Raw Fed banned by Delta Society
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/pet-food-police-coming-to-a-delta-society-near-you.html Quote: Pet Food Police Coming to a Delta Society Near You Written By: Susan Thixton5-20-2010Categorized in: Pet Food NewsThis is one of the most ridiculous moves I’ve seen yet from a national charity; right up there with the Humane Society of the United States making a pet food in Uruguay. The Delta Society is kicking out any pet owner that has made the educated decision to feed their pet raw food. I don’t feed my pets raw, and I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve dealt with verbal abuse from steadfast raw feeders; one even demanded my website “condemn all pet owners that feed anything but raw”. Demanded! No kidding. But, I support any pet owner that makes an educated decision to feed raw. I am a firm believer in pet owners making their own decisions about what they feed their pets; an educated personal decision. I have no problem with any pet owner that feeds raw, feeds home cooked, feeds commercial; I just want all to learn what is in the food they give their pet. Learn the truth, then go with what your instinct and your pet is telling you; what you believe is working best for your pet and your situation. It seems the Delta Society doesn’t feel the same. In a statement dated 5/19/10, the Delta Society states “After careful consideration of all of the known scientific facts, and on the unanimous advice of the Delta Society Medical Advisory Board, made up of internal medicine and public health experts from North America, the board of directors voted to preclude animals eating raw protein foods from participating in Delta Society Pet Partners program. This will be a phased program, with complete compliance structured to be in place by June 30, 2010.” This shocking decision is based on what the Delta Society states are scientific facts. They say “The use of raw animal proteins to promote animal health has not been based on proven or known scientific facts, only anecdotal incidents. On the other hand, it is well known that animals fed raw diets (BARF or other) shed significant amounts of pathogenic bacteria, which studies have indicated may put some people at risk, as compared to pets being fed commercially prepared or cooked, home-made diets.” What they neglect to mention in their senseless babble is there is NO scientific evidence to PROVE that animals fed raw diets are a risk to ANYONE! What they use as an excuse simply has no legs to stand on. Yes, there is evidence of risk to the handling of raw meat; we are all instructed to properly wash our hands when preparing our own food as well as that of our pets. But, again, there is NO scientific evidence to prove that a dog or cat that is being fed raw is a risk or ever has been a risk to anyone. No scientific evidence. The Delta Society mission is as follows: “to help lead the world in advancing human health and well-being through positive interactions with animals. We help people throughout the world become healthier and happier by incorporating therapy, service and companion animals into their lives.” But only if you feed your dog and cat the way the Delta Society wants you to. By the way Delta Society, did your team of experts ever consider that some commercial pet foods contain sick, diseased animals? Did you give a second thought that some commercial pet foods and treats contain ingredients that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act? What about the safety of those foods? What about the ‘pathogenic bacteria’ there? This is absurd. The Delta Society would prefer their ‘pet partners’ consume rendered euthanized animals and harmful chemicals than fresh raw meat. Is the Delta Society Pet Food Police going to inspect the homes of every ‘pet partner’ for strict compliance? What’s next, dogs kicked out of public dog parks because they don’t feed ‘approved foods’? Groomers and Vets refusing clients unless they eat ‘approved foods’? (They’re coming to take us away ha, ha, hey, hey…) Shame on you Delta Society; you have no right to tell any pet owner not to feed their pet a food based on the pet owner's educated decision. This is none of your business. If you’d like to read the Delta Society blunder, visit http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=638 Wishing you and your pet(s) the best, Susan Thixton Truth about Pet Food Petsumer Report http://www.TruthaboutPetFood.com |
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| I can totally see their point. In an oes just think of all the bacteria residing in their fur after eating raw. It doesn't get washed off after every meal, it just sits there and grows and grows and grows. Sure the dogs may have good enough immune systems to deal with it but this program deals with therapy dogs visiting elderly and sometimes ill people, that bacteria could be fatal to them. If bacteria from raw chicken etc was good for people it wouldn't be so important to cook our food properly, not allow contamination from one food to another when cooking etc.... |
| Wow! I am NOT a raw feeder. But I know many are and they are very opinionated. I know some breeders of OES who are reputable breeders and will only give a pup to someone who commits to raw feeding. I can only imagine the uproar this ruling will generate. Personally, my dog was always ill and has a low immune system. I wouldn't think of feeding raw. I think every dog is different and foods that work for one dog may not work for others. Doesn't mean its a bad food. Just means it works for your particular dog. |
