmonella contamination was found in BARF diets and in fecal samples from BARF-fed dogs.4

II. Dangerous organisms transmitted through feces
Some owners may believe that it is “natural” to find salmonella and other pathogens in the GI tract of house pets, but this is not true. Pets that are fed raw diets may retain pathogenic microbes in their systems, which they will shed during defecation.
   This was recently confirmed in a study4 comparing the presence of bacteria in the feces of BARF-fed dogs with the feces of dogs fed commercial diets. Results revealed that all food and fecal samples for the dogs fed commercial pet foods tested negative for Salmonella. The results for the BARF-fed dogs showed that 8 of 10 food samples tested positive for Salmonella, as well as three of the 10 fecal samples. Salmonella in the feces could also pose a health risk for those who clean up after their pets; this may be of particular concern to pet owners with small children and for older or immune-compromised people in the household.

III. Public health considerations
Since many of the contaminating microorganisms have zoonotic potential, raw diets can become a public health issue5. Cases of Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter infections in humans must be reported to the local health department, so it is vitally important for veterinarians and their staff to advise their clients of the precautions associated with serving raw pet diets6.

 

1. Remillard, RL. Advising Clients Who Feed Raw Diets to Pets. NAVC Clinician’s Brief 2005. Nov.: 3 (11): pp 29-30.
2. Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Guidance for Industry #122: Manufacture and Labeling of Raw Meat Foods for Companion and Captive Noncompanion Carnivores and Omnivores (revised). Rockville (MD): Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine; 2004. 14 p.
3. Billinghurst, I. Give a Dog a Bone. 1993. Bridge Printery, Alexandria, NSW, Australia.
4. 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.
5. LeJeune JT, Hancock DD. Public health concerns associated with feeding raw meat diets to dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001 Nov 1; 219 (9) : 1112-5.
6. The legal implications of the veterinarian’s role as a private practitioner and health professional, with particular reference to the human-animal bond: Part 2, the veterinarian’s role in society. Jack DC Can Vet J 38: 653-659, 1997.

  

  


Very important information

The only company that makes the medication to treat dogs with

heartworm disease is out of production for a unknown amount of time

That means everyone needs to keep your pets current on Heartworm prevention,

because at this time, if your dog gets Heartworms, we will have no real way of treating it.

Please make sure you are giving your dog their Monthly Prevention.

Here is the story:   Heartworm Treatment Shortage

 

Buyer Beware! FDA Issues Consumer Alert 

Please click the link below for full information. 

FDA informational sheet. 

 

Click the link below to find some helpful information to keep you and your pet safe this holiday season.

Taking the "Oh No" out of you and your pets' holiday "Ho-Ho-Ho"