Ask Dr Claire

Can my dog have raw meat from my grocery store or is it not safe?

When feeding raw food there are 2 main things to consider. 

First is food safety – is the food contaminated with bacteria that can infect the fed pet as well as people in the home? 

Second that their diet is nutritionally adequate – are they getting all that they need and in the right ratios? (you can buy commercially prepared raw food diets as well). 

Raw meat – especially when ground by the butcher, often does have bacterial contamination. When sourcing raw meat to feed to pets it needs to be human grade – do note that human grade ground meat is also often contaminated with bacteria.

Raw food needs to be handled and stored properly and never prepared on surfaces that the rest of the family use for food prep as well. Hygiene is super important. 

Sorry I can’t give a more straight out response than that, but there’s lots to consider in that question.

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Chat soon, 

Dr Claire