K9sOverCoffee | Raw Dog Food Myths 2/5 - Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick

5 Myths About Raw Feeding 2/5: Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick

Welcome to “Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick”!

It’s part 2 of my Raw Feeding Myth Buster Mini Series ~ it consists of 5 myths around the raw feeding world that I am going to rebut. 

So far, I busted the myth that raw fed dogs are aggressive. Missed it? Check it out in the Related Reading section at the end of this blog post!

Today Iโ€™ll be showing that feeding your dogs a raw diet will not get you and your family sick!

Opponents of the raw diet have actually managed to spread this fear of getting sick by handling the raw meat we feed our dogs. They argue that this is the case because the raw meat could harbor salmonella, e.coli, and other bacteria. 

5 Myths About Raw Feeding 2/5: Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick

K9sOverCoffee.com | Raw Dog Food Myth 2/5 - Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick

Disclaimer: This blog post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2022. It contains affiliate links I may earn compensation through at no additional cost to you. 

Tip #1: Hygiene In The Kitchen

Hygiene in the kitchen is my #1 tip in ensuring that no bacteria from fresh meat is going to wreak havoc in your human body. 

This includes washing:

  • Your hands with warm, soapy water
  • All surfaces and utensils used in preparing the raw meals (counters, cutting boards, mixing bowls, knives, spoons, etc.)
  • Your dogโ€™s bowl after meal time 

I always dispose of empty meat packaging right away.

K9sOverCoffee | Putting My Dogs' Raw Meals Together - Part 1- Muscle Meat, Meal Prep
Raw Meal Prep

Iโ€™ll have a plastic bag sitting right on the counter whenever I pull meat out thatโ€™s still wrapped. The packaging goes right into the plastic bag. Once Iโ€™m done handling the meat, Iโ€™ll tie a knot into the bag and then throw it out into the trash.

Washing your kitchen counters is part of making your own raw dog food at home
Washing your kitchen counters is part of raw meal prep

I also like to use towels.

For example, you can line your meal prep surfaces with towels to minimize clean up. You can also line your dog’s eating area with towels and then throw them into the wash once they’re done eating.

I place a large doggie towel under Missyโ€™s & Buzzโ€™s bowls whenever I add a raw meaty bone because they will pull it out of their dish and eat it on the floor next to it. Once theyโ€™re done eating, I simply toss the towel straight into the washing machine. 

Optional: Gloves For Extra Protection

Iโ€™ve seen videos of raw feeders who wear disposable gloves while they handle and prepare their dogโ€™s raw dog food. I personally don’t do that because I also donโ€™t wear gloves when I handle and prepare raw meat for myself. 

As mentioned above, I wash my hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water after I’m done handling my pupsโ€™ raw meals. The same goes for raw meat I handle when I prepare it for myself โ€“ to me, thatโ€™s just common sense.

Side Note: I came across a video of Health & Wellness Couch Beth Carpenter from Austin, TX, where sheโ€™s making her very own raw dog food from scratch. 

She has an extra set of dishwashing gloves that she only uses for mixing pureed fruit & veggies with raw meat. Fast forward to minute 19 to see her gloves!

She explains that she washes them with hot, soapy water after each usage and then sterilizes them. 

I thought that was such a clever idea, and one that is gentler on the environment than using disposable gloves.

Tip #2: Only Buy High-Quality Meat From A Trusted Source

You should, of course, stay clear of rancid, bad meat, and make sure to only buy high quality meat from a trusted source. This could be your local butcher who doesnโ€™t use growth-hormones and/or antibiotics in raising their animals. 

This could also be an online retailer for raw dog food such asย Raw Paws Pet Foodย orย Darwinโ€™s Natural Pet Products. Both use high-quality protein for their meals.

Fun fact: I started my raw dog food journey with Darwinโ€™s Natural Pet and Raw Paws Pet Food.ย 

There are several other retailers in the raw dog (& cat) food market. For example, Raw Feeding MiamiReel Raw DogSoulโ€™y Raw, and many others. That’s great news as it indicates a trend towards feeding our dogs a more species-appropriate diet!

5 Myths About Raw Feeding 2/5: Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick: Bottom Line

I began feeding Missy & Buzz a raw diet in 2015. Over the years, I’ve become very confident in feeding this healthy, minimally processed food. 

Neither my family nor myself have become sick at any point in time throughout the years.