| So how does the Delta Society monitor what these dogs eat? |
| I thought for discussion sake I'd post the Delta Society's full policy on raw diets: http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=638 Quote: Raw Protein Diet Policy updated 5.19.2010 Over the past few years, the increasing use of raw protein diets and the health concerns and controversy generated have grown, not only between the public and veterinarians, but often within the veterinary profession itself. After careful consideration of all of the known scientific facts, and on the unanimous advice of the Delta Society Medical Advisory Board, made up of internal medicine and public health experts from North America, the board of directors voted to preclude animals eating raw protein foods from participating in Delta Society Pet Partners program. This will be a phased program, with complete compliance structured to be in place by June 30, 2010. The following are some frequently asked questions and answers. What exactly are the scientific facts? The use of raw animal proteins to promote animal health has not been based on proven or known scientific facts, only anecdotal incidents. On the other hand, it is well known that animals fed raw diets (BARF or other) shed significant amounts of pathogenic bacteria, which studies have indicated may put some people at risk, as compared to pets being fed commercially prepared or cooked, home-made diets. What are the risks of feeding raw protein diets other than shedding… can my pet become ill? While many animals fed raw protein diets appear healthy, some do get ill. Even healthy animals can shed pathogenic bacteria that can affect the human companion team member and others. Certain individuals are at increased risk of disease if they encounter various pathogens, particularly people that are immune-compromised, very young or elderly. This basically describes most of the individuals Delta Society Pet Partners visit: Patients in hospitals, senior centers, nursing facilities, hospice care, rehabilitation facilities, and schools involving young children, among others. How long does my pet have to be off of raw protein foods before re-starting visitations again? Dogs can shed for a variable amount of time. At a minimum a 4 week waiting period before visits are resumed. What if my other pets eat raw protein diets? If a Pet Partner has access to the food or bowl used, it would be best to NOT feed any of the other pets raw meats. Inadvertent eating of raw meat or cross-contamination is very real. Any dog or cat from a household where raw protein food is fed is not eligible to be a Delta Society Pet Partner. What commercial foods are being recommended instead? You can look for a balanced diet from any of the reputable pet-food manufacturer, preferably one labeled in accordance with the Association Of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). You should also consult with your veterinarian. What if my veterinarian is fine with feeding raw protein diets? While your veterinarian may not believe the risk is that great for your pet, Delta Society Pet Partners teams are in contact with many individuals who are at a much higher risk for infections. Since many studies have shown pets fed such diets shed a significantly higher number of pathogenic bacteria, the risk is too great for inadvertent, but avoidable infection. Also, your veterinarian is not assuming legal responsibility for you and your pet, Delta Society is. Are there home-made diets I could use instead of commercially produced brands? Yes there are some available recipes, but the risk of an improperly formulated and balanced diet is real. Some sources to try: i. the University of California, Davis at (530) 752-1393. ii. Similar veterinary nutrition experts can be found on the website of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (AAVN). What was the role of pet food manufacturers in the adoption of the Raw Protein Diet Policy? No pet food manufacturer representatives contacted, encouraged, lobbied, or influenced the Delta Society Medical Advisory Group in recommending to the board that they approve a Raw Protein Diet Policy. Delta Society has always prided itself on having high standards for its Pet Partners program. As board members learned of medical professionals’ concerns about the increased risk of the spread of pathogenic bacteria to humans by animals fed raw protein diets, it was determined that this was an issue that needed review. Based on input from the medical community, the Board of Directors voted to implement this new policy. As many of our Pet Partners visit in hospitals, assisted-living centers, and other places where people’s immune systems are compromised, it was decided that implementing this new policy was the responsible action. For clarification, animals within the Pet Partners program are not required to be fed commercially produced food – the policy states that cooked, home-made diets are also acceptable. If you have any questions or concerns, please email to: rawproteindiet@DeltaSociety.org for the Delta Society Medical Advisory group to address. After reading both sides, I have to say I also understand the reason they came to institute the policy, and appreciate the concern for the people/patients the animals come in contact with, as well as the Delta Society's potential liability if a dog caused a patient harm due to their raw diet. Although, they do not say how they will monitor this. I imagine it's most likely an agreement the owners will have to sign and will probably include accepting liability if it's found their dog passed on bacteria from a raw diet to a patient who became ill. Just my guess though. |
