Therapy dogs in US raw protein diet policy

...as the title says.... therapy dogs in us have decided risks are too great.......

http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=638

Yes I read this some time ago, what I found most amusing was the fact that in the same article they admit that salmonella etc can be found in vegetable products etc but these are not banned ........

And of course no mention of dogs that drink from toilet bowls, lick their bottoms etc etc.............

Not sure what to make of all that to be honest I have eaten raw meat for many years(not poultry...yet) and never been ill from it. Always have tried whatever dogs have eaten(just to taste it), not very pleasant at times, but is different taste to dogs. Think folk would be horrified if they knew how long meat was 'stood around?' in transportation or warehouses or where it actually came from in first place(stuff pumped into it). Sorry not very well explained(again).

Honestly, I think its what they had to do. Delta Society carries a 1 million dollar liability insurance policy on every dog they certify. They take extreme precautions to be certain the dogs are all as safe as possible for the populations they visit, which are often ill or infirm in some way and thus more susceptible.

If you haven't heard, people over here are sue happy. Its an un-necessary risk to take. I understand their position. I don;t like it. But I understand it.

People over here ARE sue happy, but I still don't understand their position. There's no proof that dogs fed raw are any danger to anyone. It's a stupid policy and is probably led by their being sponsored by Purina.

The good news, at least, is that this is ONLY Delta. There are other therapy dog organizations that don't have this requirement.

And where did those major outbreaks of samonella in canines come from a year or more ago; commercial pet foods.

Dogs lick their butts, sniff/lick other dogs bits, go through bins, eat food that has long since passed it's best.... Perhaps all dogs should be banned and they stick with stuffed animals?

So long as good hygiene and sense is practised raw fed dogs are no more a threat to health than commercially fed ones.

sad world we live in really, crazy at times actually, sponsored by purina eh but not influenced though.

Interesting link!

Yes the Delta Society do have to be very careful, but I know for a fact that they take their research VERY seriously and personally, as a result of that I would always follow their advice.

Not sure I agree with the ''I've been doing it for years and I've been fine'' argument either.

Just saying ;o)

Except there have been no studies claiming raw fed dogs are any more of a danger than commercial pet food fed dogs. Considering they are sponsored by a major maker of (poor quality) dog food, the move seems a bit suspicious.

Delta Society has lost a lot of great therapy dogs due to this move. Sad.