(a chapter from an upcoming book : “If Dogs Could Cook – Dr. Dobias’ guide to feeding you dog natural and raw diet”)

The fear of bacteria has been burdening humans since the invention of a microscope. We fell for the bacterial drama thanks to the media and almost forgot that  this world would cease to exist if bacteria decided to go on strike.  Plants, animals or humans need bacteria to exist and there is a very small proportion of microorganisms that may become pathogenic; cause a disease.  The poor bacteriae, ( Latin plural for bacteria), have now been battered for decades by antibiotics which usually  kills out  the good guys and makes the bad ass pathogens grow into scary monstrous superbugs.

There are many bacteriae that aid digestion and balance the proper bacterial flora. For example acidophilus, bifidobacterium, some species of streptococcus and many others. The interesting thing is that the media seldom write about these “heros.” The good bacteriae create balance and prevent rare pathogens from growing out of control. They are the guards.
High carbohydrate diets may disturb their growth and promote the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Sugar and starches also affect the pH of the digestive tract which can cause digestive disturbances, infections and metabolic problems.
Nature’s take on bacteria
Just a few paragraphs back, I mentioned that dogs are no garbage bins. Just to clarify, dogs are no garbage bins for our garbage, however they have evolved to scavenge and eat stuff that is not exactly fresh to start with.  Perhaps a whole book could be written on the subject of what dogs ate or what he rolled in.
What smells good to humans may be a horrible stench to dogs and vice versa. This may be the reason why dogs have such a different palate from humans. They sometimes love things that are slightly “ripe” and nature acknowledged this by giving them an excellent ability to  be  highly resistant to pathogenic bacteria they ingest.  Canine’s have very strong stomach acids that help to keep pathogens in check.  That is why feeding fresh raw diet has proven to be safe for dogs.

Of course, any dog can get sick from all kinds of foods if not prepared well. That is why I am in the process of writing my book  on how to  feed raw and natural dog  food. However, rest assured that the safety record of raw and natural foods is, without a doubt, better than the one of processed food.

Salmonella and E.coli – the media darlings

Sensational and exaggerated news are as common as salty water in the Pacific  Ocean. Perhaps you remember some of the food or drinking water related scandals related to Salmonella or E.coli. I do not want to discount the serious nature of some of these, however, dogs are not humans.

One has to also consider that generally, no detail about life and medical history was collected in the cases of human water and food poisoning. Stress, general health, diet, mental and emotional imbalances always play a role in bacterial infection. There is no doubt that these factors play a role in dogs too. Happy, well fed canines with the right amount of exercise should handle a few pathogens with no difficulties.

Mass food production also led to the use of very strong and toxic disinfectants. These chemicals “destroy the good bacteria first, making some pathogens like salmonella and E.coli grow stronger, more resistant and multiply faster.

Therefore think twice if you use strong bactericidal chemicals in your household made by “SuperHuge International Inc.” You may be actually creating an environment that supports resistant super bugs. Natural cleaning products or baking soda or vinegar are much better and less costly alternatives.

The bacterial “forest”

I compare the bacterial world to a forest with a variety of different trees and plants that exist in perfect symbiosis and harmony. Once you clear cut all the trees, trouble arises, one species may take over, parasites spread and “disease” settles in.
An environment that is too sterile and clean can be compared to a clear cutting practice in forestry. The lack of a variety of bacteria may cause immune system dysfunctions.
There was a study once, performed in Germany, that proved that children growing up on farms were healthier than those who grew up in a sterile apartment or environment that was over cleaned. In other words, if you want to have a healthy immune system, move a cow into your living room!
I am just joking but there is some truth to it. Stop watching “scary commercials” that say that bacteria is ready to attack at any moment. The chemicals in the cleaning products are more harmful to yours and Fido’s health and also more expensive than soda and vinegar. There are also many natural products available for cleaning.
Over the years, I have never had a client coming back to me saying that they were diagnosed with Salmonelosis or E.Coli by preparing raw food. Over more than a decade, I had one case of a questionable diagnosis of salmonelosis in a dog and it was not confirmed if the food was the source or not.

In the end, you are the decision maker as to what food you feed and how you prepare it.  All I can do is  provide an honest opinion.

Poopsicles

If you are from Italy, you most likely love pizza and pasta. I mean good pizza and pasta. If you are from Ukraine, you know how to cook borsch and if you are from India curries may be your favorite meal.

Dogs have also their own taste preferences and habits some of them are less appealing than others.

I remember a beautiful yellow lab coming to my office in Whistler. As he entered the exam room, he ran to me, jumped up and licked my face.

“Oh no,” cried out the owner, Fido, no.!

“ What is the problem? “ I wondered, “ I don’t mind having my face licked?” I comforted my client. It all became clearer when my client told me that just a few minutes before, Fido finished a little appetizer in front of the clinic that another less attentive dog owner forgot to pick up. Since then, I love to give my patients a hug, but no licking.

Eating feces or coprophagia is considered to be disgusting but normal habit of dogs. It is yet another  proof that bacteria doesn’t phase most healthy dogs at all. Some scientists believes that coprophagia may be a form of nutritional supplementation. It is a kind of doggie probiotic. Some breeds especially, may be inclined to pick up what others didn’t . However, in some cases, this may be a sign of poor digestion or diet deficiency. I am planning to mention vitamin and mineral supplementation later.
The good news is that most dogs are fine without poopsicles especially if their diet is balanced.  It is also  much  less  frequent when you feed raw and natural food.  The corner  stone  for  your animal’s friend health and longevity.

Dr. Peter Dobias

Tags: coprophagia, dog probiotics, fear of bacteria, natural dog food, raw diet for dogs

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Health Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.