Author Topic: This has to be the dumbest question ever (raw food and germs)  (Read 5129 times)

Offline NewfieMama

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I am interested in incorporating some tenets of the raw diet into my Newfie's diet. Starting slow, I've found a source of raw meaty marrow bones that I can get relatively inexpensively from a local butcher shop.

My question - if my dog chews on a raw bone for a few hours, or eats a plate of raw food that includes chicken or other raw meat/bones, and then kisses me or my kids - what's the risk of germs spreading from his drool (he IS a Newfie) to our faces, hands, etc.?

I understand that the risk to him is minimal, but I am concerned about health risks of transferring germs to humans, my small children in particular.

I'm sorry this question seems so silly, but I've asked several people who feed raw and the local "healthy" pet food store and none of them had ever considered this and weren't sure what the answer was.

Thanks for any advice!

Mary

List

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Re: This has to be the dumbest question ever (raw food and germs)
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2009, 12:32:42 pm »
I feed both my dogs (and my cats) a raw food diet. I don't worry about them passing germs on to me. But we do have a no kisses right after dinner rule (We wait like 10 min. or so). But that was in place when I fed kibble too. We've never gotten sick from our dogs, and honestly a little bacteria is great for your immune system.

Just a note - when you say 'raw meaty mearrow bones', are you talking about cow femurs and leg bones? If you are you might want to avoid weight bearing bones (from cows and large animals) . They are often called 'wreck' bones, not for their recreational purposes but rather they are notorious for breaking teeth. I know they can be hard to pass up (since they are usually cheap) but they are not worth it in the long run. A better meaty bone is a pig shoulder or beef ribs.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2009, 12:33:45 pm by List »

Offline Berner_Mom

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Re: This has to be the dumbest question ever (raw food and germs)
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2009, 04:04:30 am »
Hello!  Tucker is 15 months old, and we feed a variety of foods- he gets Orijens kibble in the morning, and then alternately raw food (anywhere from beef dinner, turkey, chicken, lamb, bison, duck, beef, fruit/veggie patties etc...  and we buy premade frozen patties from lots of different manufacturers) or Merrick brand canned food in the evening.  Its about raw food 4 times per week, canned food 3 times.

We too have always implemented a "no kisses/licks" right after eating, for about 10-15 minutes (Tucker usually goes outside anyway) just for our own personal cleanliness, not really over concern for the raw "germies", and on the occasions where we've forgotten and he's managed to lick us, we've never been sick from it.

BTW:  feeding raw takes a lot of critisism from "outsiders"  (aka: non-raw believers) but all I know is that we used to have so many problems with Tucker (itchy skin, bald patches, bad stool, bad breath, gas, diarreha to name a few) and since switching to raw it has all cleared up, and he has a beautiful, shiny, healthy coat, he's strong, hardly ever passes gas,his stool is more formed- and he poops less often!, shiny white teeth and no more foul smelling breath.  We wouldn't feed any other way.

have a great day!
Sarah
Mom to daughter, McKenna,
With us for 40 weeks, 1 day
Silently Born Into Eternity
on May 27, 2007

Mom to fur-kids:
Tucker, 16 months, BMD
Echo, 6 years, Siamese
Simba, 2 years, Orange Tabby
Mom to one reptile-teenager,
Trevor, 16 years, red-eared slider turtle