Raw-meat diet carries risks for dogs, humans
Published 6:00 pm Monday, March 19, 2018
Can you feed dogs raw meat? We were always told not to feed our dog raw meat because with the taste of blood, if the dog bit someone, that would cause the dog to attack. I know several people that believe this is not true.
You can feed dogs raw meat, and lots of people, thinking the diet more “natural,” do so.
But both the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association counsel against the practice, noting that it poses risks to the health of humans and pets.
“Past proponents of raw food diets believed that this was the healthiest food choice for pets. It was also assumed that feeding such a diet would cause no harm to other animals or to humans,” reads a statement on the AAHA’s website.
“There have subsequently been multiple studies showing both these premises to be false. Based on overwhelming scientific evidence, AAHA does not advocate or endorse feeding pets any raw or dehydrated nonsterilized foods, including treats that are of animal origin.”
In a statement posted on its website, the AVMA says studies have shown that raw and undercooked meat can harbor pathogenic microbes, including salmonella, E. coli and listeria.
The organisms could make the dogs sick, or they could take up residence within the animal, leading to the risk of transmission to humans — especially children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems — and to other animals.
The AVMA offers the following recommendations:
“Avoid feeding inadequately treated animal-source protein to cats and dogs.”
“Restrict cats’ and dogs’ access to carrion and animal carcasses (eg, while hunting).”
“Provide fresh, clean, nutritionally balanced and complete commercially prepared or home-cooked food to cats and dogs, and dispose of uneaten food at least daily.”
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“Practice personal hygiene (eg, handwashing) before and after feeding cats and dogs, providing treats, cleaning pet dishes, and disposing of uneaten food.”
A final note: The idea that a taste of blood will turn a docile dog into a vicious dog is a myth. Dogs are more complex than that, and aggression has myriad causes, including illness, pain, fear, anxiety and poor impulse control.
Online: www.avma.org; www.aaha.org.
Handling of sales tax, discounts varies
A reader recently asked a question about sales tax and discounts. Here is what The Informer wrote when it addressed the topic in 2011:
Does the state require businesses to calculate sales tax on an item that they’re selling before or after a coupon is applied?
It depends.
If the coupon was issued by a manufacturer, then the tax must be charged before applying a discount. If the coupon comes from the retailer, then it must be done afterward.
Online: www.legis.la.gov.
The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.
