Myths About a Raw Dog Food Diet
By Kent Simmons | Submitted On November 09, 2011
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Introduction
There is much controversy that surrounds a raw dog food diet. Experts on forums and most veterinarians will warn you that there are serious health consequences and the risks of bacterial infections when serving your dog raw food recipes.
But are these warnings valid?
Myth #1 - Risk of bacterial infection from raw food
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Coli. But let's face it, dog's routinely eat items that would send any human to the emergency room: garbage, other dogs' stools, roadkill. For goodness sakes, they spend an inordinate amount of time licking their own behinds!
Here as in many other misconceptions about canine nutrition, we confuse a dog's digestive and immunity system with our own. The truth is that dogs have powerful stomachs and a digestive system that can handle much more bacteria than we can. In addition, their immune systems are built in such a way that bacteria does not impact them in the same way.
Expert veterinarian and noted author, Dr. Richard Pitcairn comments in his book on canine nutrition that in the 15 years of recommending raw dog food diets to his clients, he has never encountered a case of E. coli or salmonella.
The folks over at Leerburg Kennels, who know a thing or two about breeding dogs and whose dogs are used in law enforcement and competition, have been feeding their dogs raw food diets for over 45 years. Again, nary a whisper about salmonella infections.
Veterinarians and dog
Private label dog food brands account for about 9%. Breeder’s Own Pet Food, Inc has an opportunity to educate the consumer with their new product. Right now the consumer only has three choices of dog foods, dry, canned, and treats. 95% of dog owner’s feeder their dog’s dry food in the course of a year. Nestle’ Purina One is a brand leader in this category. About 1 in 3 dog owners feed their dogs canned food during the course of a year. Pedigree is a brand leader in this category. Almost 80% of dog owners feed their dogs treats. Milkbone is the brand leader in this category. 1 in 10 dog owners buy frozen or refrigerated dog food on a regular basis. 15% are interested, but do not currently buy it due to lack of availability and convenience.
Recently, more natural, "premium" dog food has been introduced to the market, in which higher quantities of quality, nutritious ingredients are used to manufacture the food -- often human-grade, in fact. Since vegetables, fruits, real meat and quality grains are used as the primary protein source in the highest-quality dog foods, these foods are a fast route to healthy skin and beautiful fur. For the most part, they contain no artificial coloring and preservatives, but are chock-full of vitamins and minerals instead.
In general a pet dog does not need any food that contains grains or cereals. If you look at dogs in the wild environment you will see this statement looks obvious. However we can find more grains in any branded dog food as they are cheaper than the meat.
There is a variety of negative aspects associated with low grade dog food. One negative aspect of cheap dog food is that they use fillers. Canines are not meant to eat certain ingredients, but these ingredients are included in dog food anyways in order to add “substance” and “weight” to the food. These ingredients do have some nutrients, but the dogs digestive system cannot digest the fillers, resulting in more waste being produced, and more of a mess for you to clean up.
When these animals are taken to the slaughter house, their carcasses can become contaminated when come in contact with intestinal contents (http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html). Fruits and vegetables can easily become contaminated when water used to wash off suspected bacteria is contaminated with sewage. The most common form of Salmonella comes from eggs, which can become contaminated when a hens’ ovaries become infected, causing the pathogen to lay on the yolk before the shell is completely formed around the egg itself.
After consulting with your vet about the change to your dog's diet, you will want to consider all of your options. Upon making the final decision, you will want to make the change gradually and over time. Do not
Understanding the ingredients of your dog's food items is a must for the dog lovers or dog owners. Whenever you feed the dog with different kinds of food items, you should always read the label and understand the contents about the dog feed types that are being used in such commercial preparations. You should understand the ingredients while buying food for your dog and also know what to look for.
Even though dogs love the canned food it is not the best source of nutrition.
Gastrointestinal diseases are pervasive problem that is caused by ingestion of contaminated foods or water in which an extensive etiological agents known as enteric pathogen are present, [1]. Salmonella is one of the most opportunistic gram negative, facultative anaerobic food borne pathogens that represent a major health problem and a substantial cause of food poisoning[2]. Salmonellosis caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) stance as the second most prevalent cause of acute gastroenteritis that affecting one million illnesses in the United States, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths[3]. Infection begins with the ingestion of contaminated food or water then characterized by attachment of the bacteria by fimbriae or pili to cells lining the
There are many different diseases and sicknesses that can be transmitted through being with your dog. Fortunately, most of the common diseases contracted from dogs can be treated quickly and easily. People need to be more careful about their dogs and the diseases that can be contracted because they can affect humans with almost the same amount of effect that they have on dogs.
As you begin searching for dog food recipes, remember that a dog is healthier eating like humans. There diet should be primarily meat-based, but you can throw in some other food groups from time to time as well. One good thing about making homemade dog food is that the meal is much more flavorful compared to dog food. Because of this, you can often break your dog's vitamins into pieces and put them in the dish; your dog will never notice the difference.
Just like us humans, what your dog eats has a great affect on his health and vitality. You want to choose a food with quality ingredients that will provide your pup with energy and a shiny coat.
There have been numerous times where I have been affected by Salmonella, so it was easy to swing towards Salmonella as the CBRN choice. Salmonella is found in everyday food products such as raw chicken, raw beef, raw fish, raw eggs and unpasteurized milk (foodsafety.gov). Salmonella can also be found on reptiles, amphibians, birds and even pet treats (foodsafety.gov). People will start to feel symptoms within four to seven days which include: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, headaches, dehydration and possibility blood in the stool (mayoclinic.gov).
For dog owners whose pet dogs tend to suffer from food allergies, it’s preferable you feed your dogs with hypoallergenic dog food as much as you can. Just like humans, canines are also prone to food allergies with side effects which may vary from something as simple as a mild stomach upsets occasioned by diarrhea,
There are several factors to consider when choosing the right food for your dog. Different dogs have different nutritional needs at different stages in their lives. Some