How You Handle Pet Food Could Be Making Your Dog—And You—Sick

April 12, 2022 – Patrick McIntyre loves his two labs, ages 5 and 6. So a lot in order that he and his spouse make their very own pet food to supply them with the perfect diet potential for lengthy and wholesome lives. Part of that method entails dealing with meals safely, simply because the couple would deal with their very own meals.

“We clean up after making and serving them food, don’t leave food out after they’ve eaten it, and wash their dishes after every meal,” says McIntyre. “I wouldn’t want to leave my bowls sitting out on the floor, so why would I leave my dogs’ bowls there?”

While the McIntyres’ method may appear time-consuming and excessive, it seems they’re onto one thing. According to a brand new evaluation revealed within the journal PLOS One, in-home pet meals dealing with and meals dish hygiene practices can have dangerous well being results for each people and pets.

Despite the priority for contamination, the research discovered that few pointers exist for pet dish hygiene and secure meals dealing with.

“In my clinical experience, I don’t think many people consider safe food handling with their pets,” says Stephanie Sheen, a physician of veterinary drugs (DVM) at Fuzzy Pet Health, an internet pet well being service.

And whereas some tenets of secure meals dealing with carry over from the human aspect of the equation, some don’t, says Sheen.

“There are many food safety issues that apply to pets and not humans,” she says. “For starters, dogs eat directly from their bowls, and their mouths have high bacteria levels.”

It’s the contamination that may occur in pet meals bowls that places them at highest danger for dangerous results from poor practices. This applies to each the bowls and the meals that goes into them. When it involves meals security and your pets, there’s rather a lot to be taught.

Better Bowls

The actuality is, pet homeowners are fairly lax about cleansing their pet’s bowls, and right here’s why that issues: “Studies have shown that pet food bowls are on the top-10 list of most contaminated and dirty items in a household,” says Lindsay Butzer, DVM, from PetMeds, a pharmacy for pets. “One small chore that many pet owners neglect now that they’re heading back to the office or simply getting out of the house more is cleaning their pet’s food bowls.”

When bowls are left uncleaned, residue from meals and your canine’s saliva is left behind, offering a breeding floor for doubtlessly harmful micro organism. “Common bacteria that can easily grow on day-old dog food includes salmonella and E. coli,” says Butzer, which might upset your canine’s abdomen if eaten day by day.

According to the PLOS One evaluation, an earlier research carried out cultures on family objects and located staph micro organism in 15% of pet meals bowls. Antibiotic-resistant staph micro organism – or MRSA – was current in 3% of samples.

While the meals bowls are most in danger for contamination, don’t neglect altering out and washing your pet’s water bowls as effectively, says Sheen. “Your dog’s saliva builds up over time in the bowls they use, which can create a film over bacteria, allowing it space to breed,” she says.

This is especially true with plastic or ceramic bowls. “The concerns here are scratches or chips in the surfaces, which provide a harbor for bacteria,” says Sheen. “You can’t get into these spots for a good washing. If you do use these types of bowls, it’s best to replace them once they get damaged.”

Consider utilizing chrome steel bowls, that are extra resistant to wreck and which you’ll be able to simply throw within the dishwasher after a feeding. “You should also disinfect them once a week with two tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water,” Sheen says.

Better Food Handling

According to Sheen, most individuals feed their pets one in all three kinds of diets: uncooked, fresh-cooked, or industrial. Of the three, a raw-food weight-reduction plan is almost definitely to end in contamination.

“There can be really bad strains of bacteria in a raw diet, even antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” she says. “It’s very important to clean these bowls after each meal, as the residue is more likely to stick to the bowls and attract bacteria. Make sure you wash your hands well with soap and water after handling raw food, too.”

With dry meals, your danger is decrease, however it nonetheless requires secure dealing with practices. Wash the bowls out as soon as a day, and keep away from scooping up the dry meals with the bowl your pet will eat from, as this may switch any contamination from the bowl to the bag.

With moist, canned meals, something your canine doesn’t eat must be eliminated after 2 hours and thrown out, earlier than it might probably change into a micro organism breeding floor. Leftovers ought to go into the fridge, the place they’ll safely keep for about 2 to three days.

Finally, with fresh-cooked meals, “think of them as you would your own meats, keeping them for about 3 days before discarding,” says Sheen.

The PLOS One survey discovered that the majority pet homeowners fail on this space, storing pet meals in opposition to FDA and most producers’ suggestions.

The Risks

The excellent news is that for many wholesome, younger canine older than 6 months, the dangers of poor meals dealing with are usually low.

The most typical indicators of contaminated meals bowls are diarrhea, lack of urge for food, and vomiting, says Butzer. “Death is extremely rare unless the bacteria have built up over several weeks and your dog eats a very large amount.”

The considerations for secure meals dealing with transcend your pet’s well being. Because of your shut, day by day interactions with them, your pet can simply share their micro organism with you.

While it’s not nice to consider, some canine love consuming feces on walks; they then return to your home and lick your face, doubtlessly spreading contamination. The similar holds true in the event that they choose up dangerous micro organism from poor meals dealing with after which once more share their sloppy kisses with you.

“For people over 65, children under 5, or those who are immune-compromised, this can be risky,” says Sheen. “This especially holds true with dogs who eat raw-food diets – dog therapy groups don’t allow these dogs, for that reason.”

At the tip of the day, a bit effort goes a protracted option to shield each your pet and your loved ones.

For the McIntyre household, the place Patrick’s spouse has a extreme gluten allergy, meals security is second nature, and it pays off for everybody concerned. “We’re responsible for our dogs’ health as well as ours,” he says. “We’ve got a set of food safety rules for everyone involved.”