Dog owners: do any of you feed raw?

[Biciclista]

I wonder if I can get a butcher to grind up chickens -- guess I'll find out if I ask.

Pam

I thought i'd get my local butcher to do that for me too. I can't remember why he wouldn't but he had a LOT of reasons. It would be hard for me to do if I didn't like meat. I like the smell of fresh chicken so that part is pleasurable for me.

[badger]

When I first got my dog, it took me quite a few months to figure out how to control his colitis. I debated the raw food diet, but was told that he'll most likely get worse before he gets better, so I never tried him on it. He was on Gastro, a specialized diet from the vet for the rest of his life (both wet and dry). He lived to about 13-14.

I'd love to try raw/home made food for my obese kitty. I wouldn't be surprised if his aggressive behaviour gets better.

Are there any health issues in buying already ground chicken from a grocery store, or do you grind yourself due to cost saving measures?

[Andrea]

I could be wrong, but I'm inclined to think that grinding at home is important in order to prevent bacteria contamination.

[Biciclista]

The ground chicken at the supermarket does not contain bones or organ meats. (or skin probably) all of which are important to a carnivore's diet. That's why we don't use it. It's probably fine bacteria wise or they wouldn't be selling it to people.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Isn't salmonella a fairly regular problem in raw chicken? (or am I just thinking of raw eggs?). If so, doesn't it affect dogs and cats if they ingest stuff with salmonella? Humans usually cook chicken before eating it, and that destroys the salmonella, right?
I'm just curious.

[Eden]

Isn't salmonella a fairly regular problem in raw chicken? (or am I just thinking of raw eggs?). If so, doesn't it affect dogs and cats if they ingest stuff with salmonella? Humans usually cook chicken before eating it, and that destroys the salmonella, right?
I'm just curious.

They evolved eating raw meat (and entrails!) Cats and dogs have a shorter, and I believe more acidic, digestive system than humans and they rarely have any effects at all from salmonella or ecoli, unless they are immuno-compromised. If you feed raw you have to be careful managing their waste as it is possible that it might be contaminated with those bugs, (like you would want to not be careful about handling poo.....) but many people feed raw and you don't hear about them being sick all of the time.

If it really worries you, you can put a whole chicken in boiling water for a short dip to kill the pathogens on the outside, but leave it for the most part raw - as far as I know that's where things like salmonella and ecoli live. That's why eating a rare steak is just fine, but hamburger is a bad idea- with the hamburg you've taken the outside and ground it all up putting it inside...

Now parasites are a different matter - cats and dogs can get stuff like giardia and it will affect them. I would guess that raw pork (because of trichinosis) probably should not be on the menu for either of them.