Don’t Feed Your Dog These Foods, FDA Warns - Page 1

I have fed my German Shepherd Dogs raw meat by itself and mixed with grain free dog foods for a couple of years with no problems noted. Although I knew many of the following foods listed shouldn't be given to dogs, the first thing listed (raw meat) was somewhat surprising to me. As we are all aware of even some humans desire their steaks to be cooked rare to medium, and apparently they have no problems. What are some of your thoughts on not feeding raw meat (red meat or poultry) and some of the other of the following foods listed to your dogs?

DON’T FEED YOUR DOG THESE FOODS, FDA WARNS (Copied from Your AKC Newsletter)

http://akc.org/news/dont-feed-your-dog-these-foods-fda-warns/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=yourakc-september

On July 27, the federal agency released a warning to pet owners advising that some seemingly harmless foods can be dangerous—sometimes deadly—to our canine companions. “Our bodies may break down foods or other chemicals that a dog’s can’t tolerate,” says Dr. Carmela Stamper, an FDA veterinarian. The top foods to avoid, according to the FDA, are:

Raw meat: Red meat and poultry can contain harmful bacteria, like E. Coli or Salmonella, and therefore should be kept out of the reach of dogs. If your pet is prone to steal foods from a counter or grill (which carries the added risk of burns), make sure to confine him while he’s not supervised. Get tips on preventing counter-surfing here.

Grapes, raisins, and currants: Experts are not yet sure exactly what in these fruits causes a problem in dogs, but some canines experience acute kidney failure after ingesting them. Read more about why grapes are dangerous to dogs here.

Fried and fatty foods: In some dogs, just a few bites of a high-fat food can cause a painful, dangerous condition called pancreatitis, which occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing damage to it and surrounding organs. Once a dog has had a bout of pancreatitis, he’s prone to reoccurrences. Be safe and hold the fries.

Moldy foods: Dogs, like people, can get food poisoning. “In one study, 20 percent of dogs fed old eggs, moldy cheese, and spoiled gravy showed a mild fever when they presented to the veterinary hospital,” explains Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, columnist for AKC Family Dog. Dr. Fitzgerald recommends keeping garbage in dog-safe containers and not leaving dogs unsupervised around wastebaskets.

Onions, garlic, and chives: The FDA advises owners not only to avoid feeding these foods directly, but also to keep foods containing large amounts of these ingredients (like salsa) out of the reach of pets. “Onions (and, to a much lesser degree, garlic) destroy red blood cells, causing a condition called hemolytic anemia (lack of red blood cells due to their destruction),” explains AKC Family Dog “Nutrition” columnist Caroline Coile. “When the red blood cell count gets too low, the blood can’t carry oxygen to the cells, the dog weakens, and can die.”

Salty snacks, in large quantities: “Feeding the odd potato chip or pretzel probably won’t do any harm,” Stamper says. But if your dog gets into a whole bag of them, he could get really sick.”

Macadamia nuts: They add texture and flavor to a white-chocolate cookie, but in dogs these nuts can cause, according to Coile, “severe lethargy, increased body temperature, vomiting, tremors, joint stiffness, and loss of limb control (especially hind limbs) for the next 48 hours.”

Xylitol: This sugar substitute can be found in sugarless gums, many sugar-free products, some household items, and even certain brands of peanut butter, and it is extremely dangerous to dogs. Small quantities can cause hypoglycemic episodes and lead to liver failure. Read more on why xylitol is dangerous to dogs here.

If you suspect your pet ate something that could make him sick, contact your veterinarian immediately or call the Pet Poison Helpline.

The raw meat warning is pure politics and butt licking based on brown nosing of the industrial food industry.  FDA is bought and paid for by the industrial food industry that makes billions of dollars by selling industrial wastes and 4D meat to pet owners. I feed human grade poultry and red meat plus dogs are designed for raw meat otherwise coyotes and wolves would all die from eating road kill and carrion. The humans getting sick from dog food do so by exposure to commercial animal foods containing processed 4D meats that are almost impossible to sterilize and keep sterilized when prepared in facilities that handle dead, dying, down, and diseased carcasses and animals. Then there is the fact that many 4D meat processors include road kill and euthanized or antibiotic loaded pet carcasses and animal carcasses including flea collars, ear tags, and implants loaded with insecticides and growth regulators in their stench filled meat mixtures. The only difference between eating road kill and 4D meat is that road kill is fresh.  The meat warning is bogus ... most of the other items are worthy.  Dry dog kibble is loaded with dangerous by products produced by processing dog foods at high temperatures.  I will take my chances with feeding fried chicken tenders without bones to a dog versus Purina Dog Chow any day ... the warning about fried foods is pure stupidity when we feed dogs dry kibble much worse.  Fats are good for dogs if high quality and raw ... to say otherwise is stupidity.  A high carbohydrate diet will kill your dog because dogs are not designed to eat corn or a diet based on plants.

