# Salmonella through indirect contact?



## Maximus_NSX (Dec 8, 2008)

I've been feeding my puppy a RAW diet for the past 2 weeks and he loves it. However, I have been curious about salmonella and other bad bacteria for our family. When Kobe eats his chicken or beef bones, he always uses his feet to hold the bone in place and then he chews on it. I am positive that bacteria goes on his legs and paws and other parts of his body. I'm sure you all know what I am eluding to now. What happens if my son or daughter plays with him after he eats? Won't the bacteria still be on his feet and legs? Is there anything we could do about this? How do you guys and gals handle it? Thanks.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Honestly, I don't think about it. What would be worse is thinking about all the pee and poo traces your dog steps in in any given day! Dogs are not clean animals for sure.


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## twogsdoh (Nov 2, 2008)

Ive been raw feeding for a year and a half now and have never had a problem with salmonella. Like Diana M I dont give it much thought either. HTH.


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

Oh top of that, they'll lick their crotch, then their butt, then the neighbor dog's butt, THEN your kids' faces.

When you think about everything a dog does, you realize how many "ew" moments there are.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: DianaMOh top of that, they'll lick their crotch, then their butt, then the neighbor dog's butt, THEN your kids' faces.
> 
> When you think about everything a dog does, you realize how many "ew" moments there are.


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## Maximus_NSX (Dec 8, 2008)

Very good points!


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

I've wondered this too. I first thought about it years ago when a woman on our SAR team was using raw chicken necks as training aides for her dog and she'd hand you one if you were helping, but there was nowhere to wash your hands afterward. Her view was that raw meat was "natural" but if it's from a factory farm, "natural" isn't really a word I'd use. I mean, commercially reared chickens are one of the most contaminated meats there are, and really are not analogous to the raw meat of old, when people lived on farms or when dogs/wolves hunt. I know dogs have super amazing guts that can handle it, but people really don't, especially kids or immune compromised people. My mom's a microbiologist and after looking into it, factory chickens were one of the first things she cut out of her diet. 

If you're worried about it, maybe go with a supplier that doesn't get the chickens from a large processing plant?


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

I'm with the consensus. I really don't think about it. I've been raw-feeding for about 2.5 years (wow, has it been that long!?) and no one has gotten ill from being in contact with Risa. Not me, my family, or even my guinea pigs.


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

I've been raw feeding for over 10 years now. Probably handled over 15 THOUSAND pounds of raw meat.

The only time I worried about handling the stuff was when I went through chemotherapy. During that time my husband took over feeding the dogs.

But they still kissed me and licked my face and I gave them schmooches and so on. And I never got sick.


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