| I can see there point and it makes sense. I feed half and half but things like chicken I cook due to listeria and other heebie geebies found in raw chicken. As stacey said you dont wash the beard or around the mouth after every meal so I could imagine the risk associated to those in nursing homes etc possibly being comprimised as far as what bacteria could be transmitted to those in a delicate state in the homes. |
lisaoes wrote: I can see there point and it makes sense. I feed half and half but things like chicken I cook due to listeria and other heebie geebies found in raw chicken. As stacey said you dont wash the beard or around the mouth after every meal so I could imagine the risk associated to those in nursing homes etc possibly being comprimised as far as what bacteria could be transmitted to those in a delicate state in the homes. No, but you are supposed to bathe the dog before your visits. I feed a bit of a mix, but even if I didn't would I need to keep them out of visits for four weeks after they eat whatever "delicacies" they can find on their own in the back yard or on runs?  I'd be more interested in knowing if there has actually been any documented cases of transmission of pathogens to susceptible humans or if they're just covering their proverbial backsides. If so, fine, people who feed raw are committed (some of them obnoxiously so, as noted  ) and aren't about to switch, so those dogs simply won't do therapy. I'm sure there are plenty of kibble-fed bacteria shedding dogs who will Kristine |
| Even though you are supposed to bath before visits all I did was Guinness's whites. He had his teeth brushed. He has a reg diet of bunny poo and what ever else he sticks his nose in ugh! I think this is just a stupid rule and will knock a lot of good therapy dogs out of the loop but there are always other groups. |
| Diane sent me a copy of the B-Naturals newsletter for June... I tried to find it online but it's not online yet. I think Lew Olson wrote the letter shown here- http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articl ... eding.html If I understand it correctly, they did a study in Canada. Using this information, they have banned raw fed dogs from the Delta therapy program. But if you look at the study's data, it's not that kibble fed dogs don't carry samonella, or MRSA or e-colli or c. diff- http://www.asph.org/vetmed/ppt/lefebvre.ppt Quote: Strategy: Follow dogs over 1 year, test every 2 months Total dogs: 196 Raw feeders (n = 40) * 0 (0%) VRE * 1 (2.5%) MRSA * 5 (12.5%) C. diff * 19 (47.5%) Sal * 31 (77.5%) E. coli Non-raw feeders (n=156) * 1 (0.6%) VRE * 8 (5.1%) MRSA * 40 (25.6%) C. diff * 12 (7.7%) Sal * 32 (20.1%) E. coli Why aren't they concerned about these other things? I remember when my nephew underwent a bone marrow transplant, c. diff was one thing that could have been life threatening had he gotten it. Read what Mayo Clinic says about c. diff  Note that raw fed dogs had 12.5% carriers and kibble fed 25.6%.  Quote: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/ds00736 Clostridium difficile, often called C. difficile or "C. diff," is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Illness from C. difficile most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long term care facilities and typically occurs after use of antibiotic medications. And MRSA was as a 2x higher. I'm not a raw feeder... tried it and it didn't help. I felt I needed to wash big boy's face after every meal and while his beard was beautifully white  , it was a pain. (Though I'd be washing his face had his skin cleared up ) I would have to choose my dog's well being over bringing joy to nursing home folks  |
| Oh, I just had a conversation about this at the dog show this weekend. I am not in Delta (in TDI, Inc.), nor do I feed raw. However, my great dane friend Kristen (who I have mentioned in some of the raw feeding threads we have had here) does. She has her Bogart - her harlequin dane - as a therapy dog w/ Delta, and she feeds both of her boys 100% raw. We were chatting between our classes this weekend, and she brought up the new Delta policy in conversation. She is quite upset. Their dogs are doing great on raw - in fact the health issues Bogart had before raw are gone. They both love doing visits, and can't believe they may have to give it up. She also was noting the inconclusive health data and potential for harming anyone. Her dogs are danes - they have tiny hair and their muzzle area barely has hair at all. Super easy to clean. She does all their oral care - and like most raw feeders they don't need hardly any scalling and scraping of teeth - no tartar buildup. She also noted Delta has no way of verifying or policing the policy as well. And as mentioned - can ALL dog owners verify their dogs don't ever eat or chew anything dead or gross, don't eat poop, and all that? Should be interesting to follow this one.  |
| I wanted to put Laika in Therapy dog few years back and was told because she eats raw no go. |
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