Deanne_C wrote:QUOTE:
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.
We live in a world of fear... fear keeps the masses in line.
Honestly, I've been feeding my dog raw for over a year and I've never had ANY problem with salmonella or e-coli or anything else for that matter.
I've fed my dog half rotten meat, fresh meat from the butcher and everything in between. She's never been sick (I also have a comprised immune system; hell if you're starting to get the sniffles, chances are I'm already sick in bed with it) I've never been sick with anything related to my dog and I've never had problems with my kids. Just teach the kids to leave the dog alone when he's eating.
The risk of salmonella is so small that it's not worth worrying about, as long as you take the proper precautions (wash your hands, the surfaces the meat has touched etc).
I don't clean where I feed my dog because she licks it all up.
There's one guy on the rawfeeding forum who let's his dogs eat on the CARPET and has NEVER cleaned up after them because he says they do a good enough job themselves.
If your dog is a gulper, then feed BIGGER meals, that way he actually has to think about what he's eating and how he's going to eat it.
As long as you're feeding RAW BONES, there's very little chance of intestinal punctures.
Who were these studies done by? I think you need to find better studies because you'll find traces of salmonella in kibble fed dogs too.
Please check out the rawfeeding group, there are over 10, 000 people on there who feed their dogs raw and can give you AMAZING advice.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/Also, Dukesdad gave you this link, but I'll put it again,
http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html http://www.rawfed.com/This link is GREAT because it tells you all about bacteria in your dog's body:
http://rawfed.com/myths/bacteria.htmlThese links will really help you out and hopefully dispel a lot of the fears you may have.
You really don't need to wash their feet and mouths with warm soapy water...especially their mouths..that seems EXTREMELY excessive.
One of the women on the raw feeding group lets her dogs lick out of her water glass after they've eaten their meat.
The meat goes into the dog's mouth, then the dog licks his chops and seriously, it's not a problem. My dog has licked mine and my daughter's face 10 minutes after she's finished eating and nothing has ever happened.
Think about, do you let your dog lick you now? With his disgusting kibble-mouth full of fermenting sugar/tartar and plaque? A kibble-fed dog's mouth is WAY dirtier than a raw fed dogs mouth.
I hope this helps you out and helps you get over your fear of germs because I couldn't imagine anything more annoying than having to bath my dog after every meal..
Take care and good luck!
Preacher Poulin
Forums
True!
) . For a whole week she did so I went back to pork and chicken for now.
