Would Feeding Your Dogs Raw Ground Beef Be Dangerous To Their Health??
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editor in
Question & Answer on
Oct 10th, 2009 |
8 responses
OK…I have these two dogs, and I was just wondering about the ramifications of feeding them raw ground beef (fresh) versus cooking it. Is it harmful when it is raw. I’ve always cooked it…but now I’m wondering. Any advice would be appreciated.
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ha ha, a dog won’t get e-coli from eating raw meat, they are dogs, they have been eating raw meat for millennia!!!! If it was bad for them, they would have evolved to eat something else. While the bacteria may be there, their canine systems are perfectly capable of dealing with this without our intervention.
Yes, modern beef has antibiotics and hormones, but cooing DOES NOT remove this. It is still there, you cannot do anything to remove these things from meat. Once it is put into the cow, it is in the tissue, and in the meat we are eating. Cooking does however remove all the nutrients.
A simple remedy for this is to feed organic ground beef, raw. Or even simpler and less expensive is to feed raw chicken(chicken for human consumption cannot be treated with hormones or antibiotics, the USDA doesn’t allow it.). And save org. beef for treats.
I go to my local farmers market. One guy there raises organic everything and sells me chicken backs and necks, ground rabbit, lamb and beef for $1 per lb.
ADD: Cats must eat fresh meat, but dogs can and do scavenge. It is fine for them.
Meat from a butcher that isn’t freshly killed is infinitely better than feeding kibble which had euthanized pets, road kill, hormone injected cancer ridden disease riddled meat by-product with grain filler preserved with carcinogenic chemicals.
Commercialized dog food has only been available since the 70’s So the notion of dogs evolving to eat different diets from their ancestors is out. What do you think dogs were eating until this time? RAW MEAT!!!
I have talked to people who do raw diets. It does not have to be top of the line grade A meats. Organic is reccommended, yes.. and its reccommended to seek out meats that do not have hormones. However you do not need freshly killed meat. Dogs can stomache raw meat, that you might even be leery to cook for yourself. In the wild a dog might eat a half rotting carcass. Some species of wild canid do bury bits of meat and bone to save for later.
A dog’s body digests food differently than ours. Their stomaches can handle the bacteria that is commonly found in raw meat. Between the higher body temps, stronger stomache acids, and a shorter digestive tract, they can handle things that we cannot. What might sit in our gut and digest a few days, is digested within a few hours in a dog.
The raw hamburg is ok.. but they do need more than that. A dog does need some raw bones, and also organ meats. Variety is the key too.
Having been through a public health class and touring through a slaughter house, I would not recommend raw ground beef for anyone.
If E. Coli is present, it can lead to some serious problems (including death, if it is the particularly bad strain). If you choose to feed hamburger to your dogs, it should be cooked and have the grease rinsed off. Cooking is the only way to get rid of the bacteria.
Also, you will need to add other things to make sure they get all the nutrients they need – a diet of ground beef only will not be able to provide that.
Maybe you should just give them dog food.
The common sense answer would be that dogs have those sharp teeth and originate from wolves – wolves eat raw meat in the wild – therefore, dogs can and should eat raw meat.
The actual truth – dogs should not eat raw meat for several reasons.
First, the raw meat you get from the butcher is not FRESH like raw meat from eating a fresh kill in the wild. Raw meat at the butcher or supermarket has various bacteria, etc. in it that can hurt and kill a dog.
Second, dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years. It only takes a few seconds to examine a dog and a wolf and see the great differences between them. Dogs are no longer wolves and dog bodies have evolved along with their human companions. Therefore, it is wrong to assume that dogs can and should eat raw meat like wolves.
You should talk to your vet about this issue. Ask for your vet’s opinion. Also, get your dog’s blood tested both before you put it on a raw meat diet and 2 weeks, 1 month and every few months after you put it on a raw meat diet (if you decide to put it on a raw meat diet). The blood tests (including a liver panel each time) will help you determine if the diet is good for your dog.
I HAVE read that some people give their dogs what is called the BARF diet (which is a raw meat diet); HOWEVER, their guidelines are very specific. The raw meat you give your dog should be Super Grade A that can’t be found in many supermarkets. It is a special grade of meat that has less bacteria in it than ground beef. Raw ground beef is probably the worst type of raw meat you can give a dog if it is on a BARF diet.
Cooking gets out all those antibiotics and other things given to the cows before they are slaughtered. Plus a dog can get e-coli from the meat. It’s best to cook it.
No, it would not be dangerous, but ground beef is not enough of a diet to sustain a dog. It’s not healthy to feed only ground beef.
The people who know, veterinarians, say that NO raw meat or any bones (raw or cooked) are safe for a dog.