Do you feed your dogs raw meat? Vets are making no bones about its dangers — Here’s why

Researchers at the University of Bristol found that feeding raw meat to dogs increases the likelihood that they may excrete E Coli strains resistant to the popular antibiotic ciprofloxacin. 

The study involved 600 healthy companion dogs. In addition to causing food poisoning, E Coli is the leading cause of potentially fatal bloodstream and urinary tract infections in the UK according to SciTech Daily.

Ciprofloxacin is a member of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic class, which is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections in both humans and animals. 

These antibiotics are ranked among the most vitally important and high-priority antibiotics by the World Health Organisation.

The investigation, which was published in One Health, examined 600 healthy pet dogs’ intestines for the presence of ciprofloxacin-resistant E coli. The owners of the dogs were asked to fill up a survey containing information about their dog, its nutrition, the areas it walked in, and whether or not it had received antibiotic treatment.

Combining the survey data with the microbiological data allowed for statistical analysis that demonstrated that the only significant risk factor linked to the excretion of these resistant bacteria in the dog’s faeces was feeding raw meat to the dog. 

This study bolsters the findings of other published research showing links between dogs fed raw meat and E coli that are resistant to excretion.