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I wasn't going to respond to this topic because I read a rebuttal yesterday. And then this morning I received an email that showed that this “study” has grown legs and is running all over the Internet and it made me wonder why no one outside of the fresh food community is taking the time to ask questions about this claim.

Article About Raw Chicken and Paralysis in Dogs

• Raw Chicken Linked to Paralysis in Dogs

“Study” About Raw Chicken and Paralysis in Dogs

• Investigation of the Role of Campylobacter Infection in Suspected Acute Polyradiculoneuritis in Dogs

Rebuttals to the “Study” about Raw Chicken and Paralysis in Dogs

• Rebuttal to article: Raw Chicken Linked To Paralysis in Dogs, The Whole Dog
• Rebuttal to ‘Raw Chicken Linked to Paralysis in Dogs', HolisticPetCare.com
• Raw Chicken Linked to Paralysis in Dogs? A Closer Look, The Raw Feeding Community

My Thoughts on Raw Chicken and Paralysis in Dogs

You may wonder why I'm not freaking out – well, it's because I've played the panic game for years and I'm over it.  I'm not into conspiracy theories, so you won't see me accusing Purina or Mars Petcare of funding this “study” to discredit the raw feeding community.  And you won't see me in a panic because I could have killed my dogs with raw chicken.

Instead, I decided to sit back and watch the story unfold.

First Ask Questions!

Whenever new stories like this come out, I have a lot of questions.  Most go unanswered and I'm okay with that; asking questions is important because not only will I learn something, it also prevents the panic I often see when someone reads one thing and fails to follow up with their own research.

1. Is a study with less than 100 dogs sufficient?  74 dogs were used in the study.
2. Is it acceptable to include the staff's dogs in the study?  Isn't this a conflict of interest?
3. Why didn't they test the stool of all the dogs in the study?
4. Where did they get the raw chicken? What were the chickens fed?  How were the chickens raised?  Could diet or chemicals pumped into the chicken lead to paralysis in the dogs?
5. Is this an issue isolated to Australia?  Is there something about the dog population in that country that makes them more susceptible to paralysis after eating raw chicken?
6. Is the pathogen Campylobacter that is believed to cause the paralysis susceptible to freezing?  Most raw feeders freeze their food?
7. Were the dogs in the study healthy prior to being fed raw chicken?  What else were they fed?  Where they on any other supplements or medication?
8. What about the gut flora in the dogs?  Dogs have a digestive system that can tolerate the bacteria in raw meat, what is it about the dogs that became paralyzed that made the bacteria too much?
9. How many dogs in the US have become paralyzed after eating a raw diet?
10. Is this breed specific or predominantly seen in one breed?  The references mention Coonhounds several times.

And that's just the start.

Speak with Your Veterinarian

After asking my questions, I wait.  People have become fantastic at responding to these “studies” promptly.  So wait for the rebuttals and speak with your veterinarian.

I don't feed my dogs chicken because all of my dogs have an intolerance to that protein.  I find it interesting that the study doesn't cover all raw meat, only chicken, which is the most affordable protein for people to feed to their dogs and is often the protein people transition their dogs too when switching from kibble to raw.

Starting to get suspicious.

Alternatives to Chicken

Of course, if you want to go the “better safe than sorry” route, there are several alternatives to chicken.  If a dog has a chicken intolerance, sometimes all poultry is off the menu and sometimes only a few are off the menu.

• turkey*
• duck
• pheasant*
• guinea hen*
• quail

The proteins with the * are ones Rodrigo and Scout cannot eat.  I source 99% of my dogs' food from a local raw food co-op and it's important to know that some dogs with a poultry intolerance do well on Answers Pet Food because their food is fermented (the meat too).