It's a sad day in the animal kingdom as the AVMA, a leading authority on animal healthcare, announced their plan to adopt a policy on raw pet foods that will discourage veterinarians and pet owners from feeding dogs and cats raw food diets. (Read more about this in the “Raw Knowledge” section below. )

It appears that the AVMA has failed to recognize that dogs have thrived on raw foods for centuries...WAY before the introduction of commercially prepared pet foods came along in the mid-1800s.

Before the kibbles and canned foods of the world, dogs would go out, catch, and kill their prey or feast on scavenged foods found in the wild. They did not fear risk of bacteria or illness. The high acid environment of their digestive system and the presence of live, active enzymes found in the raw food they ate helped to expedite the digestive process and minimize risk of illness from bacteria. So we know that dogs can handle the normal amounts of bacteria that may be present in raw foods.
Cooked foods - on the other hand - are a different story.

Dry and canned pet foods are heat-treated and therefore lack the enzyme levels necessary for optimal digestion. That is why dry and canned dog food diets stay in your dog's digestive tract an average of 4-6 hours longer than raw foods do. So when you hear that salmonella-tainted dry dog food has sickened pets, it's because the food has stayed in their system much longer than intended so the risk for illness is monumentally higher.
The AVMA has cited the risk of illness in both animal and humans as their reasoning behind adopting this policy on raw diets. While we've already addressed the concerns over animals getting sick from contaminated foods, what about the risk to humans?

As the recent dry dog food recalls from Diamond, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Wellness, and numerous other pet food manufacturers proves, cooked pet foods are not exempt from the risk of salmonella infection and other bacterial contaminants. Yet according to number of pet food recalls over the last few years, dry and canned pet foods are much more likely to cause cross contamination and illness in humans.

Why?

Because most pet owners believe that kibble and canned food diets are free of bacteria. These foods are supposedly "safe" to leave out all day for our dogs and cats to graze on. They're "safe" enough to be kept in the pantry unrefrigerated for months on end without spoiling.
So unlike raw diets, which people know must be handled in the same manner that raw meat for humans is handled (washing hands, utensils, working surfaces, and feeding bowls with hot, soapy water), dry dog food diets are handled more casually - like a bowl of peanuts at the local dive bar. Yet we should really keep in mind that all pet food - both raw and cooked alike - should be handled with the same sanitary protocols to avoid illness.

The AVMA has until August to make their decision. In the meantime, there are plenty of things you can do to help spread the word and support the rights of pet owners to feed their pets what they feel is best. The first step is to forward this newsletter to your pet-loving friends and family. The second is to read this week's article below.
Sincerely,


Amber Keiper & the rest of the BARF World team

P.S. There is still much to say about this subject of raw food policy. We invite you to share your comments and concerns on the BARF World blog: www.barfworld.com/blog.