Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie May  I'll just say tapeworms for now. Dogs get tapeworms and they are present in meat (which Merck seems to think can cause a problem). So how do we know these things are being processed properly if dogs need to be dewormed?
1. Yes, the supplementation for homecooked is peer reviewed. It meets AAFCO guidelines or at least that is the standard I have for it. If it doesn't meet AAFCO or at least NRC at a minimum, I'd be concerned. That's no guarantee that a dog will do well on it, but it's better than just giving whatever vitamin supplement that looks ok.
2. It would be the same for humans. Most or all parasites and bacteria are killed at the temps generally used for cooking. I couldn't say whether all homecookers make sure the meat is done enough, but I know I do...
3. I have no evidence that dogs who eat homecooked live longer and wouldn't want anybody to believe that I do. |
Typically dogs acquire tapeworms from eating fleas, not raw meat. I've been reading about the raw food diet for over a year now and have not encountered a single dog who got tapeworms from raw meat. This is probably because the tapeworm which commonly affects dogs is
Dipylidium caninum, whereas the tapeworms found in raw pork and beef are
Taenia solium and
Taenia saginata. These tapeworms are in entirely different families and I have not been able to find anything that suggests these
Taenia cysts can affect dogs if consumed. I will keep looking though!