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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
New research due to be presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) reveals that raw-type dog foods contain high levels of multidrug-resistant bacteria, including those resistant to last-line antibiotics. The potential transfer of such bacteria between dogs and humans is an international public health risk, conclude the authors who include Dr. Ana Raquel Freitas and colleagues from the Faculty of Pharmacy, UCIBIO/REQUIMTE, University of Porto, Portugal.
[...] Raw-food-based diets for dogs have grown popularity recently as a healthier choice. Increasing controversy regarding their safety is emerging, with some scientific evidence showing their role as vehicles for transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In addition, dogs have been described as reservoirs of clinically-relevant ampicillin-resistant (AmpR) Enterococcus faecium, but the source remains unknown.
In this study, the authors analysed enterococci obtained from processed (both dry and wet types) and non-processed (raw-frozen) foods of the main brands commercialised in Portugal. The study included 46 samples (22 wet, 15 dry, 9 raw-frozen) from 24 international brands, sourced from 8 supermarkets and one veterinary clinic. Samples were obtained during September to November, 2019. Raw-frozen samples were mainly constituted of salmon, chicken, turkey, calf, deer or duck, being a mixture of different meat types, fruits and vegetables.
[...] The authors conclude: "Our study demonstrates that raw-frozen-foods for dogs carry MDR enterococci including to last-line antibiotics (linezolid) for the treatment of human infections. The close contact of pets with humans and the commercialisation of the studied brands in different EU countries pose an international public health risk if transmission of such strains occurs between dogs and humans. There is strong past and recent evidence that dogs and humans share common multidrug-resistant strains of E. faecium, and thus the potential for these strains to be transmitted to humans from dogs."
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 21 2020, @06:11PM (22 children)
Also: raw? Is there any reason (other than cost) that we don't radiate dog food until it's sterile? (Heat is just one way to sterilize food.) It's not like dogs lack for other sources of bacteria in their GI tract.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by RS3 on Tuesday April 21 2020, @07:08PM (21 children)
Thank you- I was thinking the same thing about irradiating.
Is it possible that dog owners who buy these types of foods would be averse to irradiation (of the raw food)?
I know some ardent organic / health-food types who think irradiation alters the food and causes cancer, etc. And they lump microwave ovens into that category too.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 21 2020, @07:20PM (10 children)
True, which is why it would be best rolled out as a silent industry standard, not a big "BONUS!" label on the packaging.
Irradiation does degrade protein structures and has some (usually minor) measurable negative impact on nutritive value, but like vaccination, the benefits usually far outweigh the costs.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday April 21 2020, @07:34PM (7 children)
Interesting. So there's no good way to kill the bad stuff without some possible damage to the good stuff. Well, other than good old "Pasteurization" maybe?
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday April 21 2020, @11:41PM (1 child)
Sorry, but Pasteurization also decreases the amount of some vitamins. Can't remember off hand which ones, an if properly done it wasn't a substantial decrease, but it was a decrease.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RS3 on Wednesday April 22 2020, @12:14AM
Yes, I've heard that. Here are a couple of references:
https://www.nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com/news/article_page/Degradation_of_vitamins_probiotics_and_other_active_ingredients_caused_by_exposure_to_heat_water_and_sunlight/145924 [nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com]
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/factshts/FN-SSB.006.PDF [uky.edu]
"The water-soluble vitamins, especially thiamin, folic acid and vitamin C, can be destroyed during improper storage and excessive cooking."
However, Pasteurization is considered "mild" heat- usually less than 100C, so maybe vitamins would be preserved? And maybe vitamins can be added?
https://www.dairynutrition.ca/facts-fallacies/product-quality/raw-milk [dairynutrition.ca] (Thank you Canada!)
"During the pasteurization process there is a minimal loss (approximately 10%) of thiamine and vitamin B12.2 But because losses are small in comparison to the large amounts of the B vitamins in milk, milk is still considered a source of these nutrients. About 20% of vitamin C is lost during pasteurization, but this loss is not nutritionally significant since milk is not an important source of vitamin C to begin with."
So yay, maybe?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @03:49AM (4 children)
Cooking food may also degrade certain essential dietary requirements.
Perhaps the problem is that we want a one size fits all solution. We don't want to give our pets apples, oranges, carrots, cooked meat, etc... We have a diverse diet so if we lack a certain nutrient because our meat is cooked we can make it up from other more safe uncooked sources in our diet. If we ate nothing but meat (cooked or even uncooked but sterile meat that's sterilized in a way that removes the bacteria/viruses but not any of the nutrients) it would probably be way more difficult for us to get all of the nutrients we need.
But for some reason perhaps we want a one size fits all solution for our pets. (Maybe partly because we can't brush/clean their teeth as effectively with a diverse diet? Doubt it but just random off topic brainstorming). Could part of the reason be because it's hard to get our pets to eat certain foods because the pets don't want to or aren't adapted to do so? Would it be bad for them? Can we mix the meat with good vegetables and fruits so they can eat it together? What do wolves/dogs and tigers/cats eat in the wild besides meat? Could part of the reason that we don't feed them human food be because the pet companies want revenue and they try to convince us it's bad (obviously we shouldn't give them junk food but I'm talking about healthy foods).
