Friends of the Riney Canine Health Center,
One thing I know for sure after many years of working as a veterinarian is that all dog guardians want the best for their furry companions. Depending on your background, beliefs, and experience, that might look different from family to family. When picking out food or treats for our dogs, many owners, and even some veterinary professionals, have embraced feeding raw meat diets in their desire to provide what they deem a healthy alternative to traditional diets. Nutrition for our dogs can be a complicated topic, but when it comes to feeding raw diets, the health risks far outweigh the benefits. The Cornell Feline Health Center took a definitive stance against this practice in its 2022 Annual Report, and much of this applies to our canine companions.
It is important to note that not all raw diets look like raw meat. Of course, if you order a ground-up, frozen rabbit from a specialty website, you know what you’re getting into with a raw diet. However, some raw meat diets can be sold on grocery store shelves as dried or freeze-dried treats and freeze-dried coated kibble and look nothing like what you would picture as typical raw meat. Based on a research study conducted by the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, your odds of exposure to a foodborne pathogen (Salmonella, Listeria, or toxigenic E. coli) in frozen raw meat diets for pets purchased online are about 1 out of 3. This study was conducted over a decade ago (published in 2014) when the jerky-style dried treats were more popular. Now, freeze-dried meat for pets is widely available on grocery shelves in various forms, including treats, toppers, and coated kibble. These are typically right next to the cooked products on the shelves, with no warning label that the contents are uncooked.
Dr. Laura Goodman, one of our researchers on the subject at Cornell’s Baker Institute for Animal Health, provided us with the following information on what food you should look out for and what risk factors should be considered:
“When it comes to the risks from bacteria and parasites, freeze-drying is not equivalent to cooking. In fact, it’s the opposite. At our research facilities, when our scientists need to preserve bacteria to study them, one of the ways we accomplish this is to dry them out. They can survive in a dried state for decades.”
One example includes dried pig ears, which are often uncooked. A recent outbreak investigation report published in The Lancet Regional Health describes how contaminated pig ear treats made their way into the US and Canada and sickened at least 154 people with salmonellosis over four years. Fortunately, no deaths were reported.
The two most concerning aspects of this outbreak are
Why should we care about resistant bacteria if everyone survived? Bacteria, in particular Gram negatives like Salmonella and E. coli, can share genes with each other. Some genes responsible for antimicrobial resistance are particularly mobile. After Salmonella is cleared, dogs and humans (and likely other animals) exposed to these strains may now harbor additional genes encoding antimicrobial resistance as part of their gut microbiome. If they need those critical medicines in the future, it’s possible that they might not be effective. Think of your microbiome like a toolbox: just like it can have beneficial aspects that help you fight disease, new infections can also mine your microbiome for resources to survive.
A recent study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that 10% of canine raw food products contained Gram-negative bacteria that produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), enzymes that degrade penicillins and cephalosporins. Treatment of those infections is quite difficult. According to the CDC, infection with these bacteria was attributed to over 9,000 deaths of hospitalized patients in the US in 2017.”
What do you need to know if you choose to purchase raw products? Dr. Goodman suggests that you “treat it like any other raw meat you buy for your family. This means handling it carefully, containing any splashes or drips, and cooking it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees before feeding it to your dog. Do not wash it in the sink first. Clean and disinfect all surfaces and dishes afterward, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap”.
Additionally, if you choose to give your dog freeze-dried treats (or any other raw food), Dr. Goodman recommends “not letting anyone in high-risk groups (young, old, immunocompromised, or pregnant) come in contact with the product or the dog. Even if your dog doesn’t look sick, they could be shedding organisms that would likely harm those family members. A large epidemiologic study published in 2017 indicated that raw meat consumption was a significant risk factor for Salmonella shedding in dogs, and close to half of the infected dogs appeared healthy.”
What are signs that your dog is sick from raw meat, and what should you do? Dr. Goodman recommends that “your first call should always be to your veterinarian. Look out for diarrhea, vomiting, or change in behavior. Be sure to tell them if there were any changes in diet, and especially let them know if a raw, dried, or freeze-dried product was given. If a commercial pet food product is suspected as the source, anyone can make a report to the FDA on their website or over the phone. They have a great team of veterinary medical officers and an extensive network of laboratories that can provide additional support.”
Ultimately, any diet we choose for our pets means fully understanding the risks and benefits. Be sure to read labels carefully and contact your veterinarian if you have any concerns.
Thank you for being a valued member of the Riney Canine Health Center. We hope this information was helpful to you, and we look forward to catching up with you next month!
Dr. Aly Cohen, DVM
Extension veterinarian
Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center