That’s although we handle raw dog food twice per day. Thatโ€™s 730 raw meals each year without any incidents because we apply common sense when handling raw meat:

  • Wash your hands with warm, soapy water
  • Clean all surfaces and utensils used in preparing the raw meals (counters, cutting boards, mixing bowls, knives, spoons, etc.)
  • Wash your dogโ€™s bowl after meal time

#MythBusted

Has the myth of potentially getting sick from feeding your dog (or cat!) a raw diet kept you from giving it a try? As always, Iโ€™d love to hear from you in our comment section!

Related Reading:

(Visited 435 times, 1 visits today)

Barbara launched her blog K9sOverCoffee in 2014 and has been feeding her dogs raw dog food since 2015. As a former professional dog walker, she’s passionate about balancing species-appropriate exercise with healthy dog nutrition. Barbara is raw dog food nutrition certified from “Dogs Naturally Magazine” and the author of several e-books about minimally processed, balanced raw dog food.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

16 responses to “5 Myths About Raw Feeding 2/5: Raw Dog Food Makes Humans Sick”

  1. Hawk aka BrownDog Avatar

    Hi Y’all!

    My Human started to try raw, but because of my allergies the vet finally found something I can eat without a rash.

    Y’all come on by,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Raw food is a wonderful ally against allergies – are you back to kibble now?

  2. Earl Lover Avatar

    I don’t feed raw, so I can’t comment on it’s effectiveness, but these sound likes valid myth busters!

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      …and there’s 3 more to come ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. MilitaryWifeandPugLife Avatar

    I’ve never heard of this myth at all! I’ve only heard good things about a raw diet.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      That’s pawsome! There are so many myths & rumors out there…it’s crazy!

  4. Julie Smith Avatar
    Julie Smith

    Since reading your blog I have actually thought it might be an option for Cocoa. I am exploring but your posts have really helped me. It seems kind of overwhelming in a way but I know that is all in my head.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      That is so awesome to read, Julie! Let me assure you that it was in my head, too…I actually put the topic of raw feeding off for quite some time because it seemed so complex & I wasn’t quite sure where to start.

      Then Dr. Harvey’s sent us some grain-free Veg-toBowl, which are dehydrated veggies/fruit that you add to your own protein for a homemade doggie meal. From there on, I just kept reading up on the topic. You kind of learn as you go by trial & error ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Check out my resources page where I mentioned all the sources that helped me transition the pups from kibble to raw, you might find them helpful ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Pamela | Something Wagging Avatar

    Frankly, handling human food is risky if you use bad hygiene. I clean my hands, cutting boards, and utensils carefully when I’m cooking meat for myself. I’d certainly do no less if I was feeding Honey.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Absolutely, good hygiene is definitely not debatable when preparing raw meat for either species!

  6. Kate Obrien Avatar
    Kate Obrien

    I’ll admit this is one of my concerns that has stopped me from going raw. We have started feeding Honest Kitchen, so one step in that direction I guess.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Yes, definitely, and good for you guys (& pups) for taking that step! We have used the Honest Kitchen’s Preference Dehydrated Dog Food quite a bit; it’s perfect to mix in with a raw (or cooked) diet.

      We took a slow approach to raw feeding as well, and began with cooking organic meat for the pups (didn’t want to take any chances with low-quality meat), adding freeze-dried veggies and/or fruits (“Dr. Harvey’s” Veg-to-Bowl, “The Honest Kitchen”, and “Sojos” all make high-quality dehydrated mixes for a homemade diet – just recently learned of “Grandma Lucy’s” as well!).

      As long as you clean up right away when preparing a raw meal, you should be just fine ๐Ÿ™‚ Also remember that meat that has been frozen for about a week won’t have any bacteria left in it (if it had any to begin with).

  7. HuskyCrazed Avatar
    HuskyCrazed

    This is great to learn more about raw!

    แƒฆ husky hugz แƒฆ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Thanks! It has been an enjoyable & interesting learning curve for sure!

  8. Kris Avatar
    Kris

    Great series..so many dogs would be healthier if they weren’t fed kibble. However, freezing won’t kill bacteria it just temporarily stops them from growing. In fact, a -80c freezer was used for long term storage of bacteria where I used to work.

    1. K9sOverCoffee Avatar

      Hi Kris, thanks so much, and I totally agree.
      That’s very interesting information about bacteria. Huh, I will have to look into this further! Thank you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *