Quote:
Originally Posted by lara2913  Raw meat could be harmful to humans, but remember this is because we have evolved from chimpanzees, who are vegetarians, so it stands to reason that we would not be capable of handling meat in its natural 'full of vitality' form. However, healthy dogs (evolved from wolves) are carnivores and have a short digestive tract, thick stomach lining, strong stomach acids and different digestive enzymes to us, all of these things and more allow them to thrive on bacteria that could potentially be harmful to humans. Remember that even though our dogs are our babies, they are still dogs, not humans. |
Well that works great if you believe in the THEORY of evolution I suppose
(Dogs evolving from wolves is all theory too.
) The links examined that more closely and it was interesting to read the argument from that point of view.
As far as the whole 'that's how it is in the wild' theory, well, that's a whole other subject with holes all in it! However, I'm looking for more from something other than the 'evolution' claim as to why raw meat is not potentially harmful. I've never considered raw meat and have therefore never looked into it. There are so many people here who are feeding it so I'm hoping one of them have the researched, proven answers.
A few specific concerns come to mind:
How can you be sure that raw meat is not contaminated with parasites that could infest?
Unless I am mistaken, Salmonella can affect dogs too?
Does uncooked meat not contain higher levels of cholesterol?
Many of the chemicals meat is exposed to when processed are broken down when the meat is cooked, how do they affect dogs if not broken down?
Also, someone recommended a book to me, "Foods Pets Die For" by Ann Martin. She examines the negative and positive aspects of the possbile diets of pets...raw, homecooked and commercial...and I was told it is more factual and less one sided than many publications on the subject. Has anyone read it?