# Help get the wife aboard?



## geneSW (Sep 25, 2009)

Ok, so... here's whats going on. Last week the wife was all about getting the dog on a raw food diet after I explained to her that it'll be cheaper in the long run, it's better for the dog, less vet visits because the dog will be in better health...ect..ect... This week, she's against the idea because she's affraid about leaving the food out for more then 5 minuets (bacteria/viruses...ect..ect...). I tried to explain to her that if properly frozen, most bacteria die off anyways (greatly reducing the risk of disease) and that if the dog dish is cleaned after every meal (only twice a day, not a lot of work IMO) this won't be a problem. So, what can I do to get her onboard with this idea?


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Are you going to be the one who washes the dishes? Because if you're anything like my dh, you will say that you will, with all good intentions, and they other things will come up and your wife will be stuck with the work. Maybe she just doesn't want the extra chores, or thinks that handling raw meat is gross. My biggest thing about not wanting a dog in general was that I didn't want all the extra work (walk the dog, pick up the poo, walk the dog, pick up the poo). DH PROMISED to do this, and it lasted for about two weeks, but guess who's doing it now. So maybe that's why she's not on board.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I take Jax's food out the night before. I put it in her dish and 5 minutes later it's gone. It won't sit out. And if she doesn't eat it I slide the whole dish into a gallon freezer bag and put it in the fridge. The food you eat for dinner sits out longer on the table than their food does.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I make my dogs eat the messier stuff outside. And if the weather is bad, they are trained to eat on a towel inside. (They have their own towels.) Also, dogs can eat the dirtiest germiest meat without any trouble. They digestive system is not like ours. There's never any problem with them not finishing their food.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I have a picky eater. She has to sniff it, have new stuff mixed with stuff she's had before, think about it, lay down and look at it, think about it some more and then lick it to see if she really does want to try it. 

I feed her in her crate so she doesn't travel with her food. If she took off with it and I told her No adn took it back to her place then she wouldn't eat it at all because she thought she wasn't supposed to.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

You can feed in their crate or outside if the germs bother you. 
It will save you money in teeth cleaning, health problems, etc. Plus, the poop will be tiny. 
They will shed less, and their coat will look better. 

Honestly, *I* don't wash their food bowls everyday. I wipe down their crates once in a blue moon. They lick the floor/crates and that's good enough. 
If there's some blood on the floor I'll wipe it up, but they handle the rest. 

I have yet to get salmonella poisoning. 

I used to feed Denali in the kitchen, but I found that when she shook the meat it got on the walls. So now it's in the crate. 

Also, the first time mine had raw, they wanted to go run with it and eat it elsewhere. Simple training issue with mine. Just say "ah ah" and herd them back to their bowl then praise when they're closer to the desired spot.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I feed my dogs their RMB's outside, doesn't matter the weather, they are hungry, they eat it fast anyway.  I feed their other stuff in bowls, they don't make a mess at all. Do you and your wife eat meat? It is the same thing as far as safe handling practices go. The main thing my DH doesn't like about the diet is when I have to package the meat when I get bulk orders(turkey necks come frozen, I have to let the box thaw in the garage, sometimes it leaks) And we had to buy a new freezer dedicated just to the dog food, he didn't like mixing it in with ours.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I fed Stark in his crate.

I usually only wash it down at the end of the night, I usually don't have time int he morning to do so.

I use to be pretty anal about cleaning up after all the raw meat and used a bleach solution on everything I touched or thought I touched but have since calmed down from that.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

You can tell her the following:


<ul>[*]I was dog bowls MAYBE once a month - if that. The dogs have never been sick from that.
[*]The dogs food (once in their bowls) doesn't sit around for more than the roughly 60 seconds it takes them to eat it.
[*]When I order in bulk the cases (usually 40 - 60 pounds each) sit around for a couple DAYS to defrost. I have always done it this way and the dogs have NEVER been sick from that.
[*]Dogs eat their own (and other animals) poop and don't get sick from that. Talk about bacteria!!
[*]Dogs lick their private areas - more bacteria and germs!!
[/list]

Over the 10 years I've been feeding raw to my dogs I have fed more than 10 THOUSAND pounds of meat and bone. Some of that stuff had turned bad when I fed it (left it sit out to defrost too long).

And the dogs NEVER got sick from that.


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## ellen366 (Nov 2, 2007)

i'm approaching the 2000# mark and haven't had any problems feeding raw; in fact, i've seen very few GI upsets and certainly far fewer than when i was feeding premium, grain free kibble

raw is the way to go


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## LuvWorkingGSDs (Aug 24, 2008)

Well, I recently finished a rotation in a hospital microbiology lab learning about all sorts of nasty pathogens/diseases, growing them, isolating them, identifying them, etc.....and I feed raw with absolutely no reservations regarding bacteria! 

Freezing doesn't kill most pathogenic bacteria in meat. It's bacteriostatic (stops the growth). A portion will die off, but plenty remain viable once warmed. I think you are thinking of deep freezing regarding some parasites. 

Regardless though it's the same as handling any meat in the home whether for human or canine consumption. Wash your hands before and after use. Clean up raw meat 'juices' if you are cutting meat or if it drips somewhere. (I spritz with hydrogen peroxide and then vinegar to disinfect)

I've forgotten about meat I was warming to r.t. (my dog doesn't tolerate cold food well) for an hour too long and don't even worry about it. The dog can handle it fine and the bacteria isn't going to go walking around the kitchen!









You could also bring up the topic of bacteria in kibble with your wife. Now *that* I have to say scares me way more than the thought of bacteria in raw meat seeing as how people treat kibble very casually. Check out this article: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2008/06/dog-food-salmon.html

I especially like this quote from near the end: _"Because pet food can harbor salmonella and possibly other pathogens, the CDC recommends that anyone handling pet food should take the same precautions needed when handling raw meat and chicken..."_


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Ditto what Lauri said. 10 plus years and no sick dogs. My guys have eaten dead things they find in the fields when we are out and have never gotten sick (talk about germs and bad breath, LOL). And, BTW, neither have I.


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## geneSW (Sep 25, 2009)

Thanks for the replies guys and gals. Much appreciated. I'll have another talk with her tonight about it and i'll bring some of this up.


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