Disinfecting Raw Meat
Many people who contemplate feeding their pets raw meat are concerned with its safety, especially with regard to Salmonella and E. coli. Isn't raw meat dangerous?
Healthy dogs and cats in the wild can eat just about any raw meat and survive, if not thrive. Just think of all the bones dogs bury and all the birds and rodents cats consume. Their stomachs contain high concentrations of hydrochloric acid and digestive juices and their digestive tracts host an abundance of beneficial bacteria, making it difficult for harmful bacteria to survive. Any meat, poultry, or other fresh food that's suitable for human consumption is safe for most dogs and cats.
The following disinfecting methods are more for the protection of people than pets, although any animal that's been fed only packaged, processed food may need protection from unfamiliar microbes until its digestive system recovers. If desired, disinfect raw meat, raw bones, or eggs in the shell with any of the following procedures11, 12. The meat should be in large pieces; these procedures are not recommended for ground meat. Keep meat and other perishable foods refrigerated until ready to use.
- Soak the meat in a solution of 1/2 teaspoon original formula Clorox bleach per gallon water for 15 to 20 minutes, then soak in plain water for 10 minutes.
- Soak the meat in a sink or bowl containing cold water and several drops of 35 percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide. Use enough to create small bubbles in the water but not enough to change the meat's color. Soak for 10 minutes, then rinse in plain water.
- Soak the meat in a sink or bowl containing cold water and 30 or more drops of liquid grapefruit seed extract; let stand five minutes and drain. Alternatively, add 20 or more drops to a 32-ounce spray bottle of filtered or distilled water, then spray on meat or poultry and rinse in clean water.
Any of the above methods can be used to disinfect raw fruits and vegetables. Use a separate soak solution for each type of food.
- Dip the meat in very hot water. In 1992, the Journal of Epidemiology and Infection reported that meat can be sterilized by placing it for 10 to 20 seconds in water that has been heated to 80 degrees Centigrade (176 degrees Fahrenheit). Doing so leaves the surface of the meat "virtually sterile." In a large pan, heat water just until active bubbles form at the bottom or check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. Remove from heat. Lift the meat with tongs, immerse it for 10 to 20 seconds, and let it drain in your pet's bowl.
At about 150 degrees F, hot water from the tap won't disinfect raw meat but it will warm refrigerated meat to body temperature, a recommended step in meal preparation.
Some nutritionists recommend that meat be frozen for 14 days or more to kill any parasites that might infect it. Juliette de Bairacli Levy3 does not recommend freezing meat, and the thousands of breeders and owners who have followed her Natural Rearing philosophy for the last half-century agree. In the wild, healthy dogs and cats are such poor hosts for pathogens that their bodies repel and reject intestinal worms and other parasites.