[ SHOWGSD-L ] feeding raw - and neospora caninum
- From: "Peggy" <pmick12@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 20:55:30 -0500
I don't think I've posted this before...if I did, sorry!
Cross posting from the SBTCA Health Chair, Suzanne Wright,
shared by Peggy
I personally was never an advocate of "BARF" or other raw diets (any
dog I've owned is fed quality kibble supplemented by a few spoons of
cooked cereal or cooked veggies daily - never raw meats.) I do know
those "raw food" pet diets have becoming increasingly popular and
there are plenty of arguments both for and against raw food diets for
dogs.
Those of you who do feed raw diets may want to know of a parasite,
Neospora caninum, found in raw meats (including beef) that can be
fatal to dogs if consumed in the raw meats. Apparently both regular
coooking and freezing renders it harmless - so maybe deep freezing
meats for a period first would elininate the risk, even if you didn't
want to cook it. (Of course, simply freezing the meat would not
inactivate a number of other pathogens, such as E coli.) It's unclear
if Neospora is increasing in domestic cattle (and other ruminants),
or, since it was just discovered in 1984, they've been just looking
for it more, and therefore finding it, more, since it can cause
serious losses in cattle herds. But in any case, it can be found, in
human-quality meats you'd buy at the store. (Since humans aren't
affected it, consumption of affected meat by humans isn't a problem,
which is why you don't read much about it.) Since dogs aren't
regularly tested for this organism, it's possible that many more have
been exposed and remain asymptomatic than develop clnical symptoms.
While adult dogs can be (at times, fatally) infected, it's most
devastating to bitches in whelp since it can cross the placenta and
affect litters.
Here's an easy-to-read story on the devastating effects that this
parasite can have on dogs:
http://www.vizsladogs.com/ARTICLES/neosporum.htm
Here's a case history with detailed explanation:
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1852590
http://tinyurl.com/2tsx8o
And here's advice from someone who lost a puppy to the disease on how
to feed a "modified" but safer raw food diet to dogs:
http://www.bullmarketfrogs.com/articles/rawfoodrisk.htm
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