Cleanliness Questions

[Cliffdog]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and hoping to soon introduce my four month old Doberman pup, Bonnie, to raw. However, I have a few concerns regarding cleanliness and disease from raw meat. I understand that dogs are well-equipped to deal with things like salmonella; however, humans are not.

My concerns are mostly these:
I'm most likely going to feed her in her kennel with a towel laid down. Is the towel enough to keep her kennel free of germs like E. coli and salmonella? Or will I still need to scrub down the kennel after feeding? Is there a more sanitary way to feed her?

Also, I'm concerned about oral cleanliness. As I said, I'm aware that she is most likely safe from the pathogens in raw food, but I am concerned that if she licks me, or anything I contact afterward, I will be at risk for contracting these diseases. Are my worries unfounded?

Thanks in advance for any help!

-Cliff and Bonnie

[monkeys23]

I wouldn't worry about putting a towel in the kennel. You can just wipe down the floor of the kennel with a vinegar/water solution or a cleaning wipe (I stay away from chemicals in my house though... lots of Seventh Generation, Method, and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products here ).

Most dogs lick everything off the floor of their kennel though, so really I wouldn't worry too much. I only wipe it out once a week or so.

As long as you worm your dog periodically and know where your meat comes from I wouldn't worry much. Honestly they are more likely to pick up parasites environmentally on walks than from raw feeding.

[magicre]

when i began feeding raw, one of my concerns were the germs, since i am immuno compromised....

and i used to sterilise the entire kitchen after every feeding....using bleach products...

what happened was my eyes teared, my hands dried out and i began to react to the bleach products...

and i used wipes on the dogs....their behinds, their mouths, the floor...i washed towel upon which they ate, lest a stray germ escape toward me...

as time went by, i noticed i was beginning to change.....mainly because nothing adverse happened to me....i read quite a bit about kibble and raw and found out that feeding raw is safer than we think....and because i was becoming exhausted....

one thing i noticed as i perused the lists and forums....there seemed to be no ill effects from those who used a little vinegar and water to the people who wanted to fit the room and the dogs into an autoclave and sterilise them....

as time marched on, i've relaxed....no longer do i use bleach products...nasty stuff....

i don't wipe their faces unless they are eating something particularly messy and i don't want it to get on the rug....

i don't wash their eating towel (they eat on one towel in the kitchen - i taught them to stay on the towel)...i fold it with the mess on the inside, drape it over a chair and call it good, until it starts getting nasty and then i wash it.

the only times i wipe my dogs is when bubba is paying particular interest to malia's behind quarters...there is simply no descriptive language i could use to describe what he does to her....but even then....i don't always wipe them down...

i've been doing this for ten months now, almost.....and whilst my doctors are further looking for another auto immune disorder as we speak....i am handling raw food barehanded...i wash the cutting board, the knives, their bowls with dish soap....wipe the counters down...

and they both lick me on the mouth because they are lickers and kissers..i wouldn't change it for the world...

i think we all have to find our comfort zone and sometimes, finding that comfort zone is a journey of self discovery.....

ps...there have been more cases of salmonella from kibble than from feeding raw...something for you to chew on :)

[RawFedDogs]

I've been feeding raw for almost 9 years. I don't particularly clean anything. I wipe the kitchen counter off with a damp paper towl. I wash my hands with soap (sometimes). The dogs eat most meals off the floor. I don't clean the floors. The dogs do that. They eat abou5t 2 meals a week from bowls. The bowls haven't been washed in 4 months. The dogs do that after each meal. Their water bowl hasn't been washed in 4 months cause it's just not dirty. Same thing with the cats.

No one in my household has gotten sick from raw feeding. My granddaugter plays on the floor and she hasn't gotten sick. My grandson, son, daughter-in-law hasn't gotten sick. My GF hasn't gotten sick. No other visitors to my house have gotten sick. My dogs lick my face/mouth regularly and well as most anyone who comes to the house. (None of these people live here. They just visit regularly.)

Obviously I don't worry about bacteria, parasites, etc. Their risks are highly overblown. Just to prove a point a few years ago when someone called me on my statement when my dogs eat what I eat, they said I don't eat raw meat. Sooooo ... you know how I like to prove myself right. ... ... over the period of a week, I ate some raw chicken (pretty chewy), some raw filet mignon (very tastey), and some raw pork (not bad but like cooked better). I'm still here. I had no adverse reaction.

[magicre]

taking it to a fancier level, bill, there are many of us who eat raw....although, for me, chicken wasn't one of them...

but sashimi and carpaccio and tartare.....raw and delicious....: )

[werecatrising]

First of all, welcome! Good to see another dobe parent!

I feed Quinn in his crate with no towel. He licks the floor clean himself. Evey couple of days I wipe it down with vinegar. I wear gloves when handling the meat, not because I worry about germs, but because it just feels gross to me. I have always had odd reactions to certain tactile stimuli, the meat just feels icky. I don't worry about touching the dogs, bowels, counters, etc. I don't feel that anything other than basic hygiene(washing my hands in plain old soap) is needed. Of course, i would be doing that no matter what I fed.

[monkeys23]

Mmmm sashimi.... good hotatagai (scallop) is my favorite. So creamy and delicious!

[whiteleo]

People worry about way too much from raw meat! If you are healthy and do not have a compromised immune system then treat this as if you are making a meal for yourself.

I handle raw meat, throw it in a bowl or hand it to the dogs, they chew beef ribs, venison bones and all kinds of stuff all over my house and yes, my rugs need to be cleaned but who cares, thats why I bought a hoover platinum rug cleaner.

There are germs all over this world and raw meat is not going to make or break the barrier of sanitary health.

Good Luck with the decision to feed raw, you will be so happy you did...

[DaneMama]

I admit to not cleaning very well. We just don't worry about it. Humans that are healthy and have full immune systems are equipped to deal with pathogens like E. coli. We wipe the counters down with a damp rag and sometimes a non antibacterial soap (we try and stay away from antibiotics in any form because they do more harm than good).

Bacteria are everywhere. They are in your dogs saliva regardless of what you feed them. They eat dirt and chew on sticks that are covered in bacteria, they lick their privates all the time. They sniff rear ends and get drooled on by other dogs. Bacteria are everywhere. There's nothing you can do to keep them away from you unless you seal yourself in a sterile environment.

So to answer your question: no, the towel won't do any good with keeping things clean and in fact would provide a more hospitable environment for bacteria to grow. Just feed your dog in her crate and wipe it down afterwards if you wish. Just don't let her lick you after a meal (what we call "yuck mouth" and try our best to not let them lick us for a while). Or feed your dog outside which makes for no clean up for you (we feed outside most of the time).

Glad you've joined up and look forward to helping you through the process of switching to raw! Happy posting

[jjcj]

I bought one of the floor steamers and told husband i would use it every day. Shsh dont tell but i only do it if he is home and asks me before i leave to work.