Salmonella - is that a problem with raw chicken?

[coripc33]

After reading some posts here, I mentioned to one of my friends that I was thinking of giving my puppy some raw chicken that she could chew on. He said that he would be worried about Salmonella, and asked me if dogs could get it. I was thinking that, since I would freeze whatever goes to the puppy anyway, this would be taken care of, but now I'm wondering... So, is Salmonella something that could be a problem with raw chicken fed to a dog? I don't want to put her in harm's way, especially since the raw chicken would probably be a treat to her, not something that she would eat every day. Please advise!

Thanks,
Corina

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Healthy dogs are not affected by Salmonella on whole pieces of chicken or other meats.

GROUND meats can be a danger if they are not fresh and properly handled, however, since bacteria is placed inside when it's ground, and it has a good environment to grow.

If you choose to give your pup raw chicken, use wings, necks, or backs, and try to feed this food separate from any commercial grain based food by 12 hours.

 

[coripc33]

Thank you - got it. Rory (my puppy) is in great shape, she's never had diarrhea, her poop looks great, so I'm going to give it a try. I will stick with non-ground meat, and see how she likes it. Glad to hear Salmonella should not be a problem - thanks again. I knew I would get a good answer here...

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

It is also important if you are going to supplement with meat that you feed BONES with it.

Meat without bones is too high in phosphorus. Bones are high in calicium and magnesium, which balances the phosphorus in the meat.

 

[Mordy]

dogs are not immune to salmonella, e coli and other bacteria, but their digestive tract is better designed to handle bacteria contamination than for example that of humans.

while it is unlikely that a dog gets sick from salmonella, it can and does happen and if it does, action needs to be taken quickly. a common symptom is enteritis (inflammation of the intestinal tract).

there is also a difference between being clinically ill from salmonella and being a subclinical carrier, which means that under normal conditions the dog appears to be healthy, but it carries and sheds the organism, possibly infecting other individuals.

now please don't get me wrong, i feed all my pets raw myself and this isn't meant to discourage anyone from feeding raw - i'm just being realistic. use common sense and proper food handling precautions, buy quality meats from trustworthy sources and there's little chance that a problem will occur.

 

[Debi]

why would you have to feed the chicken so far between kibble? I have been giving chicken wings with their regular dinner....yikes, I have no clue.

 

[Saje]

I feed chicken necks and kibble together sometimes too and have never had any problems. I'm not sure the philosophy behind that.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

The reason why is that grain based products do 2 things in a dog's gut: they take MUCH longer to process than meat does, and they cause a lower acidity (Ph) in the gut. If you feed the raw meat with the grain based commercial foods, in certain circumstances it can cause problems with bacteria overgrowth because of the extended time the meat stays in the gut and the lowered Ph.

Meaty bones should be fed separate from commercial foods.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I did not state or intend to imply that dogs are immune to Salmonella, altho I have in almost 14 years never had an issue with it.

Healthy dogs are not affected by Salmonella on whole pieces of chicken or other meats.

 

[yuckaduck]

Any meat or chicken fed to my dogs raw is frozen for at least one week before fed and when I make up the raw food I seperate it into meals in little freezer bags and it is frozen. Each evening I move three baggies [3 meals] into the fridge to thaw out and feed in the morning. So far so good, even with Faith who is 6 weeks old tomorrow.

 

[Mordy]

I did not state or intend to imply that dogs are immune to Salmonella, altho I have in almost 14 years never had an issue with it.

my post was not directed at you personally, but as a comment on the topic in general.

 

[Renee750il]

I don't worry about giving them raw meat and bones right along with the EVO, as it doesn't have the grain content that most commercial foods have.

 

[Pomp]

I give my two beagles Blue Buffalo in the morning and then usually raw oxtail at night.

 

[PFC1]

I was thinking that, since I would freeze whatever goes to the puppy anyway, this would be taken care of. . .

Freezing does not kill salmonella bacteria. It only slows the rate at which it divides, and therefore reproduces. If the meat is infected, in order to kill the bacteria, it has to be properly cooked. That being said, with respect to food recomendations for dogs, pay attention to Mordy.

 

[Renee750il]

That being said, with respect to food recomendations for dogs, pay attention to Mordy.

Now there's the best advice!

 

[PFC1]

My previous post should have said that chicken needs to be properly cooked for human consumption.