Or are we just too lazy to have to cook for our pets and have to figure out what's good for them and what's bad for them. We order a pizza, should we give them a slice or two? Now I have to analyze the ingredients and figure out what the possible effect of each ingredient would be. Is the sauce too spicy? Is the cheese going to be bad for them because of lactose? What else could go wrong?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @04:08AM (2 children)
(same poster)
Does the food have MSG
So I'm going to try to dig a little deeper into this.
So rats and many animals are smart. They develop bait shyness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_shyness [wikipedia.org]
"Rodents are disinclined to gorge on an unknown food (perhaps reflecting an adaptation to their inability to vomit), preferring to sample, wait and observe whether it makes them or other rats sick."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenticide [wikipedia.org]
Different pets may have different allergies and tolerances (like humans). Perhaps we're too lazy to figure out what is good and what isn't good for our pet so instead we choose a one size fits all solution that tends to work for 99 percent of all pets but perhaps isn't necessarily as good as a tailored solution to your specific pet.
So perhaps we can sample a specific food with our pet in small amounts and see how the pet responds. If the pet likes the food and doesn't seem to get sick we can continue giving the pet that food. If the pet does seem to get sick we can try to figure out what ingredient made the pet sick and remove it. Like with humans we can create directories of ingredients that many pets tend to have averse reactions to (ie: many humans have an averse reaction to MSG but in general it's probably not a good idea to give your pets foods that may have such ingredients?) and we can try to single out the specific ingredients that are bad for your pet from their diet like we do with humans. It may be harder to do with pets because you can't really directly ask them 'did this give you a headache or a stomach ache or any other averse effects?"
Then again pet food probably already takes all this into consideration so it's much easier to just give them pet food. Pet food was already made by experts that take all of this into consideration. Perhaps giving your pets a more diverse set of pet foods. One day feet them one thing and another day feed them another thing. See what pet foods out there have various fruits and vegetables as well?
You can also Google "what foods are safe for my dog".
Here is a random result.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/human-foods-for-dogs#section15 [healthline.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @05:39AM (1 child)
Fake news.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151106-is-msg-as-bad-as-its-made-out-to-be [bbc.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @07:41AM
(same poster)
Interesting article.
Well my mom certainly has a very adverse reaction to anything containing MSG whatsoever. She found out many years ago but it took her years to find out what it is that gives her really bad, almost debilitating, headaches.
It is certainly not a hoax in her case. She has absolutely no tolerance for the stuff whatsoever. It doesn't seem to affect anyone else in my immediate family though.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday April 22 2020, @08:33AM
Only as far as humans are concerned. In the wild, dogs and cats don't eat a carefully-balanced diet, they eat whatever crap happens to get close enough to their mouths. No careful balance or planning, just whatever's at hand. I think a lot of the "you must feed your pet grass-fed organic wholemeal beef carefully dipped in duck's tears by vestal virgins, all at $59.95/lb" says more about the "$59.95/lb" than anything to do with pet health.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 21 2020, @08:31PM (1 child)
>> but like vaccination, the benefits usually far outweigh the costs.
And how could Jenny McCarthy even tell if her dog was autistic?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @04:32AM
I think my uncle has an autistic dog.
I tried to walk him once and he is scared of every car that drives by. He wants to wrap the leach around my legs.
He is scared of everyone. He would slowly inch up to you and sniff you slightly to 'greet' you before rapidly running away.
None of his other dogs are/were like this. They were all very friendly.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 21 2020, @08:40PM (9 children)
I think the biggest reason to not routinely irradiate meat (besides extra cost) is that you would be adding a radiation exposure hazard to the workers and possibly consumers and environment that is completely unnecessary; you know that accidents will happen. Solution: Just cook your damn food. It's been a solved problem since Homo sapiens discovered fire.
As an aside, I can think of one food where irradiation is routine and warranted: peppercorns. Your peppercorns have been blasted with radiation to kill the pests that would otherwise hatch inside and eat the stored peppercorns.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday April 21 2020, @09:03PM (2 children)
Hang on, hang on. Have you guys been messing about with fire? Fire hot! Ow!
Leave the fire alone. Just stay in the trees.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday April 22 2020, @12:17AM (1 child)
Yeah, but what about the Hetero sapiens?
(Score: 3, Funny) by ze on Wednesday April 22 2020, @01:29AM
We killed them all :(
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday April 22 2020, @04:12AM (5 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @02:22PM (4 children)
Do you not cook any of your food?
Do you only eat out, reheat prepared frozen meals in the microwave, or eat only salads augmented with canned legumes?
Does the stove scare you?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday April 22 2020, @02:43PM (3 children)
Do you ever bother to think? The kitchen too is a hazardous place with plenty of opportunities for cuts, burns, and illnesses. Why be concerned about a minor hazard to a few people, but not a similar hazard to a much larger group of people?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 22 2020, @04:29PM (2 children)
I get your point. You don't work in a meat packing plant, so you are OK with adding a new hazard that will never affect you -- only someone ELSE.
I think you are drastically overstating the hazards of cooking. Can minor injuries happen? Sure, rarely. I would say cooking is safer than bicycling, but you don't see people discouraging that.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday April 23 2020, @02:47AM
That is true.
I don't. And I think you're exaggerated the hazards of radiating food.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday April 23 2020, @07:58PM