# Raw chicken linked to paralysis?



## Irie (Aug 31, 2016)

Hello all,

A colleague of mine sent me this link re: raw chicken necks and acute polyradiculoneuritis. I figured those who feed raw on this forum would like to be aware of this (I would). The specific link is with Campylobacter spp of bacteria, but they found a correlation with raw chicken. Small study in Australia. 

This condition also lines up with another one called Coonhound Paralysis that involves exposure to raccoons (However, this one is considered the idiopathic version). It is similar to Guillain-Barre Syndrome in people. 

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/raw-chicken-linked-to-paralysis-in-dogs

Link to actual study:

Investigation of the Role of Campylobacter Infection in Suspected Acute Polyradiculoneuritis in Dogs - Martinez-Anton - 2018 - Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine - Wiley Online Library


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Very limited study where they are assuming the problem COULD be linked to raw chicken.


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

Are Chicken Necks Linked To Paralysis In Dogs?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Thank you Bramble, such a fresh air to read such a well-written, sane article addressing the initial "study" (in brackets, as the initial study lacks so much scientific vigour, it amounts to not much more than a biased opinion piece). 

Unfortunately, you can bet your sweet chicken necks that now vets all over will be quoting the results of the "study" to warn people away from raw.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

a vast majority of mice and rats (rodents) are infected with this bacteria and when hygienic standards in poultry management --- or food processing areas --- are lax and you have droppings then there will be contamination .

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426328 


I have not ever experienced any problem with raw chicken or raw chicken necks and this is the first food that weaning puppies get .

can't be more emphatic on NEVER . almost 40 years and never .


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Castlemaid said:


> Unfortunately, you can bet your sweet chicken necks that now vets all over will be quoting the results of the "study" to warn people away from raw.



They already are


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

carmspack said:


> a vast majority of mice and rats (rodents) are infected with this bacteria and when hygienic standards in poultry management --- or food processing areas --- are lax and you have droppings then there will be contamination .
> 
> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426328


Yep.... and, campylobacter comes from the intestinal tract. Dirty, sloppy or rushed processing of the bird is another common way that people get sick.

The only person I know personally who came down horribly sick (with campylobacter) had home-processed a chicken. She knew that she accidentally slit open the intestines and got some on the meat, but she was in a hurry, thought she'd cleaned her hands and the carcass "enough".... nope. And this was a beyond-organic free range bird, consumed by a healthy younger woman who had butchered countless chickens before. 

Campylobacter is bad news, but understanding where it comes from and how to reduce risk is the same as with any other microorganism.

Freezing knocks the population back, but it does not kill it all.

More info.... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC535211/

I freeze meat, even when I know the source, due to the fact that it does reduce risk. My husband brought back a pile of pheasants from a hunt last weekend, and even though I've already personally handled every bird, and know that the cleaning wasn't rushed or sloppy, and zero rodents will ever have a chance to poop on the carcasses, they're all going into the freezer for a month before being eaten... by humans (cooked) or by dogs (raw).


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## Bramble (Oct 23, 2011)

Castlemaid said:


> Thank you Bramble, such a fresh air to read such a well-written, sane article addressing the initial "study" (in brackets, as the initial study lacks so much scientific vigour, it amounts to not much more than a biased opinion piece).
> 
> Unfortunately, you can bet your sweet chicken necks that now vets all over will be quoting the results of the "study" to warn people away from raw.


Glad to share!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

It's like a lot of other "research" scares; first the title scares the **** out of you. When you continue reading the article usually ends that everything is likely to be OK. In this case: who, in their right mind eats raw chicken? And why worry if dogs are usually OK eating it?
Read "research" (for humans) on coffee, alcohol, tea etc.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Well, you have to worry if the dog has a suppressed immune system for some reason that would make them more susceptible to infection from this bacteria. This is important information. The only way to kill this bacteria is to cook the meat (freezing does not kill it) thoroughly so if someone has an elderly dog, a sick dog, then they might want to consider using a cooked diet if they still wanted to do homemade.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Jax08 said:


> Well, you have to worry if the dog has a suppressed immune system for some reason that would make them more susceptible to infection from this bacteria. This is important information. The only way to kill this bacteria is to cook the meat (freezing does not kill it) thoroughly so if someone has an elderly dog, a sick dog, then they might want to consider using a cooked diet if they still wanted to do homemade.


Exactly this


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