Feeding your dog may seem simple, but hidden risks could be lurking in their bowl. A recent FDA study has raised concerns about grain-free diets and poor feeding hygiene, linking them to serious canine heart issues and potential health hazards for owners. From unwashed dishes to raw food contamination, even small mistakes in handling pet meals can have significant consequences for both dogs and humans.
A common mistake in cleaning the dog bowl could make you, as well as your pet, sick.
The FDA states that this poses significant health risks to pets and their owners, as it creates an environment where harmful bacteria, such as Salmonella and Listeria, can thrive.
Salmonella and Listeria can cause diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramps, pain, and nausea in humans. Symptoms are more severe in pregnant women, children, adults over 65, and people with a weakened immune system.
More bad habits of dog owners regarding food storage and preparation: 43 per cent stored dog food within 1.5 metres of human nutrition, 34 per cent washed their hands after feeding, and 33 per cent prepared dog food on preparation surfaces intended for human use.
The study found that most dog owners were unaware of and did not follow FDA guidelines for handling and storing pet food. The response to individual recommendations varied; however, handling practices related to hygiene (hand washing, bowls and utensils) showed overall low levels of compliance.
Furthermore, human studies on self-reported handwashing have shown an overestimation of hygiene practices; similar forces, including the effects of social desirability bias, may also be expected in this study. Exposure to contaminated dog food can affect dog and human health.
For example, there have been multiple outbreaks of humans and dogs becoming ill after exposure to dog food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. These risks may be amplified in households with children and immunocompromised individuals, in more than one-third of the respondents’ homes.
The FDA has established guidelines for dog owners to follow.
The FDA has established guidelines that owners must follow to reduce the risk of developing an illness from contaminated pet food and treats.
Tips for Buying Pet Food
- Buy pet food products (cans, pouches, or bags) in good condition. Check the packaging for visible signs of damage, such as dents, tears, and discolourations.
Knowledge of Preparing Pet Food
- Before handling your pet’s food, always wash your hands for at least 20 seconds; after taking the food or kibble you have just finished, rewash your hands for another 20 seconds.
- After each use, wash pet food bowls and scooping utensils with soap and hot water.
- Do not use your pet’s food bowl as a scooping utensil. Instead, use a clean scoop, spoon, or cup. Use the scooping utensil only for scooping pet food.
- For example, you can safely throw out old or spoiled pet food by placing it in a securely tied plastic bag in a covered trash can.
Suggestions for Storing Pet Food
- Promptly refrigerate or throw out unused or leftover canned and pouch pet food. Tightly cover refrigerated pet food. Set your refrigerator to 40°F or below.
- Dry pet food should be stored in a cool, dry place at a temperature of 80°F or lower. Excess heat or moisture can cause the nutrients to break down.
- Store dry pet food in its original bag and keep the top of the bag tightly folded down.
- Keep pet food stored securely to prevent your pet from consuming the entire supply at once.
- Proper storage of pet food and treats maintains the nutritional value of the products and keeps essential information readily available in case of any issues.
Proper storage also prevents your pet from ingesting its food and overeating, as well as from consuming your cat’s exceptional diet food.
Overeating or ingesting food intended for another pet can cause health problems, such as vomiting, diarrhoea, or more severe illnesses; these are everyday bad habits among most dog owners.
Raw food diets for pets can be dangerous for you and your pet
In a two-year study from October 2010 to July 2012, the FDA’s Centre for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) examined more than 1,000 pet food samples for bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. (The diseases are called ‘foodborne’ because the bacteria are carried or transmitted in or on contaminated food).
The study showed that raw pet food was more likely to be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria than other foods tested. Did not include raw pet food in the first year of the study. In the second year, CVM expanded the study to include 196 samples of commercially available natural dog and cat food.
The centre purchased various raw pet foods online from different manufacturers. Then, it shipped the products directly to six participating laboratories. 2 The natural pet food products were generally frozen in tube-shaped packages and made from minced meat or sausage. Participating laboratories analysed raw animal food for harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
In past projects, CVM monitored dog and cat food for the presence of Salmonella. But before this study, the centre “had not studied the presence of Listeria in pet food,” said Renate Reimschuessel, a veterinarian at CVM’s Office of Research and one of the study’s principal investigators.
Dr Reimschuessel also noted that “a rather high percentage of the raw pet food we tested was positive for the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.” (Pathogens are pathogenic germs, such as some bacteria. However, not all bacteria are harmful pathogens.
Some bacteria benefit people and animals, such as those that live in the gut and contribute to a healthy heart.
The study on pet food
Dei 196 campioni di alimenti crudi per animali da compagnia analizzati, 15 erano positivi per Salmonella e 32 erano positivi per L. monocytogenes (vedi Tabella 1).
| Type of Pet Food Sample | No. samples tested | No. Positive for Salmonella | No. positive for L. monocytogenes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw pet food | 196 | 15 | 32 |
| Dry exotic pet food* | 190 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerky-type treats† | 190 | 0 | 0 |
| Semi-moist dog food‡ | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| Semi-moist cat food‡ | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry dog food§ | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry cat food§ | 120 | 1 | 0 |
| * Non-cat and non-dog food, such as dry pellets for hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, amphibians, and birds. † Included jerky chicken products, pig ears, and bully stick-type products. ‡ Typically packaged in pouches for retail sales, such as (1) pouched dog and cat food, and (2) food treats shaped like bacon, fish, pork chops, and burgers. § Included pellet- or kibble-type food typically packaged in bags for retail sale. Note: Canned pet food samples were not tested in this study. |
CVM is concerned about the public health risks associated with raw pet food diets, as indicated by the study results. Dr Reimschuessel explained that the study “identified a potential health risk for pets eating the raw food and for owners handling the product”.
