[PrincessDiana]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Me too and I think it's cool to understand how things work, but then there is teh gap between what they teach and what applies to dogs. I wish they would offer more classes geared toward animals. I'm feeling less lost on at least understanding what things mean since starting my class though.

Not sure how raw feeders feel about toxo and tapes and if they have any research showing that they get killed during digestion, but with the larvae and everything, can it get into the blood stream and then into the heart and brain? I know a study was done showing that tapes (I think they were T. Solium but could be wrong) can get into the heart and brain of dogs, but I don't think that had anything to do with raw meat in that case. So many questions... And in one study, the dogs who were more likely to test positive for salmonella were raw fed dogs "and" homecooked...

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with le... [Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2006] - PubMed result
[Occurrence of antibodies and risk factors for inf... [Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2009 Jul-Sep] - PubMed result
Neosporosis and hammondiosis in dogs. [J Small Anim Pract. 2007] - PubMed result
Perceptions, practices, and consequences associate... [Can Vet J. 2009] - PubMed result
Evaluation of the association between feeding raw ... [J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2006] - PubMed result
Evaluation of bacterial and protozoal contaminatio... [J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2006] - PubMed result
Merck Veterinary Manual


But then kibble (and apparently homecooked) can still contain salmonella and there is no perfect feeding method. Just something I've been looking into lately...

Thanks for posting these! Although I realize that this isn't the case for all pet owners - I personally have a degree in Zoology and my senior capstone was in parasitology. I have also done extensive research into the raw diet and am fully aware of the risks involved with feeding a raw (particularly prey-model raw) diet. These risks are present ANY time there is raw meat involved, including for human use. Pet owners should do their own research and take the proper precautions to prevent the spread of any parasitic or infectious diseases. One of the case studies even specifics states: "Responses to a questionnaire probing practices and beliefs regarding raw meat feeding that was administered to dog owners demonstrated that dog owners may either not be aware or refuse to acknowledge the risks associated with raw meat-feeding; thus, they may neglect to conduct adequate intervention strategies to prevent zoonoses among themselves and their families."

SO... my point is -- I generally feel that pet owners who feed raw take the time to do extensive research and do employ prevention and intervention strategies to ensure their pets and family are safe. Proper food storage and handling are things I always stress when educating others' about the raw diet.