[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Jazz Lover –

The bacteria present in raw meat isn’t a concern for healthy dogs. Just prepare it with the same safety precautions you would take when preparing raw meat for human dishes – wash the counter, wash your hands and wash and utensils and dishes that touched the meat. The potential for bacterial contamination is there when feeding kibble as well – there have been many recalls over the last year for kibble contaminated with salmonella. So the same safety precautions apply when feeding kibble as well.

Something I did want to mention before and forgot in my previous post is that if you do add veggies to the kibble you want to be sure to cook them. Dogs don’t produce the enzyme cellulase which is necessary to break down the cellulose in plant matter. Cooking in a sense “predigests” the veggies and starts to breakdown the cellulose. They should be mashed or pureed as well. However, imo, it’s a much better idea to top with high protein additions like canned food, raw food, cooked meats, eggs, yogurt, kefir, etc. Dogs don’t really have any need for the additional starches from fruits, veggies and grains when they’re eating kibble which is starchy to begin with.