Feeding raw chicken and the risk of Salmonella?

I only wipe down the dogs if they have visible mess on them. Gio likes to dig into RMBs with his paws so will often have blood smeared up his legs. Romeo also tends to smoosh the meat to the floor in attempts to hold it down WITHOUT using his paws, so he gets goobers in his chest fluff. In that case, I just wipe them with a cloth and warm water. If you are really concerned, make up a mixture of 50/50 vinegar and water to wipe the dogs/counters/floors/etc.

I personally don't use any chemical cleaners like Clorox or the like. No need. I switched to raw to avoid harsh chemicals, artificial additives, and compounds that could be harmful to my dogs. Dousing all surfaces with those chemicals seems somewhat counter productive to me. Our germaphobic society is aggravating the issue by constantly using anti-bacterial agents. If a body (human or dog) is never exposed to low levels of bacteria then it will never develop an immunity to it and when it finally does come into contact with some bacteria it doesn't know how to handle it. Antibacterial agents are the key to this problem. I use regular hand soap on my hands, and vinegar and water on surfaces. No problems and I'm going on 2 years raw. Also, both of my dogs are therapy dogs, visiting residents of local care homes that are, in many cases, compromised in their health. Both facilities know that the dogs are raw fed, and neither of them have expressed any concern over bacteria. Use safe meat handling skills ... thaw in the fridge, wash utensils and surfaces after contact with raw meat, wash your hands ... and you will be fine.

 

I agree totally but have to use the clorox to bleach the stains (from EVERYTHING, not just meat) off of my very, very old white counters It's really the only thing that I do that isn't complient with the raw feeding though. I have thoroughly enjoyed knowing I am giving them the very best that I can! As a rule, we don't use any antibacterial hand soaps or those Purell type products as I do believe we are breeding super germs by all of that stuff!

 

It's SO nice to see something as common sense as this!!

If Cali eats ALL the bones of the raw food you are feeding her, that's just fine!

Your girlfriend should do some research into such things as the quote above, realizing how true it is. It's a major problem that people are using all these antibacterial things these days. We aren't meant to live in a bubble, after all.

You could invest in some baby wipes and wipe Cali's face and paws after she finishes eating - that may pacify your girlfriend. I've never ever heard of a case of a dog giving a human salmonella through licking, pawing, etc.

I've had my dogs on raw for over four years and they lick everything, they leave chew bones lying around all over the place and no one here is EVER sick.

The absolute BEST thing you can do for your dogs (and cats) is to feed them raw. You will really appreciate the wonderful smell they have, the clean teeth, the gorgeous coat, the fewer vet visits, and the energy of your dogs because you're feeding them raw.

 

I am not concerned either. Mine eat raw. I put it in a bowl and before I even stand up, it's on the floor. I don't use any chemicals to clean either, not after them or anything.In fact, I don't have any chemicals in my house at all. I switched to using all natural products, namely Norwex for everything. I use their cloth with just water to wipe up the counter after the meat has been on it and their mop to clean the floor, again with only water. This way, I don't have to worry about the chemical residue getting on my food and hands. I use the cloth to wipe them up too, so I don't have any concerns. I use all natural soaps with no parabens or formaldahyde derivatives.

The quote from Crestlynn below is very true. We need to expose ourselves to 'germs' in order for our immune systems to be strong. There is a ton of research to support this. The old saying 'if you don't use it, you loose it' holds true to this too. Plus, by using all these chemicals we are creating super bugs that grow resistant. My sister, who has two very young kids, is also chemical free, and her kids are healthier than every child she knows in that age group. Historically speaking, some of the healthiest kids, are the ones that grow up on farms!

I have to share this story: My friend was in a restaurant with her infant. The baby dropped her soother on the floor. My friend picked it up and put it right back into the baby's mouth. Now, there was a table with 4 men sitting next to hers. They started to grin and one asked her if this is her third child or so. She said, no, this was her first. Then he proceeded to say that her baby will grow up to be very healthy. She asked why does he think that? He said, that because most first time mom's would, take the soother and put it away until they can completely disinfect it. They would never put it right back into the baby's mouth. Second time mom's usually would put the soother in their mouth first to 'clean' it and then give it back to the baby. As it turns out, these 4 men were all pediatiritians, and all concurred that what she did was actually better for the baby - it would build her immune system up. True story.

 

A little OT but....

LOL...speaking of the kids. My older daughter, third child, was born with TONS of dark, curly, hair. When we would take her to the mall (which we did at days old!) people couldn't resist touching it. Most would cringe at the thought of total strangers touching a newborn without first totally disinfecting, but I didn't think much of it. To this day, she is nine years old, and rarely has more than the sniffles. She also had to attend daycare for a short time and was exposed to more of her fair share of illnesses! I often have to let her have a 'mental health day' from schoold because she is never sick enough to miss LOL And to add to this, all of my children are extremely healthy and are ages 20 y/o to 6 y/o and I've never been one of those freaky moms

As for the chemicals....as I said, I have to use the clorox clean up to clean the stains from the counter. Is there anything else that I could use for this? I do use vinegar for cleaning class and just normal soap for our hands and dishes. I'm still learning about all of the cleaning stuff but I'm getting there!

 

haha Not to be picky, but the quote below was originally by me ...

It was then quoted by Crestlynn, so must have got mixed up there.

But either way, it's completely true

 

I have really old counters too and an ancient bathtub that the enamel has been completely warn off - stains stick to it worse than glue (I have NEVER seen anything like it - if you get in with 'dirty' feet in the summer for a shower, you leave foot prints that just don't come out! I even tried bleach once and elbow grease with no success!) But, last week I found something that worked quite well - the Norwex 'magic eraser' I was shocked. I use their cleaning paste on my counters, sink and flat cookstove and it gets out any stains without scratching. (I do not work for Norwex, my sister sells it, but I get no kick backs ) But I do love the stuff, and it's all environmentally friendly and safe, with no chemicals.

Sorry GeeRome. No wonder I could not find the quote myself from Crestlynn, and I looked over all her posts! LOL. I thought I was missing something somewhere...hehehe.... my mind

 

Thank you, Ania! I have never heard of these products before. Are they sold only by private distributors? Do they have a web site? After I started raw feeding, I've started looking into other healthy alternatives for the whole family

And sorry GeeRome....I should've caught the quote myself but I've just been answering on short breaks from the household stuff today. I didn't pay attention but kudos to you for all the great info you do give us!!!

 

And you know, really the risk of Campylobacter is more or at least as worrysome than the Salmonella, it is just not a hot news topic.