At Happy Critters, we don’t hold our cards to our chest. Is raw pet food safe for everyone? No. However, we firmly stand by the health benefits of feeding your pet a raw diet. At heart, our customers, as well as we ourselves, want nothing but the best for our beloved pets, and so we make the decision to see to their own health and safety.
A question that is often asked by people inquiring about raw diets is one about safety.
How Safe is Raw Pet Food?
According to the Veterinary Record, which is the official journal of the British Veterinary Association and has been in publication since 1888, the answer is pretty safe.
Only 39 households out of a 16,475 that reported in claimed to have incurred infections from handling raw pet food. The majority of known bacteria were salmonella which is not contained in all raw food samples but only a small percentage. These samples pose a limited concern as dogs and humans do not have the same digestive tract capabilities. Needless to say, dogs did not evolve to eat cooked or commercially processed foods.
A raw food diet for dogs has been said to provide a slew of health benefits for your pet. Improved breath and body odor, a healthier coat, greater energy levels and vitality, etc. People are just coming around to the idea that eating highly refined and processed grains have been detrimental to our health as people, so why should it be unusual that such diets are, for the most part, not optimal for dogs as well?
However, it would be irresponsible to not say that raw pet food CAN’T be dangerous. The real issue is proper safety education when it comes to handling meat.
Safely Handling Raw Pet Food
Raw pet food is just like other raw meats, it should be handled delicately with all safety and sanitation precautions in mind. The vast majority of infections that are related to raw pet food involve mishandling of the meat and infecting surfaces such as countertops and other surfaces a person touches before washing their hands.
The most important thing when handling raw meat is to be mindful of washing your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water to ensure cleanliness. If a raw food item contains trace amounts of bacteria, those will likely prove irrelevant for your pet’s safety, but for yours—especially if there are small children in the home, can be more dangerous. A host of publications publish articles that denounce raw food diets for these safety “risks”, but how is it any different than handling the very raw meats that people eat?
Washing your hands before and after handling meat is the bare minimum of sanitary practices required. Storing meats within the proper freezing temperatures is also crucial to maintaining their safety and quality.
Best Raw Pet Food Pennsylvania
Your beloved pet deserves the very best and Happy Critters is happy to offer the best raw pet food in Pennsylvania. We offer a wide variety of pet foods that appeal to many different breeds big or small. We’ve never known a dog to turn down any of our options as raw food is so much more appetizing for pets than kibble could ever be!
Contact us if you have any questions about our raw foods or the ordering/pickup process, we’d love to help you give your pet the best dining experience possible!
