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A number of dog owners believe that feeding their Pets raw food is naturally healthier.

Some people refer to this diet by the acronym “BARF”, which means “biologically appropriate raw food” or “bone and raw food diet”.

Veterinary surgeon Ian Billinghurst initially promoted this diet. He argued that dogs, and some other animals, are naturally designed to eat exclusively raw food choices.

A recent study in the journal BMJ Vet Record, however, warns that commercially available raw meat-based meals are potentially dangerous for both dogs and their owners.

The researchers who conducted the study – from the Swedish University of agricultural Sciences and the National veterinary Institute, both in Uppsala, Sweden-explain that raw meat products do not receive any heat treatment before freezing.

This, they fear, could mean that these products end up harboring various kinds of harmful bacteria. To find out if this was the case, the team collected and analyzed samples of 60 different raw meat products from 10 separate companies in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany and England.

The raw meat products that the researchers analyzed were available as dog food, and each contained one or more of the following ingredients:

In addition, some of the raw foods also contained vegetables, plant fibers, and minerals.

First study author Josefin Hellgren and colleagues analyzed samples screening for bacteria that can be dangerous to both dogs and humans. They looked specifically for bacteria belonging to Enterobacteriaceae species, as well as Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Campylobacter species.

They found that all raw food samples contained Enterobacteriaceae species, which usually indicate fecal contamination.

In addition, as many as 31 (52%) of foods contained levels of bacteria well above the European Union’s maximum safety threshold of 5,000 bacteria per gram.

Other bacteria that indicated fecal contamination and poor hygiene were also present. One of them, C. perfringens, appeared in 18 (30%) foods. In two of these samples, the bacterium was present in quantities exceeding the safety limits of the Injection.

However, most types of bacteria in raw food samples do not usually cause infections, the researchers note. However, there are some exceptions. One is escherichia coli, which was present in about one-third of the samples the researchers analyzed.

Salmonella was also present in four (7%) of raw dog food products, while Campylobacter species appeared in three products of different companies. Both of these types of bacteria are transmissible from animals to humans and can cause infections in both.

However, the researchers explain that they found only some harmful bacteria, such as Campylobacter, in very few food samples – probably because they are very sensitive to freezing temperatures.

“It is likely that Campylobacter was present in more samples prior to freezing, and that those samples in which Campylobacter was isolated contained very high levels of campylobacter species prior to the freezing process, since some managed to survive in the freezer,” the study authors write.

The researchers say their findings suggest that it is extremely important for manufacturers to make sure they store and process raw meat-based products safely before placing them on the market to make sure they do not end up threatening the health of dogs and their humans alike.

To ensure the safety of raw foods, the researchers recommend that manufacturers – and pet owners who buy them-should:

Researchers warn that bacteria present in raw dog food have a way of spreading quickly around. For example, if juices from raw meat spill onto floors or other surfaces, people can easily come into contact with it and potentially become infected.

In addition, dogs that have eaten raw foods that Harbor bacteria can transmit them to humans, lick them affectionately immediately after a hearty meal. The researchers stress that the risk of infection is particularly high among certain populations of people.

“Dogs in families with infants, (elderly) or immunocompromised individuals should also not be fed (raw meat products) as these groups are more susceptible to infections.”

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