What are the dangers of bacteria and parasites, and feeding raw meat?

A dog is amazingly well-equipped to cope with bacteria. Their saliva contains an antibacterial enzyme, lysozyme, which destroys harmful bacteria. Their short digestive tract is designed to work through food quickly without giving bacteria time to colonize. And the extremely acidic environment in the gut is also a good bacteria colonization deterrent. Considering what dogs can and will dig up to eat, this is a very good thing!

Of course care is always to be taken when working with raw meat, which we respect and take heed of: from the sourcing of good, quality meat, throughout the manufacture process, right up to the delivery thereof to your door. As an extra precaution we do add diatomaceous earth to all Raw Love meals, which the micro tests we had done showed a significant decrease in bacteria count.

From your side, always take care to not keep any left over food in the fridge for more than 2-3 days, and if your dog does not finish a meal, do not leave the food out – take away the bowl and refrigerate until later.

It is also a good idea to have a regular fasting day, again as this replicates what would happen in nature. Maybe once every two weeks in winter and as often as once a week in summer. On these days you may feed nothing, or prepare some cooked brown rice which you could feed with kefir or yoghurt, and raw/steamed veggies (pulped fine) – maybe add an egg if they like it. But no meat.