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I understand the benefits to RAW and I'm almost on board. I do understand that the dogs are not affected by the bacteria and salmonella in the raw meat but I can't get over the concern of my toddlers being exposed to it. My 2 year old likes to hang around the dogs and watch them eat and I don't want to have to stress at every meal that he's going to get sick. I don't have a fenced yard to feed them in and they wont eat in their crates, they just sit and bark at eachother.

I have read all the studies, one in particular that said although there was salmonella found in 80% of the food and feces of a study group of raw fed canines while 0% was found in the kibble fed group no humans had reported salmonella poisoning through the contact. Quite honestly for every study that says one thing there's another that says something else, and I just can't get past the "what if".

My other concern is intestinal punctures. I know it's rare, but my dogs gulp and it's a real concern for me.

I'm jsut wondering how others dealt with these concerns and what information you found that made you feel comfortable enough to make the switch. My dogs could really benefit from it I know, but I'm still too worried to switch over.

Hey there!

I totally understand your concern and you are right to think about the risks with a child in the house! I fed my two recently deceased greyhounds raw while my little girl was a toddler and had no real issues. I had read a study conducted by UC Berkely that stated that childern under 3 in families that fed RAW were something like 30% more likely to pick up illnesses but like I said, I never saw it with my child personally and in fact, I thought it strenghtened her immune system to be exposed to slight amounts of bacteria.

One thing I was sure to do though, was to keep my child away from my dogs when they ate. And I cleaned up right after with vinegar and water, bowls, floor and mouths/ paws.

I have a real issue with children being around a dog when they are eating, I know they should be able to be, but just because they can, doesn't mean they should, you know? My two hounds were as gentle as can be, I just thought it was respectful to give them that space during thier meals.

On another note, it is not entirely true that bacteria won't affect the dog. It is rare but dogs can get samonella just like we can. The reactions tend not to be as severe or life threatening, but the risk is still there so you must be careful about storage and not thawing out on countertops etc.

Going to RAW is a huge change and a big commitment, and not one that someone should jump into. I love feeding my dog that way, but I also know there are good kibbles out there too. time, money and family situation are all things to keep in mine. Just my opinion.....

That\'s a bit of a tough situation as I don\'t think you can eliminate the chance of salmonella or other bacteria transfer if your toddler is around the dogs when they are eating. Do you have large dogs? You could try getting one of those dog fence type kits (available at all the bigger pet stores) and feed them in there if you don\'t have a fenced area in your yard. Once the dog has eaten though, I\'m thinking there is minimal chance that your child would get sick. Dog\'s saliva probably breaks down any bacteria pretty quickly. Maybe one of the other RAW feeders has some info on this?? Preacher Poulin maybe? LOL She seems to really know her stuff. As for the punctures, my dog wolfs down bones like nothing and hasn\'t had any issues. The bones are soft enough to work their way down when they are raw. I\'ve noticed my dog barfs a lot more on raw than she did on kibble, and many times it\'s bits of bone. It\'s a weird feeling to just chuck your dog a hunk of meat instead of pouring a bowl of kibble, but once you\'ve switched, you\'ll be glad you did. Their bodies are genetically designed to deal with raw food so you needn\'t worry. I\'ve only been feeding it for a little over a month now and I can see pretty amazing changes in my dog. Her muscle tone has increased, her coat is softer and healthier and she has more energy.

Mine have been on raw for about 6 months now and I would never switch back..even when I visit other people I bring Raw food for them. My dogs prefer to drag their food out of their bowls and eat it from the floor...I just give it a clean with a "safe" cleaner and I dont worry about germs. I would advise to keep your kids a safe distance from the raw feeding at least at the beginning..mine were a bit more protective at first but then it stopped when they realized I would take it away if they growled.. It is cooked bones that cause trouble as they are too hard and can puncture...raw bones shouldn't do that.
My dogs teeth are amazing and my old dog had bad teeth, bad toots and bad poops..just the amount of poop is worth changing..they are so small and not so stinky...it it not such a chore cleaning up the poop anymore.

Jump in...you'll like it...

Good luck
Wen in Ottawa

1- you could train your dog to eat on small area rug or piece of carpet then simply roll it up for the next feeding.
We actually found it quite easy to train our dog to eat on a little carpet. If he tends to slither off, we say "Keymo back on your carpet" and he gets back on it. Sometimes during a feeding he does this a few times, but he's just so "into" eating he doesn't notice.
Yes, we feed him Raw. Been doing it since April 12th. Would never go back.

2- if your dog gulps his food it's because it's so easy to do that with kibble!
Raw takes more time and thought to eat so there's less chance of gulping. Think about this - Feeding something as big as your first is a LOT harder to gulp than something the size of a sugar corn pop!

One thing I have seen a lot of people talk about is kids being exposed to salmonella. While this may be true, there's another danger that I haven't heard mentioned. People talk about exposure to kids because their immune system isn't as strong, but elderly people also fall into that category. I don't think there would be too much danger as long as everyone stays away from the food dishes or feeding area, but I have no idea how much, if any, salmonella exposure they'd get from the dogs themselves if they say, licked you, or brushed their face up against you or something. Then again, I handle raw meat all the time when I'm cooking, and I've never been overly adamant about bleaching down surfaces or anything like that afterwards, and I've never run into issues with salmonella. I guess it's just one of those things where you have to talk to whoever you can about what kind of risks are involved, and how serious they may or may not be. You can try and find someone who has had a problem from salmonella and ask them about it? Just to hear if there are two sides to the story? If you can't find someone, then that can tell you something right there.

First - I thank everyone for their stories. I love the idea of the rubber mat. I think for us that might be an option until I can deal with the dogs crate fighting issues.

After reading a bunch of medical studies and talking to people on both sides of the equation I do understand why each side feels the way they do. I think I will try it for a while and see how it goes. If it doesn't work for me at least I can say I've tried it. I'll be supervising them initially so they don't have the chance to splinter off bone pieces and as for the germs....Like LBrinkworth said, I cut raw chicken all the time and use nothing more than soap and water to clean up with maybe a little windex after. I don't think anything of letting my kids on the counters after I've cleaned them so I don't really see the difference there. That being said, I will be wiping off my dogs paws and mouths with soapy water afterwards as well. Although my dogs don't lick us at all, the thought of the raw foul or meat on their fur then rubbing on my carpet totally grosses me out. Hopefully if I can keep the germs INSIDE their mouths I'll be ok with it. Quite honestly, hearing recently that a registered nurse is willing to feed her dogs raw was enough to convince me that the bacterial concern is minimal.

Hey,

If you are not comfortable feeding raw, feed them a very good quality kibble. Raw feeding definitely denotes a bit more care for cleanup as there is a risk for samonella.

I also just saw a new kind of raw food that is freeze dried, so probably safer. Can't remember what it was called though?

One of the reasons I love Raw is how well the meat and bones clean my dogs teeth. My old dogs teeth were bad..a lot of plaque and very gross, now he has NO plaque and his breath is great! Freeze dried is a lot more expensive than buying raw from the grocery store and it is cut up like kibble and does nothing for their teeth

I have a "gulping" dog as well and he slows down for his raw. I have an immune disorder and I haven't been sick at all since I switched. Has anyone seen the " clean dog" episode where Brad deals with an overly compulsive clean person?? It would take a lot of rotten and cross contamination of the meats and veggies to get enough salmonella to make a healthy person sick. If you keep your area clean, I say dont worry. Be happy.