How To Raw Feed Your Pets Safely

raw food is incredible for our pets not only is it their natural diet but it has other amazing benefits like keeping their teeth clean their coat soft and their weight under control but to some feeding raw meat seems kind of scary does raw meat really contain bacteria and parasites what's the best way to handle raw meat and can our pets still lick us if they eat a raw diet unfortunately there is some misconceptions out there about the safety of raw diets so I'm here to teach you everything you need to know about feeding a raw diet safely let's start with one of the biggest concerns pet owners have about raw meat parasites it's true raw meat can sometimes Harbor parasites but is this true for every single piece of meat normally parasites are found in wild animal feces and wild animal meat but what about the me meat sold in stores for us humans when you hear about parasites and raw meat people usually talk about three specific types Toxoplasma gandi chinella and tapeworms and they infect livestock like sheep cows and pigs through contaminated feed plants or dirt but luckily for pet owners in the US Canada and EU meat sold for human consumption is Thoroughly inspected and tested for harmful pathogens so the likelihood of store-bought raw meat containing these parasites is incredibly low although it's not an issue anymore one of these parasites did cause some problems in the past and was very difficult to control tricinella which is a round worm often found in raw pork meat however in the 1980s stronger control was put over the commercial swine's diet and living conditions and since this Improvement of pig raising practices in the US and Canada Trella has become very rare to see in pork meat I personally feed it all the time so if you're in the US Canada or EU feeding raw meat sold for human consumption will be safe to feed right after purchasing it okay but what if you don't live in these regions or you want to feed wild CAU meat is there a way to remove the risk of parasites in most cases yes and it's super simple during hunting season I like to get less common animal parts from Hunters that they would otherwise throw out but unlike store-bought meat I didn't feed this meat right away instead I deep freeze it for about 4 weeks doing this kills most parasites that might be in the meat all right we've got parasites out of the way but what about bacteria in raw meat well most bacteria on raw meat is harmless in small amounts even to us humans but there's one bacteria that everyone is terrified of when it comes to raw meat and that bacteria is salmonella did you know that the word salmonella describes more than 2,600 different variations of this bacteria and what if I told you that less than 100 of these actually cause illness in people this means that even if salmonella is found in raw meat this doesn't always mean it's going to make you sick and when it comes to pets the Morris Institute actually found that 36% of healthy dogs and cats carry salmonella in their digestive tract and these studies were done on kibble fed pets but it gets more interesting the most common variation of salmonella found in their GI tract is tiam Marium which what do you know is one of the main culprits of illness in humans what does this mean it means that our pets are better equipped to handle bacteria than us humans can but how much bacteria can they handle well even for our carnivorous pets too much bacteria can be harmful and if raw meat sits out for too long and goes bad bacteria begins to multiply rapidly so how can you tell when meat is going bad this was a big concern of mine when I first started raw feeding but raw meat gives off some pretty obvious warning signs one of the biggest ones is a rotting sour odor organ Meats naturally have a slight odor of iron or ammonia and green tripe smells like a stinky barn but generally muscle meat and Meaty bones don't smell like anything so if any meat starts smelling like feces or rotting eggs throw it out all right but how long does it take for me to go bad this was another concern I had as a new raw feeder I bought a ton of different Meats bones and organs to create my pets raw meals but I always worried about how long I could keep that meat in the refrigerator before I prepared my pets meals but it's actually longer than you might think after 7 years of experience raw feeding I can confidently say that fresh meat from The Butchers farmers and grocery stores can last many days in the fridge I've had fresh meat last up to 5 days but to be safe I would didn't keep meat thawed in the fridge for more than 3 days now what about if it's frozen many worry that raw meat can go bad in the freezer but this is actually a common misconception meat can get a little freezer burnt if it's not properly sealed but this doesn't mean that the meat has gone bad as long as the meat stays in a frozen state in reality it can last years okay we've learned about how pets can stay safe eating a raw diet but what about the humans that live with them how do you keep yourself safe from harmful bacteria when preparing raw meals and can our pets still lick us well believe it or not handling raw meat for our pets is no different than handling raw meat for ourselves before cooking it so a great first step to keeping your hands free of bacteria is wearing disposable gloves this isn't completely necessary but for those who are worried I high recommend them another way to dodge bacteria is to prepare your pets raw meals in a designated area away from surfaces that you eat on or touch however this is difficult if you have limited space so what I used to do was either set up a foldable table either in a room or outside or cover the surface with something washable like a tablecloth there's also been times where I had to prepare raw meals on a bare surface so instead in of using harsh chemicals like bleach to clean afterwards I always use antibacterial soap and hot water which I also use to wash my hands okay and where's the safest place to feed our pets raw meals well a great way to keep raw meat from touching your floor is to feed your pet outside but if you can't do this just put an old towel down and feed them off of that oh and for those wondering if your pet can still lick you here's my personal advice move your mouth away when they try to lick your face and wash your hands afterwards plain and simple and to be honest this should go for all animals because you know what regardless of their diet dogs and cats still lick their paws things outside and their butt okay we've talked about how pets can safely consume raw meat and how we can safely handle it but how do we feed a diet that provides all of the right nutrients that keep our pets healthy there are certain Meats body parts and whole foods that provide specific nutrients your pets need and it's important to ensure that you aren't feeding too much or too little of something so if you'd like to learn how to build a homemade raw diet watch these videos

Channel: Paws of Prey

Views: 12,990

Keywords: raw feeding safely, raw meat handling, raw feeding tips, raw diet safety, safe handling, raw diet for dogs, raw diet for cats, raw feeding for beginners, how to raw feed safely, raw food, raw feeding dogs, how to raw feed, raw feeding, best dog food, best cat food

Id: 6you7mVzk0M

Length: 8min 25sec (505 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 15 2024