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Nazir's · 04-17-2006, 03:17 PM

I've always considered raw or barf diets for my fur kids. Many people that use this feeding method seems to be pleased with the results. I know of a few that have had to do this to eradicate some health issues as well. So far, I've heard nothing but great things about feeding raw from those who are experienced with it.

On another board, I started a thread called Kibble vs. Raw. I posed many questions because my main concern has always been intestinal parasites.

Here's what I've found when looking into it (my questions are followed by answers and/or links where to find the answers:

Me:

Hookworms:
Taenia (certain tapeworm): Acquired from eating infected rodents, rabbits, and sheep.
Diphyllobotriunm (certain type of tapeworm): Found encysted in the organs of fish
Echinoccus graulosus (certain type of tapeworm): Usually acquired from eating uncooked meats in both humans and dogs.
Strongyloides (certain type of threadworms)
Trichinosis: Acquired from eating uncooked meals.
Capillaria Aerophia (certain type of lungworm): Acquired through eating uncooked pork the contain the larvae of trichina spiralis.

Q:So my question is why would someone prefer to feed a raw diet if their dogs would be at risk of so many different ailments?

Q: Can anyone recommend any dehydrated diet food companies?

Q: Some people recommend not feeding fruits, veggies, and or grains to dogs. They suggest that if a dog is on a raw diet and getting a full variety of different meats than that's fine enough. How true is this?

Answer:
Here's what I've found so far (taken from: http://www.tiarapoodles.com/FAQs_raw.htm

Question: Should I be concerned about bacteria and parasites?
Raw meat may indeed contain bacteria and parasites. However, a dog's gastro-intestinal system is constructed and functions much differently from that of a human, so generally, a dog can handle normal numbers of both bacteria and parasites.
1. A dog's stomach acids are more powerful than human stomach acids; thus food is digested much more rapidly.
2. Most digestion takes place in the stomach.
3. A dog's intestinal tract is much shorter than man's is, and digested food passes through more quickly, providing less opportunity for harmful bacteria and parasites to become established. As an added precaution, some members treat their raw meat with GSE or food grade H2O2 to eliminate surface bacteria such as salmonella or e. coli. Julie Borst, of Tiara Poodles, notes the use of apple cider vinegar to assist the gastro-intestinal system in dealing with the bacteria and parasite load associated with feeding raw meat. It is also a great benefit to your pet to locate a source of organically raised and processed meat. Devoid of antibiotics and steroids these meats are also of benefit as they are hand processed. This lessens the amount of salmonella due to ruptured intestines during processing at the packaging plant.

Check this site out: http://rawfed.com/myths/parasites.html

Also, many helpful links & other info here: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/animals.htm

I'll keep searching, but these are great starting points (IMO anyway).

04-17-2006, 03:17 PM	#5
Nazir's No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 67	Raw vs. Kibble I've always considered raw or barf diets for my fur kids. Many people that use this feeding method seems to be pleased with the results. I know of a few that have had to do this to eradicate some health issues as well. So far, I've heard nothing but great things about feeding raw from those who are experienced with it. On another board, I started a thread called Kibble vs. Raw. I posed many questions because my main concern has always been intestinal parasites. Here's what I've found when looking into it (my questions are followed by answers and/or links where to find the answers: Me: Hookworms: Taenia (certain tapeworm): Acquired from eating infected rodents, rabbits, and sheep. Diphyllobotriunm (certain type of tapeworm): Found encysted in the organs of fish Echinoccus graulosus (certain type of tapeworm): Usually acquired from eating uncooked meats in both humans and dogs. Strongyloides (certain type of threadworms) Trichinosis: Acquired from eating uncooked meals. Capillaria Aerophia (certain type of lungworm): Acquired through eating uncooked pork the contain the larvae of trichina spiralis. Q:So my question is why would someone prefer to feed a raw diet if their dogs would be at risk of so many different ailments? Q: Can anyone recommend any dehydrated diet food companies? Q: Some people recommend not feeding fruits, veggies, and or grains to dogs. They suggest that if a dog is on a raw diet and getting a full variety of different meats than that's fine enough. How true is this? Answer: Here's what I've found so far (taken from: http://www.tiarapoodles.com/FAQs_raw.htm Question: Should I be concerned about bacteria and parasites? Raw meat may indeed contain bacteria and parasites. However, a dog's gastro-intestinal system is constructed and functions much differently from that of a human, so generally, a dog can handle normal numbers of both bacteria and parasites. 1. A dog's stomach acids are more powerful than human stomach acids; thus food is digested much more rapidly. 2. Most digestion takes place in the stomach. 3. A dog's intestinal tract is much shorter than man's is, and digested food passes through more quickly, providing less opportunity for harmful bacteria and parasites to become established. As an added precaution, some members treat their raw meat with GSE or food grade H2O2 to eliminate surface bacteria such as salmonella or e. coli. Julie Borst, of Tiara Poodles, notes the use of apple cider vinegar to assist the gastro-intestinal system in dealing with the bacteria and parasite load associated with feeding raw meat. It is also a great benefit to your pet to locate a source of organically raised and processed meat. Devoid of antibiotics and steroids these meats are also of benefit as they are hand processed. This lessens the amount of salmonella due to ruptured intestines during processing at the packaging plant. Check this site out: http://rawfed.com/myths/parasites.html Also, many helpful links & other info here: http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/animals.htm I'll keep searching, but these are great starting points (IMO anyway).