Giardia from raw food??

[Talien]

We get it sealed in plastic, but not frozen. So it should not contain any parasites I don't think?

This may not be the source of the giardia, but grocery store meat is BAD to feed raw because it sits out for extended periods of time. Sealed does not mean sterile, there's no way of knowing how long it sat out and any bacteria it picked up will be sealed in there with it to grow and spread. It's not an issue for us because we cook it before eating, but feeding it raw to a pet is a risk.

If you want to prepare your own raw food you'd be better off going to an actual meat market or butcher where it is processed on site and source your meat fresh even if it costs more. When you get it home wash it off, make a batch and separate it into daily portions, then put it in the freezer and only thaw out enough for a day at a time. Surface cooking wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[Rooker]

What test did they use? If the infection wasn’t active at the time and he didn’t shed any cysts, some fecal tests wouldn’t pick it up.

I don't know what tests they used, I am not a vet. All I can say is they tested him three times since he was a kitten and all came negative. He definitely didn't get the giardia from the shelter because he was tested multiple times a year after we adopted him and his tests always came negative.

 

[Rooker]

I am a firm believer that raw food is the best diet for most cats, but I don't think there's anything wrong with a canned food diet either for people uncomfortable feeding raw, as long as it's quality food. All you can do is what you think is best for your cat though, even if others have different opinions.

As a side note, you can also try cooked food. This may be more work than you'd like to put in, but I would say cooked food is next best to raw. While I don't agree with all of your vet's opinions on raw food per say, I can't imagine they would object to cooked food so long as it's supplemented. My cat Morty recently had some medical issues so I'm feeding him cooked pork (supplemented and blended in a food processor) and it's been going pretty well. Saves us a lot of money compared to canned too.

Yeah I was thinking cooking the meat would be another option. Perhaps I could boil the chicken and then grind it all up including the bones? I would have to look up a new recipe for that.
I liked the idea of feeding raw food because I thought it was more natural for the cat. And also cheaper than buying canned food. But if I have to go to a butcher and put even more effort into it than I have been putting then I don't think it's as cheap as I thought either, if not more expensive than the canned food. My time is money too...

 

[Rooker]

This may not be the source of the giardia, but grocery store meat is BAD to feed raw because it sits out for extended periods of time. Sealed does not mean sterile, there's no way of knowing how long it sat out and any bacteria it picked up will be sealed in there with it to grow and spread. It's not an issue for us because we cook it before eating, but feeding it raw to a pet is a risk.

If you want to prepare your own raw food you'd be better off going to an actual meat market or butcher where it is processed on site and source your meat fresh even if it costs more. When you get it home wash it off, make a batch and separate it into daily portions, then put it in the freezer and only thaw out enough for a day at a time. Surface cooking wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Yes, going to a meat market makes this much more expensive. And then my time spent on it is another thing. I was already putting 3 hours into making the raw food, without cooking it and taking any other additional steps. Just to find out that to make the product completely healthy and consumable, I need to put even more time and effort... which probably won't save me money any more and will be more of a hassle to make than not...

 

[Beholder]

Yeah I was thinking cooking the meat would be another option. Perhaps I could boil the chicken and then grind it all up including the bones? I would have to look up a new recipe for that.
I liked the idea of feeding raw food because I thought it was more natural for the cat. And also cheaper than buying canned food. But if I have to go to a butcher and put even more effort into it than I have been putting then I don't think it's as cheap as I thought either, if not more expensive than the canned food. My time is money too...

I understand. I don't like to go to a butcher either, so I order in online in bulk from hare-today. Shipping is a lot, but I have a huge freezer so I order 55 pounds at a time and it saves a lot of money. Depending on the meat anywhere from 1.00 (chicken) to 3.00 (rabbit, venison, etc.) a day per cat, and this price includes shipping and supplementation. They also have frozen chubs of bone/organ/meat as well that you just have to thaw and add supplements to, although obviously you can't cook them with the bone.

If you do choose to grind the bones separately, do not cook them. I'm sure you know but cooked bones (even ground) can be harmful for cats. Have you thought of just emitting the bones? If you use eggshell calcium this really isn't a problem. I personally buy Alnutrin supplements with eggshell for no-bone and it has all the nutrients necessary with the exception of fish oil. It makes it really easy for me. I could probably save more if I purchased each individual supplement, but by my math it wouldn't be substantial. If you do go down the cooked meat route then it's also perfectly fine to use grocery store ground meat so long as you cook it completely (or to the same levels of human consumption). Just remember to supplement after cooking, not before.

 

[Beholder]

Yes, going to a meat market makes this much more expensive. And then my time spent on it is another thing. I was already putting 3 hours into making the raw food, without cooking it and taking any other additional steps. Just to find out that to make the product completely healthy and consumable, I need to put even more time and effort... which probably won't save me money any more and will be more of a hassle to make than not...

Oh wow! Three hours a day? What makes it take so long, if you don't mind me asking? That seems like an awfully long time. When I get my shipment in and it thaws I spend a day putting them into smaller containers (about 1/2 pound in each) and mixing in heart and liver and then I'm set for a few months. Cooking it and supplementation/blending only takes me like 20 min every other day.