Study: Raw Pet Foods Pose Health Risks for Animals and Humans
A new study by Utrecht University in the Netherlands and published in Veterinary Record— a British scholarly journal—says that raw pet foods (available in fresh, frozen and dried varieties) can be contaminated with a plethora of pathogens—Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella. The raw meat in these pet foods are a danger not only to animals but human health is at stake as well.
The human health risk is made possible during the act of touching or handling raw pet food, or even when petting animals who consume raw foods. The pathogens can also be spread when a human is licked by a pet.