Hello, long-time lurker here. First time poster.
I've recently switched veterinarians (our former doc closed her practice and retired), and have taken my two boys in for an appointment. In the course of our visit, the veterinarian asked me what my cats eat.
I've been feeding commercial raw for nearly a year now. I thought I had heard of and read about all of the potential concerns in feeding raw food. The vet's only concern was salmonella... And not for the cats, for me. He said he's not worried that the cats will be adversely affected by any potential for salmonella because their systems can handle it. BUT he said that over time, they can actually begin to EXCRETE salmonella out of their pores through their fur (?!!), which can then be passed on to my spouse or I when we pet or play with them, thereby potentially afflicting the owner with salmonella poisoning.
I have never heard of or read about this particular concern in feeding raw before he said this, and I've got to admit...it caught me off guard. Has anyone ever heard of this happening, or heard of it as a veterinary concern? My former vet never said anything about it, and I've been feeding them raw for almost a year without incident. Then again, he said it's more of a long term ("over time") concern... So I just don't know.
Is this a concern for anyone who feeds raw? Should I be worried about this?
Any thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance.
I've recently switched veterinarians (our former doc closed her practice and retired), and have taken my two boys in for an appointment. In the course of our visit, the veterinarian asked me what my cats eat.
I've been feeding commercial raw for nearly a year now. I thought I had heard of and read about all of the potential concerns in feeding raw food. The vet's only concern was salmonella... And not for the cats, for me. He said he's not worried that the cats will be adversely affected by any potential for salmonella because their systems can handle it. BUT he said that over time, they can actually begin to EXCRETE salmonella out of their pores through their fur (?!!), which can then be passed on to my spouse or I when we pet or play with them, thereby potentially afflicting the owner with salmonella poisoning.
I have never heard of or read about this particular concern in feeding raw before he said this, and I've got to admit...it caught me off guard. Has anyone ever heard of this happening, or heard of it as a veterinary concern? My former vet never said anything about it, and I've been feeding them raw for almost a year without incident. Then again, he said it's more of a long term ("over time") concern... So I just don't know.
Is this a concern for anyone who feeds raw? Should I be worried about this?
Any thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance.