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So in the last couple of months, Natural Balance, several brands of P&G foods (Iams, Eukanuba, etc.) and United Pet Group (Dr. Fosters, Pet-Pro, Excel) all have had recalls due to salmonella contamination. Merrick beef squares have also been recalled for this reason. The funny thing is, any time a raw food thread comes up on CD, people jump to scream about salmonella. We have not had any issues with salmonella on raw! It's not something that regularly lives on raw chicken, since humans would be affected as well. I doubt you'd purchase raw chicken ever again if salmonella was such a common thing!
The facts remain, and it appears that raw feeders were right all along...kibble is much more likely to be contaminated than raw food ever will be. In fact, a dog that eats kibble contaminated with salmonella is much more likely to die, since kibble sits in the gut for hours, whereas raw is in and out. I wonder what company will issue recalls next..this is starting to seem like 2007 all over again. People relaxed after that recall, and they are again using questionable ingredients. Keep an eye out for future recalls, they seem to be coming weekly these days! Here's where recalls are announced, on a weekly basis these days.
Of course not, I'm just pointing out the fact that any time a new poster starts a thread about raw, salmonella is brought into the mix. Yet we now have 3 separate kibble companies in 2 months with salmonella recalls. I only have one dog that can and will eat raw, I have nothing against kibble. The other would never touch it. So, he eats Orijen. Nothing I can do about that and I'm not about to force him to eat something he doesn't like. I'm just pointing out that kibble is not immune to salmonella contamination, even though it's raw that gets accused of that all the time.
Your post made it sound like raw is the best way to go because every time you turn around kibble is being recalled because of salmonella, which is also found in raw chicken. It just doesn't affect dogs like it can people.
From what I've seen on here of the raw postings is that yes there are a few that are against raw feeding because of possible contamination. I've seen more people against feeding a kibble that is less then 3 or 4 stars.
You're right, it doesn't affect dogs the same way because with raw, it's in and out. However, if you are a raw feeder, you are highly advised to never mix raw/kibble in one meal. Kibble takes hours to digest, whereas raw is quick. The possible bacteria from the raw will mix with kibble, and the kibble will sit in the gut for hours. That's where the illnesses occur. This is why this recall is a huge deal for these companies and can lead to serious issues if ingested.
I personally like raw, but it's not for everyone. If you do it wrong, you can do much damage to your dog since you need to be aware of the right ratio of meat/bones and which nutrients they are ingesting. And, of course, your dog may not like it, as I found out with my MB. I won't force him to eat something he doesn't like. He's doing very well on Orijen, so I'm not fixing what's not broken!
FACT: Raw foods contain no less salminela or e-coli as processed pet foods.
FACT: Raw foods fall in the loophole between processed pet food testing and Human consumption food testing. because it is not classified it is not tested.
FACT: When OVC did test packaged raw from various stores that sold it, the levels were as great or greater for raw than proccessed pet foods.
FACT: Recalls are issued not so much for the animals but for the human handling. Dogs and cats are not subjected to illness the same as humans and can tolorate levels much greater than what triggers a recall. The trigger is because of human contact with that food.
What this means is raw is no less subject to contamination than processed foods. But people who use raw food for their pets are more likely to practice proper hygine than those who use processed foods. because raw food is raw, anyone who uses it knows to wash their hands afterwards, just like raw meats for human consumption. But how many time do we see people scope out the processed dry food and dump it in the bowl and if some fall out they pick it up with their hand and put it back in the bag or in the bowl, they don't bother washing their hands right away. because of this, recalls are required to protect humand from the food, not the animals.
But, item for item, raw is just as and probably more likely to contain bacteria and viruses as processed foods.
"Just like humans, dogs can become ill from salmonella, or also be asymptomatic carriers. Due to the specific way their digestive tract is designed, they are far less likely to be affected, since food passes through fairly quickly. Dogs evolved as scavengers, quite capable of eating carrion without becoming sick.
However, what makes me mad is when countless veterinarians and other so-called "experts" warn people not to feed a raw diets because of the perceived risks, when they don't even realize that commercial products aren't sterile and often in fact contaminated. Nature's Variety implemented the pressure pasteurization process for their raw diets, they are probably safer to feed than many common dry foods, specifically due to that step eliminating bacteria."
Commercial raw food companies like Bravo, Stella & Chewy's and Nature's Variety all undergo extensive testing to ensure they are not contaminated with salmonella and other bacteria. It's not like the raw from the supermarket, it's specifically designed and tested. Here are links recent recalls. They are all dry dog foods.
Merrick Pet Foods - News & Info (http://www.merrickpetcare.com/about_us/news_article.php?tid=434 - broken link)
The Dog Food Project: United Pet Group Recalls Pro-Pet Adult Daily Vitamin for Dogs (Possible Salmonella Health Risk) (http://forums.dogfoodproject.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=33199 - broken link)
Commercial raw food companies like Bravo, Stella & Chewy's and Nature's Variety all undergo extensive testing to ensure they are not contaminated with salmonella and other bacteria. It's not like the raw from the supermarket, it's specifically designed and tested. Here are links recent recalls. They are all dry dog foods.
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Nature's Valley only started testing because of salmonella contamination in their products that they knew nothing about until people complained. They started testing in March of 2010, but before that NO TESTING!
AND, recalls have been made of raw food, so please check your facts!
and lets not forget that Bravo also got hit with a recall due to salmonella.......... you can find that info on the FDA website as well. Raw food is not subject to as much recalls because they are not regularly testing for it like processed pet foods.
Last edited by Keeper; 08-09-2010 at 04:33 PM..
Reason: discussing mod actions
Clearly, you don't know the history of pre-packaged raw food! While I feed a true, prey-model raw diet, I at least know why Bravo was (very unfairly) recalled a few years back, practically putting them out of business. Do some research, you might be enlightened!
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Last edited by Keeper; 08-09-2010 at 04:35 PM..
Reason: good grammar not a requirement to post here
Clearly, you don't know the history of pre-packaged raw food! While I feed a true, prey-model raw diet, I at least know why Bravo was (very unfairly) recalled a few years back, practically putting them out of business. Do some research, you might be enlightened!
I don't think anyone cares what was behind the reason the food had to get tested, they only care that it was contaminated with salmonela. You never said to excuse the politics of why they were outed. The food was contaninated and they had NO TESTING inplace to discover it until a complaint was filed - JUST LIKE - Bravo. People can talk all they want about what Bravo is doing NOW, but until the complaints started rolling in, there was NO TESTING of the raw food.
Unless the food is intended for human consumption, or is being PROCESSED for animal foods, there is no testing of raw foods being done on a regular basis.
It is unfair to any pet food manufacture to label their products as unsafe because they have procedures in place to inspect, test and REPORT contamination. Also just because it was contamination does not mean it was harmful to anyone, it just means it tested positive. The reason so few raw foods have been recalled is they are not testing or looking for contamination. Of course there will be few cases of contamination if your not looking for it. Gee wiz...
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Last edited by Keeper; 08-09-2010 at 04:35 PM..
Reason: good grammar not a requirement to post here
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