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When my partner and I became dog parents, we agreed that I would take the lead with the dogs (diet, veterinarian, training, etc.), and he took the lead with the house and yard. He didn't anticipate that I'd switch the dogs to raw, and despite the compromise we've managed, my Johan still has concerns about the increased bacteria that comes with feeding raw dog food.
It doesn't matter that raw is species appropriate. It doesn't matter that we drag bacteria into our home on the soles of our shoes. It doesn't matter that I clean the kitchen after meal prep. I'm convinced that all my partner sees is bacteria crawling over every surface in the house.
Despite his continued misgivings, he supports me in feeding our pets a raw diet, and I created a cleaning routine that keeps him from fearing a household outbreak of E-coli.
Naturally Cleaning Countertops
I cleaned the countertops with a bleach/water mixture when I started feeding raw. I use a water and white vinegar mixture (50/50) with citrus essential oils to clean all countertops. Johan isn't a fan of the vinegar smell, so I clean when he's not in the room.
I clean the countertops after feeding the dogs and after meal prep.
Naturally Cleaning Floors
We have hardwood and tile flooring in our house that we clean every other day. I use the water and white vinegar mixture to clean our floors too. Sometimes, I use an essential oil by Plant Therapy called Germ Fighter. It's similar to Thieves, an oil I loved produced by Young Living. Germ Fighter is a pet-safe essential oil that leaves the house smelling amazing.
Naturally Cleaning Dog Dishes
My dogs eat from pasta bowls. Pasta dishes are a combination of a plate and bowl; they are flat with a lip around the edge. I made this change when Sydney was diagnosed with cancer. She was turned off when she went to eat her food, so I started using a pasta dish, wondering if it would keep her from being overwhelmed. It worked, and I traded all of our dog dishes for pasta dishes. They fit perfectly in their Neater Feeder raised dog dishes.
I wash my dogs' dishes using water and white vinegar daily, allowing them to air dry. I run the dishes through the dishwasher weekly.
How I Feed Raw Without Getting Sick
Despite the history of raw feeding and the tens of thousands of dogs thriving on a fresh food diet, people are still warning us to be careful because of the “risk” of contracting a food bourne illness. Before I share how I've been able to feed raw for nearly ten years without getting sick, let's address why I'm comfortable feeding my dogs a raw food diet.
A dog's gut is highly acidic to help break down their high-protein diet; this creates a hostile environment that isn't suitable for salmonella, E-coli, listeria, and other bacteria. And a dog's digestive system processed food quickly, not allowing bacteria to set up camp and proliferate.
But the stool of raw-fed and kibble-fed dogs does contain bacteria.
So, how do I keep from getting sick? Well, that's easy.
- I wash my hands after I feed my dogs.
- I wash my hands after I do meal prep.
- I wash my hands after picking up dog poop.
If you can cook a chicken or turkey dinner, cook steaks on a grill, or host a fish fry without getting sick (or making others sick), you can feed a raw food diet. Raw feeders use the same meat handling safety rules and clean the dishes and utensils, countertops and sink, and wash our hands.
Using Distilled White Vinegar
When choosing a vinegar product for cleaning, avoid the economy brands because they tend to be watered down and less effective. And keep in mind that vinegar may not be the best choice for some countertops or floors. Since learning about the effectiveness of white vinegar, I now use it as follows:
- Freshen a Room After Feeding Tripe: When the smell of green tripe (or a skunked dog) has filled your kitchen, pour 1 cup of white vinegar into a bowl and sit overnight in the room. Pour the vinegar down the garbage disposal (it cleans orders there too).
- Clean the Garbage Disposal after Meal Prep: Pour 1 cup of vinegar down the garbage disposal to clear out odors; rinse with water from the drain after about an hour.
- Clean Cooler or Tub After Thawing Raw: Use a mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% water and pour into the cooler; let sit for a few hours, then rinse with clean water.
White vinegar is more effective at cleaning than apple cider vinegar because white vinegar is more acidic.
False Evidence Appearing Real
FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real
If you're reading this because you've heard about raw feeding, but you're afraid of the bacteria and making your family sick, I want to assure you that this is a non-issue for many pet parents. PFI (the Pet Food Industry) published an article recently entitled: “Raw meat dog food germs linked to human infection.” This article references a study connecting raw feeding to UTIs in UK dog owners. Although the article didn't link to the study, the truth about this study and its flaws were revealed by Susan Thixton of TheTruthAboutPetFood.com.
A clickbait title, words you can't spell or pronounce, and references to studies can sound convincing. I don't understand why it's safe to handle raw meat when cooking a Thanksgiving dinner, but handling raw meat is suddenly dangerous when we're feeding our dogs.
