Is cooked meat dangerous?

F
Furania42 Icon representing the flag French
Report

Hi everyone,

Trying to find information on dog food is a real minefield on Google. I've heard that cooked meat destroys a dog's gut flora, but others say the risk of parasites in raw meat is too high and that you have to cook it...

I'm completely lost.

To be more specific: the meat I give Loup isn't her main daily meal. It's just in small amounts (2 chicken breasts spread over the week) for training. It's her high-value treat (whether it's cooked or raw) and we can work well in any situation using it.

So my question is: can I cook the meat for her?

On the one hand, it's more practical because raw meat sticks to your fingers and the bag, so it's a bit of a nightmare when you're out and about...

On the other hand, my dog has a sensitive stomach and too much raw meat gives her diarrhoea.

What's the deal? Can I carry on lightly cooking the chicken before giving it to her (boiled for 5 minutes without salt) without the risk of destroying her gut flora?

Or should I just stick to dried and/or raw chicken?

Just for info, Loup is 8 months old (I don't know if that makes a difference).

Thanks!

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

39 answers
Sort by:
  • Show previous comments
    • ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Hi there, as for Furania’s point, I don’t see the problem with giving cooked meat at all. I’m with Kainate on this; I actually think it’s by trying too hard to force dogs into these restrictive, single-source diets that we literally wreck their digestive systems.

    I’d be inclined to say that the best diet for a dog is made up of a bit of everything.

    Koda used to suffer from terrible digestive issues (vomiting and diarrhoea every day for three months). I managed to settle his system with BARF (the good stuff that costs me an arm and a leg), but Koda "loves"—honestly, he’s mad about—Royal Canin dry food. So, I tried adjusting his daily portions to give him a bit every now and then. A little bit of cheese, a bit of sausage on a Saturday...

    And since then, not one bit of sickness or diarrhoea. I think that just like with us, variety is what makes for a healthy diet.

