Feeding Raw Foods - The Real Risks
We are seeing an increasing tendency for clients, particularly breeders, to advise feeding of raw foods to their pets. We suspect that this follows a media campaign waged against commercially produced pet diets.
We would strongly advise against the feeding of any raw animal products to your pets - the risks to both you and your pet are simply too great.
Raw meat can carry infections such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and Toxoplasma to name but a few. Many of these diseases are also zoonoses (i.e. they are transmissible to humans - YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!)
We regularly see cases of Campylobacter, especially in puppies which have been fed raw tripe. We have also had several incidents where owners have contracted the same disease - in one particular case the owner contracted Salmonella AND Campylobacter - TWICE! Her puppy needed specialist treatment at the Royal Veterinary College costing over £1000. Fortunately both owner and puppy made a full recovery.
- You have been warned!
Vaccination - The True Picture
There has been a good deal of media contrived debate over the safety of routine annual vaccinations. Much of this debate has been generated by very small numbers of anecdotal accounts of serious adverse drug reactions.
As vets, our primary mission is to improve and maintain the health and welfare of animals under our care. To this end it is our job to weigh up the pros and cons of any treatment and then make our recommendations as to what we feel is in the best interests of our patients.
- WE STILL RECOMMEND THE ROUTINE ANNUAL VACCINATION OF DOGS for the following reasons.
Firstly, we accept that, as with human vaccinations, there will be a very small number of adverse reactions. However, the risks of catching the diseases which we are vaccinating against still far outweigh the very small risk from vaccination.
This situation was very clearly brought home to us a while ago when a puppy was presented to us with what turned out to be infectious hepatitis. It was the sole survivor of 13 puppies from 2 litters bred by a breeder who had failed to vaccinate the mother. Fortunately, our puppy went on to make a good recovery.
While we may not see too much distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis and infectious hepatitis around these days, rest assured, as the above case shows, these diseases are still around and if your pet is not vaccinated, you are risking their lives.
In the longer term, the more people who fail to get their pets vaccinated, and keep them up to date, the more likely we are to start seeing outbreaks of these terrible diseases again.
If you would like more information on the true picture about vaccination, please contact the Clinic for an information sheet.
