# Hygienes of feeding raw food



## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I contacted a breeder about an mpoo puppy for next year. I want a dark colored male mini. They breed whites and blacks and some blues. There is a possibility of a blue miniature litter if they find the right stud but they won't know until next year. (I would LOVE a male blue miniature!) They do all the right kind of genetic testing and they are also big into AKC confirmation. They are located only 2.5 hours from us.

I found out today that they only sell to owners who will follow Dr. Dodds vaccination protocols and who will agree to feed raw. I like Dr. Dodds protocols and would agree to that if this is a requirement for the puppy, but my DH and I have concerns about feeding raw. Even if we found a source of raw food that we thought would work, it is the sanitary aspects of feeding raw food on the (floor? crate? mat? towel?) and the possibility that raw food could cross contaminate the kitchen that bothers us. 

If we created a place where we could confine the dog for eating so that we could clean up afterwards, then what about those doggie kisses I get occasional? And I love to kiss my dogs' noses. Would I have to wash their muzzle and feet after they eat? Would I just wash them with soap? Should I use antiseptic soap? Even if the bacteria on the raw food doesn't bother the short digestive tract of the dog, it could very well bother us humans.

I plan to research raw feeding more in the event a puppy from this breeder becomes available, but I would welcome any experiences that PF people might have had keeping the raw feeding a safe experience for the owners.


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

Handle raw like handling raw meat for you all. Wash up afterwards. I wash bowls out immediately after eating and mop up where meat hit floor. Wash hands. Kisses happen after a few minutes. We call it meat breath. Lol. As in "don't let them kiss you yet, they've got meat breath". Give it a few mins. And no I don't wash faces.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

minipoo, i don't know enough to say for certain, but i think it might be worth looking into hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant. i know while overseas we were told to soak fruits and vegetables in water mixed with hydrogen peroxide to kill off bacteria. i think it might be possible to soak raw chicken, for example, in the same solution then rinse again before feeding. if you're going to feed prepared frozen raw, i don't have any suggestions. you might have to check with the manufacturer re processing to ensure no salmonella, etc.


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## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

If you were feeding only one dog you can also get prepared raw that comes frozen or dehydrated. Many folks in the groups I am teach the dogs to eat on towels or placemats that can be cleaned easily. As said already just handle the raw like you would any raw meat for your family.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I know this isn't exactly what you were asking about, but I make my poodle wear a snood when he eats raw food because I can't stand his ears getting "nastified". During fair weather, he eats his raw food outside on the concrete of the dog run, which we spray with Lysol. During bad weather, he eats in his crate with no bedding, and then a quick swipe with chlorox wipes is good enough for me. Uh, except for tripe.. no matter what, tripe is an outside food... it stinks, and the poodle loves it!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I would definitely use a snood if feeding raw. Thanks for all the ideas. It sounds like those of you who feed raw don't worry about the germs. So far the feeding in a crate sounds like something I could deal with. Still not sure about raw food "cooties"on dog face and feet.


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## CtPoodle (Sep 9, 2012)

I feed MiniPoo Rembrandt premade frozen raw. His treats are dehydrated raw. He does get a raw rib bone or raw chicken neck twice a week fed on the patio. I wash the patio off with an organic cleaner when he's done.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Molly is fed a partial raw diet, both prepared raw and raw chicken (in addition to kibble)
She has been fed this way for 2 years . I have an impaired immune system due to the drugs I take for lung disease and I have yet to even get a little bit sick from handling raw meat or getting doggie kisses(although I don't allow her to kiss my mouth) You just use the same precautions as if you were prepping your own food! I feed Molly on a towel tha's easily tossed in the wash and I keep a spray bottle of diluted bleach handy for wiping up spills on the floor. Common sense and soap works wonders!!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think Molly sums it up perfectly. I prep batches of food and freeze it in portions, to minimise handling when serving. The dogs have been taught to "Keep it on the blanket", an easily washed throw or towel (Sophy doesn't like eating on hard, slippery surfaces). If you are worried about kisses after eating raw, consider some of the other things dogs eat and lick... and discourage face licking altogether if these worry you!

I think the salmonella and other infection risk is possibly overstated - safe handling of raw meat is mainly common sense, after all. Salmonella is not uncommonly found on kibble and treats, where you would be far less likely to thoroughly wash hands and surfaces that had contacted it.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I trained my girls to stay on a towel ect. Then simple wash a load a week. No special face washing was needed. I didn't find it to be an issue. I don't feed raw anymore as Stella can't eat chicken and I can't afford to feed raw without chicken meals. But when I did feed raw, it was so much fun to give them something that they really enjoyed , their poops were so much cleaner. I think it's great and would go back if my dogs could eat all meats.

P.S. I would also just let them eat on the lawn. I still give them beef ribs before every bath to keep the teeth clean and healthy.


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