Possible RAW food alert-BARFERS beware

[Spurby]

I don't feed raw, except for bones..so i have no idea if this is common knowledge for raw feeders? Or something new? Just thought i would pass this along, and perhaps get some raw feeders opinions on this?


THIS IS A CROSSPOST
------------------------------------------------------------

Have any of you heard of neosporosis canineum??????
>
> Well, up to this week I had not, but I do know alot about this
now.
> UNFORTUNATLY.
> Last saturday we were having a barbeque and invited just a small
group of
> local friends.. Stephen and I went shopping to Tesco early in the
week, and
> as I am now disabled and walk with a stick, I suggested that we
purchased
> some of the meat for the barby, for that weekend....... as I cant
go
> shopping on my own ( thats why you dont see me at shows these days)
> basically killing two birds with one stone. We purchased many
items, but
> amongst them were two large packets of lean minced steak, that I
intended to
> make my own burgers from... as they were large packs, and on
arrival home,
> did not know what to do for tea, so suggested spaghetti
bolognaise....... I
> took about one third of the mince from one of these packets and put
it in a
> pan...... all of the rest of the meat was then frozen for the
weekend. My
> boxer then came into the kitchen and as I had not starting cooking
then, I
> removed some of the mince and gave it to her......mmmmmmmm she
loved it.
> Then stephen called her, and her mother and fed the dogs , whilst I
prepared
> the spag bol.
>
> This was tuesday evening last week... then came friday and Cilla
was
> starting to act strange. Hanging her head to one side, and slightly
falling
> as if she was drunk. Saturday she seemed to stabalise and I thought
a little
> better, and thinking she had an inner ear infection started her on
a course
> of synulox 250 mg tablets three times daily, as the vet would. By
monday she
> was worse so was rushed to the vets........ I was so upset, I could
not
> rememeber half of what he said but he did say he was doing one
particular
> test that had to be sent away. In either case, if it did come back
possitive
> for neospora he would start her on the antibitics there and then,
and he
> said the synulox I had given was good.
>
> She was a little better on tues evening so was allowed home.
still hanging
> her head to one side, and walking in circles and then falling over.
We
> continued with the drugs, then, wednesday came and my vet rang to
say the
> tests results were possitive. She was infected with neospora. We
then racked
> our brains how she could get this awfull desease.....not virus!
apparantly
> very few cases are reported, because it is masked by so many
symptoms...
>
> Neospora is a parasite that is ingested from contaminted meat,
that is
> fresh, and from the consumption it only takes 1-3 days for the
parasite to
> attack the brain, then work its way down the spinal cord, and
infect all the
> major organs and mussles.......leaving the dog paralised and
blind..... At
> 9.30 yesterday morning I had to have my beautifull Cilla
eathanaised, to
> save further suffering.
>
> On reserching this, on the internet, it mostly appears in cattle
heards
> and clinicle tests have been carried out at liverpool university,
and
> sweden, and the USA. It is usually more common in costa rica, south
america,
> but is gradually showing up everywhere. Very few cases were
reported last
> yr. the syptoms rang from a weekeness and paralysis of the
forlimbs,
> drunken type behaviour, altered behavier, blindness, head tilt, head
> nodding, tremors, seizures,sudden death due to heart inflamation,
pheumonia,
> skin abnormalities. Frightening isnt it?
>
> It can only be ingested fron fresh meat, as freezing the meat
will kill
> the spors.... cooked meat will kill the spors. As we eat very
little meat
> ourselves, and never feed fresh uncooked meat to our dogs , I can
definatly
> say that it was the fresh lean mince steak from tesco, that is the
cause.
>
> Neospora can not use humans as a host so if ingested the stomach
will
> kill the spores, so dont worry there........ it only affects,
cattle, pigs,
> sheep, goats, but has now moved to dogs, and research on the
internet
> suggests ALL dog breeders be aware of this parasite. From the onset
of
> ingesting the spores, my dog was dead within 8 1/2 days....... She
was my
> constant house companion, and our hearts have been ripped apart.
How many of
> you, when in the kitchen, preparing the evening meal, give some
fresh meat
> to your dog... Please look it all up, its frightening to think
that this is
> in the human food chain. Apparantly only one animal is inspected
from each
> heard to be slaughtered, but thats this counrty. A lot of meat now
comes
> from other countries..... if in doubt, still buy the meat, but
FREEZE it
> before you intend using it for at least 24 hrs.
>
> Cilla was 16 months and four days old, when she died.
> I will of course, be informing DEFRA , and advising our local
tesco store,
> but on an advisory capacity only!
> Anne H

[barbponys]

I'm so sorry to hear about your little girl. That's amazingly rotten luck. My heart goes out to you.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are in the habit of freezing our food prior to the dogs getting it. We usually get a weeks supply at a time.

[jmann4]

Sad to hear about this. But that doesn't mean Barf or Raw is dangerous. I would be a good idea to freeze meat anyway.

[Spurby]

Barbponys, this is a crosspost, sorry for the confusion!

[SuperNova]

Wow that does sound scary. Poor thing .. only 16mo old. I will remember to FREEZE and more than likely cook meat for a while before feeding it to my dogs

[pitbulliest]

I'm not for raw food anyways...I've heard my share of horror stories to even take the risk no matter how careful I know I would be... cooking all the way I say