Raw meat-based diets — risk assessment

WSAVA guideline

Key findings

• GNC position: "no evidence that raw meat-based diets provide health benefits over commercial or balanced homemade cooked diets"; "natural"/"evolutionary correct" claims "not backed by science" [RMBD 2020; FAQ 2018].
• Bacteria: raw meat can harbour E. coli, Salmonella spp, Yersinia, Campylobacter spp, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium bovis; food-borne infection "can be serious and even fatal" for pets and people [RMBD 2020].
• Zoonosis: infection via handling the food or the pet's stools; higher risk: "small children, pregnant people, the elderly and individuals with illnesses or on certain medications" — even if not actively feeding the pet [RMBD 2020].
• Antimicrobial resistance: some bacteria in raw products are antibiotic-resistant; raw feeding is associated with fecal antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in dogs [RMBD 2020].
• Shedding: raw-fed pets "may carry and shed pathogenic bacteria" — risk to other clinic patients; GL2011: shedding persists "for a prolonged period after ingestion of contaminated raw meat, even if not showing clinical signs"; dogs spread parasites to farm animals. No numeric shedding percentages printed (refs: Finley 2007; Weese 2006) [RMBD 2020; GL2011 p.6].
• Processing does not sanitize: "freezing, dehydration or freeze-drying do not kill all bacteria in food" [RMBD 2020].
• Nutritional imbalance: home-prepared cooked AND raw diets "may have important nutrient deficiencies and excesses"; worst in puppies/kittens — painful skeletal disorders and pathological fractures; high-fat/low-fibre diets may cause diarrhoea or pancreatitis. Ca:P, vitamins A/D, thiamine are NOT enumerated locally [verify] — wording generic [RMBD 2020].
• Bones: broken teeth, intestinal/oesophageal obstruction, constipation; feeding bones "does not reduce the risk of plaque or tooth loss due to periodontitis" (teeth may look cleaner; no gum-disease difference) [RMBD 2020; FAQ 2018].
• Parasites: Toxoplasma can infect humans; pregnant people at especially greater risk — toxoplasmosis can affect the fetus [RMBD 2020].
• Hygiene limits: "even with proper food preparation and handling of stools, the risk of bacterial contamination and infection of both pets and humans in the household is a real risk"; hygiene + stool disposal remain essential if raw is fed [FAQ 2018].
• Hospital relevance: evaluate "the risk to hospital staff and other hospitalized animals" for raw-fed inpatients; know who eats RMBD — such diets "may lead to health issues or contribute to clinical signs of disease" [GL2011 p.6; RMBD 2020].
• Evidence cited: Davies 2019 (JSAP); Freeman 2013 (JAVMA); Nemser 2014; Schlesinger & Joffe 2011; Van Bree 2018.

Recommendations

• No health-benefit claims for RMBD over commercial or balanced homemade cooked diets

  GNC statement 2020 (evidence-based)

• Counsel against raw feeding; no raw products in households with children, elderly, pregnant or immunocompromised members

  GNC/FAQ ("should not feed any raw meat products")

• Less-processed preference: QC-compliant, ideally feeding-tested commercial product (or nutritionist-formulated balanced cooked homemade diet)

  Expert consensus (GNC FAQ)

• Freezing, dehydration or freeze-drying do not make raw food safe

  GNC statement 2020

• Discourage bones: dental fracture, obstruction, constipation; no periodontitis benefit

  GNC statement 2020

• Identify raw-fed patients every visit (unconventional diet = Table 1 screening risk factor → extended evaluation)

  Guideline 2011 (Table 1)

• Hospitalized raw-fed patients: evaluate risk to staff and other patients

  Guideline 2011 (p.6)

• If raw fed anyway: strict hygiene + stool disposal; residual zoonotic risk remains

  Expert consensus (GNC)

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