Here we are, it’s Friday already and time for the last post of my “A Salmonella Story” series.
In previous posts in this series I talked about the prevalence of bacteria in our daily lives. I explained how a healthy dog’s digestive system is basically a cast iron, hydrochloric acid filled tank capable of digesting bone and killing most pathogens it ingests.
In yesterday’s post I wrote about two studies, their purposes – to try and infect puppies with Salmonella which did succeed but only after administering the bacteria intravenously (kinda hard to do outside of a lab environment).
The topic of today’s post is how you can prevent Salmonella poisoning by just using your common sense.
What’s the Poop?
Critics (some pet food companies and veterinarians) contend that raw fed dogs are a source of Salmonella poisoning for humans. Yes, studies have shown that raw pet food does contain bacteria, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise should it? Most of the meat you buy from the supermarket is contaminated with bacteria of one form or another. Consider this, in one study, Salmonella spp. were identified from 7.5% of ground beef, 44.6% of ground chicken, and 49.9% of ground turkey samples. Remember the second post in this series? Bacteria are everywhere!
Can people become infected with food-borne pathogens when handling contaminated meat products?
Of course, but again, this applies to not only raw pet food, but your own food too. Some veterinarians and pet food companies seem to think that you’re smart enough to safely handle your own raw meats, yet somehow not smart enough to safely handle your dog’s raw food? From a hygienic standpoint, there should be absolutely no difference in how you handle the ground beef you use to make chilli, or how you handle your dog’s food at feeding time.
I know you’re smart enough, but I needed to up the word count in this post, so here are a few food handling basics;
- Keep raw meats separate from other groceries
- Use plastic or non-porous cutting boards & wash them in the dishwasher or hot soapy water after each use
- Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands!
- Wash or clean everything that has come into contact with the food, i.e. dishes, utensils, the sink, counter tops – use hot soapy water
All pretty common sense stuff really.
How to Prevent Salmonellosis When Preparing Your Dog’s Raw Meals
See above points. It really isn’t rocket science!
Anitbacterial Soaps There’s No Need
The CDC and the AMA have both been quoted as saying that antibacterial soaps are “overkill”, and that regular soaps are sufficient. Something I myself have always believed.
You Said Earlier That Dogs Can Shed Salmonella in Their Feces
Yup, I did say that. The fear mongers tell that you can contract Salmonellosis by picking you your dog’s poop. I don’t know about you, but I use a bag to do that, and I make sure there are no holes in the bag. Call me overly cautious. :/
So getting sick from Salmonellosis by picking up dog poop? I’m 99.99% sure that’s not gonna happen, and guess what, unless you’re literally eating your dog’s poop (I recommend against that, you might get Salmonella Poisoning), receiving a big enough dose to make you sick – pretty remote. I feel like a Myth Buster. 
Moral? Don’t eat dog poop and wash your hands after picking it up. This is some pretty brainy stuff, no?
Some Random Salmonella Facts
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control’s 2008 Annual Summary of Reportable Diseases, there were 922 cases of salmonellosis reported in British Columbia in 2008, making Salomonella infection the second most commonly reported enteric disease in BC. Rates were higher in children under 5 years of age with the number of cases peaking in the summer months. The number of Salmonella reports have remained stable over the last 10 years. The source of the last outbreak in 2008 was determined to be from eggs. In 2001 there were two outbreaks in Canada, one from whole raw almonds imported from the United States, and the other from peanuts imported from China.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully through this series you’ve come to understand that Salmonella poisoning is not an issue for the majority of dogs, which was my ultimate goal with this series. It can however as you know, be a very serious issue for people. To put it in perspective however, there are approximately 3 million people in British Columbia and in 2008 there were 922 reported cases of Salmonellosis according to the BC Centre for Disease Control, that’s just 0.0307333333% of the population. Of the three outbreaks of Salmonella poisoning in the last decade, two were sourced to eggs and one to almonds.
I’ve been feeding my dogs a raw meat diet since 2004 and during the 20 years of my bodybuilding days I ate a lot of eggs! I’ve never been sick with Salmonellosis, maybe I’ve just been lucky, or maybe I just ate enough dirt and bugs as a kid?
Off Topic
Do you anthropomorphize your dog? Spoil him or her? There’s a good post on this topic over at DogSpelledForward.com. Leave a comment there and share your views.
Disclaimer: The above information is not meant to be used to treat animals for medical problems nor should it take the place of proper veterinary medicine. For more information on raw canine diets, please contact a veterinarian who has experience with the diet and recommends it in their practice.
I'm a dog guardian to Sweety, my 15 year old Border Collie & Zeus a stray American Pit Bull Terrier that I rescued in October of 2009. I write about canine health and nutrition focusing mainly on topics relating to feeding a raw meaty bones diet.