Nice tips! I think these are the best tips for keeping the place clean I ever got!
Hi Elizabeth. This isn’t true. Check out Dr. Melissa Shelton. She is a holistic veterinarian and one of the leading experts in using essential oils with pets. Her book can be found on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2AzNqRi
You can follow her on Facebook as well. She has a group too; I only follow her page: https://www.facebook.com/oilyvet/
Just a question…..i have kittens. i was told that essential oils were extremely toxic to both cats and dogs…..especially citrus. i read that toxicity occurs over a long slow exposure….and many pet owners..when animal becomes ill….do not connct the dots. True? dont know….thought worth mentioning here.
like the vinegar idea….will be adopting that
Claire is a huge fan of vinegar + lemon or orange mixed with laurel essential oils. She makes her “Magic Spray” with 3 dl vinegar, 3 dl water, and 10 drops of essential oils ; she uses that mix on every surface to clean. Purrs
Thanks. Now I know how to keep my kitchen clean.
I am so shocked by all that vinegar can do. I put a little in a glass after serving green tripe to the dogs. Took the smell away. And then I poured it down the disposal to let it sit. Love it!
This is a really great post! My friend owns a cleaning business and her company only uses vinegar for cleaning. She told me it’s the way to go and am SO happy that I made the switch. Great note about the 5% though – she did tell me not to get vinegar that’s too cheap but not to check the acidity, so I’ll have to start doing that.
We’ve used vinegar as a cleaner for decades now. Chemicals cause an asthma effect with me, and that’s what mine and sons’ allergist told us to start using. As far as cleaning up after raw fed dogs goes, I have one section of the cabinets that everyone knows is dog-dedicated. NOTHING human is put there or prepped there, and the whole family understands this. I clean up with vinegar after each meal, but that extra bit of having a dedicated area makes hubs feel safer with children sometimes in the house.
Fumes are always the biggest fear for parrots sensitive lungs but they also have a fragile detox system so chemical liquids (or traces left behind)can be very dangerous for them too. A friend recently quipped, “if it can kill a bird, just think of what it is doing to the rest of us!” E-coli is also very dangerous for birds (their systems do not contain it naturally like the low levels humans, canines and felines do) but I just don’t think keeping a naturally clean kitchen is all that difficult. My grandmother de-feathered freshly slaughterer chickens in her kitchen all the time and no one made any sort of horrible fuss about germs or contamination.
That’s a great question about kids. I know many people who feed raw who have kids and I guess everyone washes their hands after handling the meat; just like with kibble. But I don’t know if there’s a higher risk of contamination with children. I do know that we’ve never gotten sick.
I had no idea parrots were so sensitive. Is it the liquid (not surprising, it’s harsh) and the fumes?
Thanks for the tips on the vinegar usage – I can’t believe how many people are using it and know so much. We’re starting today!
We’ve also had warning about the fact that dogs need healthy and strong stomach acid to digest bones, and that if you feed regular dog food as well as raw, because the regular food doesn’t need strong stomach acid, it means that your dog doesn’t produce enough to digest the bones etc.
So we feed regular dog food (Orijen and Nature’s Menu, just cooked meat and veg and herbs) in the evening and raw in the morning, with 12 hours between for stomach acid to return!
I have to be able to keep up regular food as it is portable and my dog is an assistance dog. But this way I can let her have raw too.
I use vinegar (be careful not to leave it on stainless steel cutlery as it is corrosive) and tea tree oil in water spray to clean the floor, i just spray it on after every feed, but dry it as tea tree is poisonous to dogs and especially cats. a steam mop is even better, getting one of those next!
Cathy is right- our hardwoods are gorgeous when cleaned with vinegar! I worked for a woman when I was in college who taught me the wonders of vinegar cleaning and now that I live with a parrot, I have to clean everything with vinegar- bleach and any other chemicals can kill him! I don’t trust any brands or kinds of plastic for food storage. I have collected Pyrex/glass storage bowls through sale scavenging over the years. I know nothing leaches into our food and that the containers get clean.
Great info. I’ve been looking into feeding my dogs raw and am nervous to make the switch. One of my biggest concerns is contamination. My dogs interact with children frequently. I’ll definitely keep this article in mind for the future!
Thanks so much! 🙂
So much great info, never thought of all this– despite having a dog.
I didn’t know that it did that. Our hardwoods need some work; I should ask J about this.
Vinegar is such a useful liquid. Raw or not – it’s so important to make sure everything you touch that involves ingestion is sanitary. I even use vinegar with warm water quarterly to strip the wax off our hardwood floors. It helps me feel as if I’m really getting all the dirt out. Good read today, thanks…