In recent years, raw dog food diets have become popular, as they are touted as more healthy and natural than commercial pet food products, which are typically heated or freeze-dried to eliminate bacteria.
The raw dog food diet comes with its controversies—but a new report in the BMJ journal, VetRecord, may put some questions about the diet to bed.
After analyzing the bacterial samples from raw dog food products, researchers found high levels of bacteria that could not only pose a risk to the pets eating it, but also to their owners.
“This research offers further compelling evidence to support vets' concerns about the potential animal and public health risks associated with feeding pets a raw meat-based diet,” Daniella Dos Santos, Junior Vice President of the British Veterinary Association, said in a press statement.
The researchers took bacteria samples from 60 packs of raw dog food. Raw dog food products lack the pasteurization process of heating or freeze-drying that commercial dog food undergoes.
The samples were taken from different stores and manufacturers, from March 2017 to September 2017. The products contained different meat products, including raw meat, edible bones and organs from cattle, chicken, lamb, turkeys, pigs, ducks, reindeer or salmon.
From the varying samples analyzed, all of them had Enterobacteriaceae—a bacteria that stems from fecal contamination and lack of hygiene standards.
Although levels of Enterobacteriaceae bacteria varied among the samples, 31 of the samples exceeded the maximum threshold for containing this bacteria set by the European Union.
In 18 of the samples, the team discovered Clostridium perfringens bacteria—and two of the samples out of those 18 exceeded the maximum threshold for guidelines set in Sweden.
E. coli was also found in a third of the samples, as well as zoonotic species Salmonella and Campylobacter, which are bacteria that can pass from animals to humans.
“Bacteria such as E coli and Salmonella can cause significant gastrointestinal disease in animals,” Dos Santos said. “Pets can also shed potentially harmful pathogens present in raw food into their environment, so there is a risk to owners both in handling the food and coming into contact with the animal.”
Salmonella and Campylobacter were present in the raw food at relatively low levels compared to other bacteria, but Salmonella in any pet food is prohibited according to European Union guidelines. Salmonella was present in four of the samples while Campylobacter was only present in three of the raw samples.
These zoonotic species pose a greater risk than other bacteria, as they can easily spread from dog to owner, potentially spreading disease. Dogs can transfer the bacteria by kissing or licking their owners’ face after eating, while other bacteria found in the samples are not known to cause serious infection or implications.
Proper storage and handling of raw dog food meals could help in avoiding these bacterial risks by keeping the raw dog food separate from other food, keeping the food frozen and then thawed at 10 Degrees Celsius and handling the food with separate kitchen equipment.
The researchers do not recommend feeding a dog a raw food diet in families with elderly individuals, infants and people who are immunocompromised because the risk to both the dog and the person are much higher.
“Pet owners who choose to feed a raw food diet should be aware of the potential health risks and take full precautions while storing and handling the food,” Dos Santos concluded.