    So, spot on Kainate 👍👍👍

    Translated from French
    Kainate
    Kainate Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    From my own experience with my two dogs, one took to the introduction of raw meat really well (no tummy troubles at all), but the other didn't. We had some really bad bouts of diarrhoea. At that point, I could have just told myself he wasn't cut out for digesting raw meat, following the idea that every dog is inherently different when it comes to digestion (which is probably partly true, but only to an extent). The truth is, I stuck with it, but I went about it differently than what's usually recommended. I started by giving him well-cooked meat and boiled rice, then gradually undercooked the meat and reduced the proportion of rice until we reached a raw diet—it took at least a month before he could tolerate raw chicken breast. In the end, I have a dog who can digest anything (even dry food—I don't hesitate to switch him back to kibble when we're on holiday, without any transition period). He doesn't have a particularly sensitive stomach anymore (he gets the odd soft stool, but it never lasts). But that’s only because I persisted and changed my strategy to be more gradual. If I hadn't pushed through, I’d probably be convinced today that my dog has a "sensitive stomach" and can't tolerate anything other than the kibble the breeder used. I’m not sure how this building up of food tolerance works from the "inside", but I imagine that dietary diversification causes changes in digestive secretions and the gut microbiome that make the digestive system more efficient. Anyway, my point is... The main subject of this post isn't raw feeding. I have no problem with Furania giving cooked meat if it’s more practical for use as training treats. However, if I were in her shoes, I’d still be concerned that my dog can't digest raw meat and gets diarrhoea whenever he’s given some. We’ve become far too used to thinking of this as normal. For a species that mostly evolved by eating human food scraps, no, it isn't normal—or at least, it shouldn't be considered normal. So, either the dog has a genuine health issue confirmed by a vet (colitis etc.), or the possibility that a lack of dietary diversity is leading to low food tolerance is something that should be explored, in my opinion.
    Translated from French
    Kainate
    Kainate Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Regarding bowel obstructions caused by eating too many bones, I’d like to add a caveat: there’s a high chance it’s actually down to feeding far too many meaty bones (many people pack the meals with them simply because it’s cheaper) rather than following a proper, balanced BARF diet. You can’t really claim the BARF diet doesn't suit the dog if the guidelines weren't even followed. One of the golden rules of this diet is to adjust the proportion of bone based on the consistency of the stools—specifically, cutting back if they become chalky—to avoid the risk of a blockage. When it comes to eating bones, if the general principles of a BARF diet are followed, the only risk that seems to persist is bowel perforation. Using raw, meaty bones limits the risks but doesn't eliminate them entirely, which is obvious. That being said, there are enough raw feeders around nowadays to see that these types of accidents are actually very rare. Personally, I’m quite sceptical of the current trend of saying "every dog needs its own specific diet," as if it’s perfectly normal that Fido can’t digest anything except his dry food at £6 a pound, which is out of stock every other month, or that Buster can’t handle anything but boiled chicken, rice and mashed carrots (or Roxane and her BARF diet—it’s all the same thing). Either we’ve seriously weakened our dogs' digestive systems through poor breeding (which is a possibility), or it’s what we’re feeding them—or to look at it the other way: what we’re *not* feeding them. I’m convinced that the lack of variety is currently a much bigger problem than whether we feed them one specific thing or another.
    Translated from French
    B
    Bangdji Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    My dogs aren’t strictly on a BARF diet, as I was saying, but they eat a bit of everything. If you want a laugh, here are some of the funniest (and most backwards) comments I used to get when feeding them unprocessed raw meat (no ham, sausages, etc.) back at my ex’s place in a village that time forgot: "Watch out, if you give them too much, they'll get a taste for blood." Or "It’ll make her vicious." According to some, you should NEVER give it to them, while others thought a tiny bit was alright if you were willing to take the risk on very rare occasions. I used to tell them that my dog, Gipsie, wasn’t daft enough to mistake a leg of goat for my own thigh or that of a passer-by! 😂
    Translated from French
    C
    Caroline-eg Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    @Doudou229, it would be a good idea to chat with other owners and some vets. Yes, some dogs do get ill and can even die from a BARF diet, especially when people get too caught up in the ideology of it. I was speaking with a vet once—I wasn't actually one of her clients—and she fed her own pets a home-cooked diet, so she wasn't pro-kibble at all. She told me straight that she’d seen plenty of cases of bowel obstructions caused by repeatedly eating raw bones. I really want to emphasise the word "repeatedly" there, because it wasn’t just one bone that caused the issue, but a build-up of bone dust. And yet, the owners stuck with BARF anyway, keeping quiet about the problems that cropped up. My dog was really poorly as well; he was spending his nights outside with diarrhoea. I ended up doing something I’d never done before: I put him on Royal Canin gastrointestinal dry food for about 10 days, and that sorted it. BARF just isn’t right for every dog. Some need a higher intake of carbs and starch than the tiny bit of veg you usually include. Even if you're careful with food safety and the cold chain, raw meat can still cause issues. To be honest, my dog finds well-cooked rice and wet food much easier to digest than BARF. At the end of the day, the best diet is whatever works for our pets. My dog has always done better with game-based meats with potatoes or rice. So, he stays on that kind of dry food, and I just vary the type of game he gets. It’s about 50-60% meat. If a dog thrives on BARF or RAW, then that’s great, but we shouldn’t assume it’s a one-size-fits-all solution.
    Translated from French
    ?
    Anonymous user Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    What’s the connection between cooked meat and the hype surrounding BARF, which is far from being a miracle solution?
    Translated from French
    Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    There are dogs on raw food (on the forums, anyway) that started as puppies and lived to a ripe old age...

    Reaching ages comparable to those on other types of food...

    It would be really interesting to see more studies carried out on homemade BARF diets with regular pet owners...

    with proper vet follow-ups to get some actual information...

    Translated from French
    Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Bacteria and parasites, potential sources of infection for us (our kids) and our furry friends... this Danger "looming over us".

