Bacteria & Parasites

Bacteria and parasites. The words make me cringe. People, at least here in the United States, are typically raised with the idea that "cleanliness is next to Godliness." There is fear of germs. Germs are out to get us. There is frequent media attention on the latest diseases. Television shows depict rare parasites or bacterial infections contracted from eating undercooked meat that cause a symphony of health problems and place people in mortal danger. Before switching my dog to a raw diet I looked into this a bit. Isn't salmonella a concern? And what about worms? Won't raw meat make my dog sick? It certainly seems to make a lot of people sick. What's the difference?

The first information I came across was that dogs have stomachs that are highly acidic. This acidity destroys harmful bacteria such as salmonella. Makes sense. I was believing this information when I first started feeding raw and continued believing it for many months. I never looked into it because I saw the same information from many sources- though none were scientific. I randomly decided to look into the science of it. What can I say, I like to learn. I wanted to find the proof. I was in for a surprise. Various sources cite the normal pH of the gastric juices in our human stomachs to be from 1 to 3. Some say 1.5-3.5, or 1-2, or 2-3. Turns out dogs are just about the same! Well, when they're eating at least. During meals is the only time the pH in their stomach drops, from about 1 to 1.5. When not eating the pH varies from 3 to more than 6.

From "The Canine Gastrointestinal Tract: Stomach," page 3 (emphasis added):

Secretions

Gastric secretions are produced in response to food intake. The parietal cells that secrete HCl are receptive to both neural (acetylcholine) and hormonal (histamine) signals; histamine is released in response to stimulation from the locally secreted hormone gastrin.

Gastrin itself is released from the G cells in the gastric antrum and duodenum, and release is stimulated by both the presence of protein in the stomach and amino acids in the small intestine. Also, stomach distension and stimulation by the vagus nerve (e.g., in sham feeding) stimulate gastrin release.

During meals, gastric pH is about 1 to 1.5. Unlike in humans, the secretion of gastric acid is intermittent in cats and dogs, and during low-fasting acid secretion between meals, gastric pH can rise as high as 3 to 6.5. Therefore, blood in vomit may appear either as hematemesis (digested, “ground coffee” appearance) or as fresh blood.

(Note: when dogs are used to being fed at exact times their bodies begin to predict feeding time. They begin producing gastric juices regardless of the presence of food. [Think of Pavlov's dog salivating when the bell is rung]. If the food doesn't come, they will often vomit yellowish bile. Vary your feeding times so this doesn't happen. If it does happen, do NOT immediately feed the dog as you do not want to reinforce the reaction.)

With that information I now needed to find out why dogs didn't get sick from raw meat. My own dog was fine. Thousands and thousands of dogs, let alone wild canids, don't get salmonella poisoning or other problems from bacteria. Why? I dug deeper and discovered the answer to be due to their short GI tract. Food is eaten, digested, and passed through their system before bacteria like salmonella has a chance to affect them. Dogs have a very short intestinal tract, as all carnivores do. From "Comparison Between the Digestive Tracts of a Carnivore, a Herbivore and Man," (emphasis added):

The length of the gastrointestinal tract of a carnivore. The gut of any animal is usually measured after death when its muscles are relaxed. This gives a quite wrong impression. While that of the animal we have been discussing measures over thirty feet when the dead dog is dissected, this is not its normal length when the animal is alive. It has been found by passing a rubber tube through a living dog, which has a similar gut length when dissected, that the front end appears at its anus when little more that ten feet has entered the mouth. From measurements such as these it is generally reckoned that the total length of a carnivore's gut is probably about five to six times the length of the animal's body. 

The human GI tract is over 30 feet. I'm sure there is more behind it than simple length of the GI tract such as the bacterias already in the GI tract, but this is the main reason I currently believe as to why dogs don't get salmonella poisoning or other bacteria-related issues. Many healthy dogs and cats naturally have salmonella in their GI Tract, including those that are kibble fed.

Bacteria like salmonella is a real concern for us humans. While your dogs and cats can handle it, you probably can't. Always be careful and safe when handling raw meat. Wash your hands and all surfaces the meat was on or near. Wash your hands after scooping the yard or litter box. If your pet gets any icky goo on its face, legs, or paws, wash your pet. Personally I use a little Dawn dishsoap. Typically my pets don't get messy at all. The dogs get paws-on meals sometimes like large pieces of meat or beef ribs. They are always carried straight to the tub after eating messy meals.

Kaytu got a thorough cleaning after eating these ribs- as did the floor.

On to parasites! First, any meat you see in a reputable grocery store (in the United States; I cannot vouch for other places, though Canada and the UK I *think* fall under this rule as well) is fine to give to your pets straight away. You don't need to worry about worms or other parasites. In some countries you should avoid pork due to trichinosis, a type of roundworm. "It is common in developing countries where meat fed to pigs is raw or undercooked, but many cases also come from developed countries in Europe and North America, where raw or undercooked pork and wild game may be consumed as delicacies." (from Wikipedia, source cited: Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of trichinellosis.) Pork here in the States at grocery stores is absolutely fine to feed. You might want to steer clear of meat at foreign markets though. It's up to you and if you trust the source or not.

While grocery store meat is fine to feed right away, meat from other sources may not be ok to feed immediately. Any wild game such as rabbit, deer, pheasant, moose, elk, bear, etc. should be frozen solid for at least a week prior to feeding. According to the Mayo clinic, meat should be frozen for at least 12 hours to kill tapeworms, and fish for 24 hours. Remember the clock does not begin to start running until the meat is frozen solid. I like to freeze for at least 1 to 2 weeks to be on the safe side. If you aren't comfortable feeding wild game that's perfectly ok! You don't need to. I like it because it's almost always free and because it's what wolves eat. I would feed mainly deer if I could find a source for it.

Another specific concern is with wild-caught salmonids in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. "Salmonids" includes salmon of course (see pic) but also trout, whitefish, grayling, and char. These specific fish in this specific location from southern Alaska to mid California may have the parasite responsible for salmon poisoning. Freezing the fish solid will again kill the parasite. One week of freezing is surely enough, but 2 weeks is what I would personally do.

Types of salmon.
worldfishingnetwork.com

There are some kinds of bacteria that will make your pets sick, and some parasites that are not killed by freezing. This is extremely uncommon. Personally I have never heard of a raw fed pet getting an illness from the meat, but that's not to say it doesn't happen. Keep in mind that pets can get sick from kibble and canned food, from flea and tick preventative, from vaccines, and many other sources as well. If you have any doubt about a piece of meat then don't feed it. If your pet catches wild things on their own like rabbit, squirrels, mice, or birds, you should have your pet dewormed regularly.