Owners who feed their pets a raw diet may be more likely to be infected with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes; try to eliminate these bad habits that most dog owners commit.
Valuable tips for preventing foodborne diseases from raw pet food
If you feed your pet raw food, remember that you can infect yourself with Salmonella or L. monocytogenes by spreading the bacteria from the contaminated food to your mouth.
For example, you could accidentally ingest the bacteria by touching your mouth while preparing raw food or after handling a contaminated utensil. Additionally, if you come into contact with Salmonella or L. monocytogenes on your hands or clothes, you can spread the bacteria to other people, objects, and surfaces.
Bad habits among dog owners. Here are some tips for preventing infection with Salmonella and L. monocytogenes:
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water (for at least 20 seconds) after handling raw pet food and touching surfaces or objects that have come into contact with raw food. Potentially contaminated surfaces include countertops, the inside of refrigerators, microwave ovens, and kitchen utensils, as well as bowls and cutting boards.
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces and objects that come into contact with raw pet food. Wash first with warm, soapy water and then with a disinfectant. An effective disinfectant is a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach in 1 litre (4 cups) of water. For a larger supply of the disinfectant solution, add ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon (16 cups) of water. You can also run items through the dishwasher to clean and disinfect them after each use.
Eating habits of a dog. What is the Difference between Cleaning and Disinfecting
Cleaning removes germs (like bacteria) and dirt from surfaces and objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs and dirt. This process doesn’t necessarily kill germs, but cleaning lowers the number of germs and the risk of spreading infection by removing them.
Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces and objects, and disinfecting uses chemicals, such as bleach, to kill germs. This process doesn’t necessarily clean dirty surfaces and objects or remove germs, but disinfecting can lower the risk of spreading infection by killing germs after cleaning.
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Freeze raw meat and poultry products until you are ready to use them, and thaw them in your refrigerator or microwave, not on your countertop or in your sink.
- Handle raw and frozen meat and poultry products carefully. Don’t rinse raw meat, poultry, fish, and seafood. Bacteria in the natural juices can splash and spread to other food and surfaces.
- Keep raw food separate from other food.
- Immediately cover and refrigerate any food your pet doesn’t eat, or dispose of the leftovers safely.
- If you’re using raw ingredients to make your cooked pet food, cook all food to a proper internal temperature as measured by a food thermometer. Thorough cooking kills Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and other harmful foodborne bacteria.
- It is especially important not to kiss an animal around the mouth or let it lick your face after it has just finished eating raw food.
- Thoroughly wash your hands after touching or being licked by your pet. If your pet gives you a “kiss,” wash your face.
Survey evaluation of dog owners’ feeding practices and dog bowls’ hygiene assessment in domestic settings
Table 1. FDA pet food handling recommendation and owner-reported compliance.
| FDA Pet Food Handling Recommendation | Owner Reported Compliance |
| Inspect for visible damage 86% | 86% |
| Wash your hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds before handling | 22% |
| Do not use the bowl as a scooping utensil | 91% |
| Wash the pet food dish with soap and hot water after each use | 50% washed with hot/water or dishwasher ———————————— 12% washed at least once daily |
| Wash the scoop/utensil with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds after each use | 13% |
| Wash your hands with soap and hot water after handling | 38% |
| Store food in the original bag | 30% (including those who put the whole bag into larger container) |
| Tightly cover leftover food | 81% (dry food) ———————————– 57% (canned food) |
| Discarding food in a way that pets cannot access | 96% |
| Do not feed raw food | 97% |
Table 2. Additional survey questions.
| Additional Survey Questions | Owner Response |
| Where do you typically prepare your dog’s food? | On a surface used for human food preparation (32%) ———————————– Not on a surface used for human food preparation, but in the same room (39%) ———————————– in a different room from where human food is prepared (29%) |
| Where do you typically prepare your dog’s food? | Yes, it is washed with human dishes (43%) ———————————– Yes, although it is washed separately from human dishes (49%) ———————————- No, it is washed in a different sink/dishwasher than used for human dishes (8%) |
| Where do you typically keep your dog's food dish? | Indoors (96%) ———————————- Outdoors (4%) |
| When you wash your pet’s food dish, do you use the same sink/dishwasher as the ones used for human dishes? | The pet food label (41%) ———————————- Your veterinarian (28%) ———————————- Place of purchase (11%) ———————————- FDA (8%) ———————————- USDA (6%) ———————————- Other (6%, most common fill-in answer: internet searches |
Fig 1
Food type used in an average 24-hour period.
Comparison of food type among all survey respondents and respondents of those participating in the APC assessment.
Fig 2
Comparison of bowl type among all survey respondents and respondents of those participating in the APC assessment.
Fig 3
Comparison of the total aerobic plate counts in the studied dog bowls before and after hygiene treatment.
APC is based on colony-forming units (CFUs) per cm² of the studied bowls, both before and after hygiene treatment. Superscripts that differ within a group indicate significant differences (p<0.05). However, similar superscripts across groups indicate no significant difference (p≥0.05).
Insight: Survey evaluation of dog owners’ feeding practices and dog bowls’ hygiene assessment in domestic settings.
Resources for You
Regardless of the pet food you give your pet, you should always follow these instructions for safe handling.
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