    (Especially for babies, for our children) I know plenty of raw feeders with babies and kids and they haven't reported any problems. (Babies "raised" ;-) with dogs on a proper raw diet).

    At the start, I can tell you, the disinfecting of the fridge (daily), the worktop, the kitchen... (I'd had that fear).

    I’m willing to acknowledge a risk for us "humans" if hygiene precautions aren't properly followed on the worktop (containers), fridge or freezer (if the cold chain is broken), during prep...

    But when you hear some vets—not all, thankfully—(the "pathogen thing" is lurking, ready to pounce!!!) every single second with raw...

    The advice to pick up "poo" with gloves and a shovel... and burn it!!!!

    I love that one!!!! As if the dog's stools were super contaminated, more so than a dog on dry food...

    Over 7 years on raw (2,666 days), with 3 female dogs.

    We haven't had salmonella or parasites (worms) in our families (with 4 female dogs).

    Since late 2012 (after 3 raw-fed dogs), it's always the same old things... reading the same misconceptions...

    Worth a read regarding feeding raw meat...

    http://www.cliniquelingostiere.com/barf-or-not-barf-%C2%A9-dr-nicolas-martinez-veterinaire-a-nice_1355.aspx

    As a scientist, I base myself on the facts.

    For the moment, I’ve never seen dogs get sick from BARF, but I have from poor quality dry food. I’ve never seen stunted growth from BARF or from dry food! The eternal argument about an excess of cancer due to a dry food diet hasn't been proven... and we'll see (or not) in a few years if raw-fed dogs also develop cancers.

    The cold chain must be respected! Don't forget that with BARF, the meat is given raw, which significantly increases the bacterial but also the parasitic risk.

    It is therefore important to choose a supplier who ensures proper hygiene quality, but on your end, you must follow the basic rules of freezing and defrosting.

    It’s even better to make your BARF yourself and not buy "ready-made formulas"...

    "Nutritional and hygiene quality depends on the meat chosen."

    Translated from French
    Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella are the ones often flagged up by certain specialists...

    (See the links below)

    Here is my take on pork...

    Aujeszky’s disease affects pork meat. (In the UK, it’s considered that there is very little risk, but you have to be the judge of your own suppliers!) There is no such thing as zero risk.

    (For those who are unsure depending on which country they are in, or where their meat comes from—e.g. abattoirs outside the UK—if you have any doubts, don’t use it.)

    I don’t personally know any owners who have lost their dog to it.

    A raw feeder I know who is a butcher feeds it to his pooch. Plenty of raw feeders give their dogs pork.

    I should remind you that wild boar meat is strongly discouraged (basically "off-limits").

    From Doudou229.

    https://www.fregis.com/infos-sante/maladie-daujeszky-pseudo-rage-chez-chien/

    https://barf-raw-feeding.fr/les-maladies-du-gibier/

    Translated from French
    Doudou229
    Doudou229 Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    It’s just a fad! It’s all the rage right now! Why on earth do you want to use this diet?? It’ll make her aggressive! Won't she get worms? And what about when you’re on holiday or travelling? It’s so expensive! Such a hassle! (Actually, the costs are quite manageable. Over the years, and looking at the price of some high-quality foods, I think spending roughly £60, £70, £80, or £95 a month — even up to £130 when they were puppies — for organic, top-quality meat is worth considering. This is for a 70lb Labrador or Golden Retriever, and you have to factor in the fewer trips to the vet, excluding vaccinations, neutering, or accidents.) "By the time you get back, she’ll be back on dry food!" (Well, no... I just changed vets.) The vet even asked: "Can I call you tonight? It’s for my own dog..." He had some questions (we didn't have time to finish our chat during @Oxane’s puppy check-up). His dog is on raw food now too.
    Translated from French

  • 30 comments out of 39

    See more
    • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!
    These topics could be of interest to you!
    Find out more