Feeding dogs raw meat could propagate dangerous bacteria

Biologically appropriate raw feeding (BARF) is believed to have numerous health benefits for animals. However, these healthy dogs excrete antibiotic-resistant 𝐸𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑖 bacteria.

𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐅 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐬 retain beneficial enzymes and do not contain harmful preservatives. Since pet owners started feeding raw food to their pets, they have reported 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐅 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐬, such as improved body composition, increased vitality and mood, better digestion, and healthier teeth. However, many studies warned that 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡. It can be a source of potential source of parasites, bacteria, and thus contamination.

In 2020, the Canadian government reported an infection linked to 𝐸𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑖, yielded from the use of raw pet food. 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐅-𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐠𝐬 are more likely 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜-𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚. In addition, it has been shown that the bacteria strains identified in dogs were also shown to be present in cattle. Therefore, researchers encourage owners to consider 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬, and breeders to implement measures to 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 on meat-producing farms.

To avoid the spread of dangerous bacteria from raw meat, pet owners must observe 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐲𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 when interacting with the dog or picking up its feces.