Therapy dogs can't eat a raw diet? - Page 1

Hi guys,

My husband was mentioning to a friend of his that we were thinking of having Ryder certified as a pet therapy dog.  His friend informed us that a dog being fed a raw diet can not serve as a therapy dog.  I googled it and it seems that this is indeed true.  Wow, that really stinks.  I guess he will not be doing this after all because I am not about to change his diet.  So sad.

The issue is a Public Health issue since some diseases that dogs MAY contract eating raw COULD be transmitted to the humans the dog is there to help. 

In some cases those humans may be in hospitals and have compromised immune systems. 

Therapy dogs is all about the humans they help, not about the dog.  The dog is a tool and the human is the subject.

it's a created public health issue because people are terrified of the things that surround them every single day of their lives.  There is no more harmful stuff on a raw fed dog than one fed anything else.  it's not like they're throwing down bowls of raw chicken that have been sitting in the sun all day for the dogs to eat while visiting patients.
it's a policy based on hysteria, much like most of them

Yep, zdog.  There is salmonella in kibble. Happens all the time. It's everywhere. Normal immune sytems are the key to mediating disease. Hysteria rules, unfortunately. 

I think you are thinking of Delta Society.

Look up Therapy Dogs INC.  I think they are in Wy or NB.  They are an absolutely WONDERFUL group and do not rule their members like a dictator.

RISK TO HUMANS

"Studies of pet dogs have shown e. coli O157 and salmonella in the feces of pet dogs - but most of these studies were not limited to dogs fed raw diets. So, kibble fed dogs and dogs fed rawhides, pig ears, and chew hooves also carry this risk.
However, before getting too fixated on dogs as a source of pathogens for humans, consider that the most notorious cases of food poisoning have been caused by poor hygiene from human sources - such as cooks and farmers.
While undercooked and raw meat is sometimes implicated in food poisoning cases, there have been an enormous number of cases of salmonella and e. coli from fruits and vegetables. The seemingly innocuous bean sprout has been linked to many outbreaks of food poisoning, as have melons, salads, and apple cider (Health Canada, 2002, and USDA 1995.) In other words, while raw meat is a a risk, so is almost ANY uncooked food that you eat. There has been one salmonella outbreak linked to almonds. (Chan et al. 2002)
So, are people at additional risk of getting pathogens from coming in contact with a dog fed raw meat? There isn't a lot of research that is directly on topic for this. There are studies of raw-fed dogs (Joffe and Schlesinger, 2002) but these do not carefully compare the raw fed dogs to a similar population fed commercial dog food. (See the commentary on Joffe's study by New n.d.).
I have seen studies of pet dogs that show that food-borne pathogens were present in a surprisingly large proportion of the dogs tested. Hackett and Lappin (2003) found infectious agents in the feces of 26% of healthy Colorado dogs. As far as I can tell, this study was NOT limited to dogs eating raw diets." """.      ...."...

"Raw diet critics tout this myth as a main reason for not feeding raw. Yes, there is bacteria in raw meat. Yes, this bacteria can harm you. Yes, this bacteria is sometimes shed in dogs' feces. So if a raw-fed dog licks you, are you going to get sick? I suppose all things are possible, but on the whole: no, you will not get sick. This bacteria does not persist in the mouth of a raw-fed canine. Canine saliva contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys bacteria, but more importantly, the absence of plaque means the dog's mouth is no longer a hospitable place for bacteria to inhabit. A kibble-fed dog's mouth, however, provides the perfect environment for bacteria growth: plaque-covered teeth with sugary and starchy complexes provide both food and shelter for bacteria. The bacteria thrive in the mouth of a kibble-fed dog because it provides both a perfect atmosphere and a good food source (Lonsdale, T. 2001. Raw Meaty Bones.). Why does a kibble-fed dog have stinky dog breath? Because of the bacteria in their gums and on their teeth (just like the bacteria in our mouths gives us halitosis). A raw-fed dog's mouth provides neither food nor a viable atmosphere for bacteria, which is why a raw-fed dog has odorless breath. So which dog would you be more worried about being kissed by and contracting disease from? I personally would be quite leery of the stinky-breathed, bacteria-laden kibble-fed dog."
 
"It's interesting to note that feeding raw meat is intensely controversial, while feeding pig ears and jerky - which carry similar if not higher risks for contamination - is widely accepted as reasonably safe. 
I  wrote this article to seriously examine the question a VETMED subscriber asked about the potential for risk when using raw-fed dogs as therapy dogs. As long as the dogs aren't fed raw meat during therapy sessions, I don't see a problem. While these dogs may carry pathogens, so may dogs fed kibble or pig ears, or rawhide. One survey found salmonella contamination of 41% of the dog treats examined (White et al, 2003). Accordingly, it would be not be logical or fair to bar raw fed dogs from a therapy dog program, unless you are also barring all dogs who are fed pig ears, rawhides, and other similar treats."


 

My dogs are therapy dogs and I feed them raw. They are certified through Shareapet.org. TDI (Therapy Dogs International) doesn't have a problem with feeding raw either. The only one I know of that has a problem with it is Delta Society.

Something to think about: All Dogs lick their private areas and many eat all kinds of crap on the ground, so to think that eating raw is any worse just doesn't make sense. Maybe we should start sterilizing their mouths with antiseptic mouthwash before we take them for visits.

Therapy Dogs Inc. is based out of Cheyenne, WY.  Our registration has been processed and should arrive in the mail first of the week.  No such restrictions in their guidelines....

Marsha Seck and Chita (Utta Stribrne doly)

Well spoken grunwaldhaus, or should I say written. Been feeding raw for 8 years - no dog or people problems. ( 10 GSD'S )
Would like to post on website.