Dr. Oz: Raw meat diet for pets could harm them, you

Q: I recently married, and my husband says it's OK to feed my dog Oscar raw meat. I don't think so, but I don't want to start an argument. Could you settle this issue for us? — Jayme W., Portland, Oregon

A: Nice to hear from you, Jayme, and congrats on your nuptials. Raw meat diets for dogs (and cats) are increasingly popular. Americans recently have spent $100 million a year on commercially prepared, uncooked chunks of protein, believing it's a diet better suited to a pooch's digestive system.

But not only do new genomic studies show that domesticated dogs have evolved to handle a comparatively starch-rich diet, studies here and in Europe also show that raw meat-based diets often are contaminated with bacteria and parasites that can sicken both a dog and its human handlers.

A new study from The Netherlands published in the BMJ journal Vet Record analyzed 35 commercial, frozen raw meat-based diets from eight different brands. The researchers found the E. coli strain that causes severe sickness — serotype O157:H7 — in 23 percent of products tested. They also found Listeria monocytogenes in 54 percent! If transmitted from pet to human, it can be deadly. The journal Microbiological Reviews reports that Listeriosis has a mortality rate of over 20 percent and "is found mainly among pregnant women, their fetuses and immune-compromised persons." The researchers also found the stomach-turning bacteria Salmonella in 20 percent of products tested. Three varieties of parasites were in more than 22 percent of raw meat-based diets.

These findings come on the heels of a two-year study in which the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine screened over 1,000 samples of pet food for contaminants that can cause foodborne illnesses. And they found raw meat-based diets are more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria and parasites, when compared with other types of pet food tested (dried and cooked). So Jayme, spare Oscar, your new hubby, yourself and your future offspring the dangers of a raw meat-based diet. Dish up cooked pet food only.

Dr. Mehmet Oz is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Dr. Mike Roizen is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen at youdocsdaily@sharecare.com.

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