he drift for feeding pets raw meat has been condemned by scientists, who say it often contains bacteria and parasites that could pose dangers to both pets and their owners.

A budding trend has seen pet owners plump for products such as meat, bones and organs which can be bought frozen and then defrosted before being fed to dogs and cats.

Most pet owners on this trend consider raw meat for pets more natural and can solve issues like allergies and skin problems. Also, they feel raw meat solves the problems of additives and contamination that goes with processed food.

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However scientists have debunked such reports, saying there is no evidence of such health benefits and that raw meat diets can cause growth problems, dental and gut injuries in pets.

Paul Overgaauw, co-author of the new research from Utrecht University in the Netherlands said;

“We see that more and more people are feeding cats and dogs this kind of product and we know that meat is infected with bacteria and parasites.”

The researchers describe how they analyzed samples from 35 raw meat diet products across eight brands available in the Netherlands – a country where more than half of dog owners are thought to feed their dog with raw meat.

After melting the meat, the scientists looked for the presence of salmonella, listeria, E coli and antibiotic-resistant E coli as well as two types of parasites: species of Sarcocystis and Toxoplasma gondii. The results reveal that 23% of the products tested contained a type of E coli that can cause renal failure in humans, while 80% of products across seven brands contained E coli, which is resistant to antibiotic. Also species of listeria were found in more than half of products, while salmonella species were found in 20%, species of sarcocystis in 23% and Toxoplasma gondii in 6%.

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Parasites are rendered harmless by freezing, but bacteria are not, and both posed a risk in home-prepared raw meat diets – not only to the pet but owners as well, either directly, as a result of cross-contamination of human food, or through exposure to pathogens shed by the animals, Overgaauw noted.

Daniel Chan, professor of emergency and critical care medicine and clinical nutrition at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, who was not involved in the research, said the new study added to a growing body of evidence on raw meat diets for pets.

“We have known that there are risks associated with raw meat feed diets since the early 2000s, but this is the first [research] in Europe that has gone as far as to check commercially available frozen raw meat diets,” he said.

Chan added that the study was vital as it showed that buying commercial, frozen products than home-prepared food, did not evade the dangers of pathogens. “The most concerning from our public health point of view is that they are finding multi-drug resistant bacteria in the food source,” he said.

“If you buy mince from a supermarket you are likely to have bacteria, but because you cook it you are not at risk,” added Chan, pointing out that commercial raw meat diets were not designed to be cooked because it could break down supplements that have been added to them.

Chan stressed that vets should discuss the risks of raw meat with owners, adding that it was not yet known what the best defenses were.
Source: http://www.healthdiary365.com/2018/01/13/scientists-condemn-trend-of-feeding-pets-raw-meat-after-study-finds-pathogens/