What is "4D" meat, Bubba ? - please translate for non-Americans in your audience. TY.

Dead, dying, down, or diseased ... unfit for human consumption. Very often these carcasses or animals are loaded with illegal pesticide and antibiotic residues and levels administered in an attempt to save the life of the animal.  Road kill is good eating compared with 4D meat and often ends up in 4D meat along with kill shelter carcasses. If it has legs it can go into meat meal.

To me, you are right on target (as usual) Bubba! The fact most humans that eat red meat (sometimes bleeding) with no sicknesses or consequences let's us know that while there is some truth in the article (for example: grapes, raisins being dangerous to dogs) a raw meat diet is probably the best way to go when feeding dogs.

ONLY to play devil's advocate here. There is some caution to be noted regarding raw meat feeding. First off, the threat of Salmonella is real, but in the case of human contact. meaning that if the poultry contains Salmonella, the dog eats it and then licks the face of their owner, there is a very small chance the owner could come down with Salmonella. BUT a dogs digestive track is actually too short for Salmonella to develop in the dogs digestive system. Raw pork also caries the risk, albeit a very small one, of containing trichinosis. But the chances of getting contaminated pork from a butcher or the market is so super low because of the mandated changes in pig farming today. 

Animals digestive systems are very different from humans'. You don't exactly see a pack of wolves drawing straws to figure out who has to cook supper tonight. The raw meat one is horseshit.

Dogs have a short and roughly 100 times more acidic GI tract than humans. That's how they can eat things that would sicken or kill a human. Puppies and sick animals due to organ diseases and endocrine problems are more sensitive to intestinal organisms ( coccidia for instance ) but dogs have a magnificent sense of smell for a reason. Mother wolves eat raw meat and then regurgitate for their puppies ... her stomach serves as grocery bag, predigester, and sterilizer all in one for pups too young to hunt or rip meat from a carcass. I have fed human grade chicken, beef and pork for years but the only time that I ever got sick was from handling lamb meal containing dry kibble while feeding it to my dogs. The kibble was recalled for salmonella but my dogs ate it and never got sick. I apparently contaminated my clothing and later my food. I was very sick for a day or two. Children must learn to leave dogs and their food alone during feeding and for 30 minutes after their meals. All dog food is contaminated with something be it raw or processed so keep it cleaned up. I have never had a dog not eat all of their raw meat in one sitting ( unless they have a chance to cache it) but I have had them leave processed kibble uneaten.

This one is a bunch of BS also "Grapes, raisins, and currants: Experts are not yet sure exactly what in these fruits causes a problem in dogs, but some canines experience acute kidney failure after ingesting them. Read more about why grapes are dangerous to dogs here."

 

I have a Concord Grape vine in my yard and one year the dogs ate

so many grapes that there were a ton of seeds in their stool, why didn't

they get sick, because we don't put pesticides on our grape vines, unlike

what you get at the supermarket   

Here are my immediate thoughts upon reading your post.....

Seriously, raw meat warning is BS! Cross contamination to humans when the meat is not handled properly, face licking shortly after eating and not handling feces properly.... But that means you'd have to get poo in your mouth;-) I read a study a while back and many raw fed dogs DO pass Salmonella in their feces but it does the dog no harm.

Dogs eat shit and don't get sick. Dogs eat random dead things found in the woods and don't get sick. I wouldn't worry about feeding raw, that's all we feed and I have NEVER had an issue, young (4 weeks old) to old (16 years old).

With all the above said, nothing in life is without risk. Feed what works best for your dog. I have no experience feeding the other items on the list other than garlic and have one so without problems.