We all want our dogs and cats to have the best and healthiest food. However, just like our food, pet food and treats can sometimes be contaminated with germs. These germs can make animals and people sick.
The good news is that you can take steps to keep your pets and family healthy.
Safe foods for dogs and cats
There are many safe food options for your dog or cat.
Safe pet foods rarely cause food poisoning in pets. These foods have been cooked or heated to a high enough temperature to kill germs.
Choose pet foods that provide the right amount of nutrients your pet needs. When purchasing food for your dog or cat’s primary diet, look for the words “complete and balanced” on the product label.
Main Types of Safe Pet Foods
- Croquettes are cooked and shaped before being dried. They are then coated with aromas. (Note that some kibbles are coated or mixed with raw pet food – these products would be considered raw pet food and would probably have the word “raw” on the package.)
- Canned Pet Food are sealed before being sterilized (heated to high temperature).
- Fresh pet food are foods cooked with fewer or no preservatives. These products are often delivered to your home as part of online pet food subscription services. They may also be available at pet and grocery stores. Because fewer or no preservatives are used, fresh pet food must be refrigerated and it does not keep as long as kibble or canned pet food.
Some people make food for their pets using ingredients purchased at the grocery store. If homemade food is your pet’s primary diet, talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist to ensure you are providing a complete and balanced diet for your pet.
Follow Pet Food Safety Steps
![Pet Illustration of pets and dogs](https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/images/family-pets-md.png?_=59579)
Protect your pets
- Stay up to date on food recalls and outbreaks. Do not feed your pet recalled or contaminated food.
- To do the housework pet food and water bowls, food spoons, treat toys, feeding mats and placemats frequently.
- Follow storage instructions on pet food labels.
Protect yourself and your family
- Wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling pet food or treats. Make sure children wash your hands correctly.
- Don’t let your pet lick your open wounds or broken areas of skin, and try not to let your pet lick your mouth or face immediately after eating.
Raw food and pet treats can make your dog or cat sick
Raw Pet Food (Printed Version) (PDF – 2 pages)
What is raw pet food?
Raw pet foods contain protein that comes from an animal, such as chicken and beef, and have not been cooked or heated to a high enough temperature to kill germs. Plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are less likely to be contaminated with germs and are not considered raw pet foods.
Note that some pet food companies use high energy beams (irradiation) and very high pressure (high pressure treatment) to kill germs without heat. However, we do not currently have sufficient information on how pet food processing facilities use these processes and therefore still consider these products to be raw pet food.
Common ingredients in raw pet foods include
- Uncooked muscle meat (such as thigh and breast)
- Uncooked organ meat (such as liver and kidneys)
- Raw bones
- Raw eggs
- Unpasteurized milk
Raw pet foods come in many different forms, such as
- Raw (like the raw chicken you buy at the grocery store)
- Raw frozen
- Lyophilized (frozen then vacuum dried)
- Dehydrated (hot air dried)
Even treats and food toppings (food added to or mixed with your pet’s regular food) can be raw. Some examples are rawhide chews and freeze-dried treats.
![Raw milk and meat Illustration of raw milk and meat](https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/images/raw-milk.png?_=59581)
Raw pet food can cause food poisoning
Raw pet foods can make your dog or cat sick. This is because raw meat and other raw proteins from animals can contain germs like Salmonella And Listeria. These germs were found in many raw pet foods. Raw pet food can also make you and your family sick when these germs spread throughout your kitchen and home.
Freeze-drying, dehydrating, or freezing raw protein from animals only reduces the amount of germs. These processes do not kill all germs that may be on food.
Raw pet foods are not necessarily healthier
Raw is not necessarily healthier. Raw and cooked pet foods can be prepared with high or low quality ingredients. Both may be nutritionally balanced or inadequate. And both can be digestible; Some nutrients may be more easily digested once food is cooked, while some nutrients may be more digestible in raw food. (For example, cooking breaks down thiamase found in seafood and prevents thiamine deficiency in cats.)
Some may say that raw pet foods are the natural, ancestral or instinctual diet of dogs and cats. However, the diets that are best for wolves and feral cats are not the best for pet dogs and cats that live at home and live longer. In fact, pet dogs prefer and need foods that are low in protein and higher in fat and carbohydrates than wolves.
If you are considering feeding raw food to your dog or cat
If you are considering feeding raw food to your dog or cat, talk to your veterinarian first. They can help you decide what is best for your pet and your family.
When talking with your veterinarian, consider some of these questions:
- Is someone in your household or someone else your pet interacts with more likely to get seriously ill from foodborne germs? This includes children under 5, adults 65 or older, people with compromised immune systems, and pregnant people.
- Do you have a pet who is more likely to get sick from foodborne germs? This includes young pets (like puppies) and animals with weakened immune systems or other health problems.
- Is the raw diet you plan to give your pet complete and balanced? Will this help your pet thrive?
- Can you clean more frequently if you use raw pet food?
If you feed raw food to your dog or cat
If you choose to feed raw food to your dog or cat, follow these steps in addition to the general pet food safety steps:
- Consider buying from companies that have high standards for food safety. You can ask them:
- Does your company test all of your final products for common foodborne germs like Salmonella, E. coli, And Listeria?
- What is your company doing to kill germs in your raw pet food?
- How often does your company clean and disinfect manufacturing facilities?
- Does your company have veterinary nutritionists?
- Talk to your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist if raw food is your pet’s primary diet.
- They can help ensure your pet’s raw food diet contains all the nutrition they need.
- Clean often.
- Wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling raw pet food.
- Clean items and surfaces that have touched raw pet food.
- Refrigerate and properly store raw pet foods that need to be kept cold.
- Freeze it until you are ready to thaw and use it.
- Thaw frozen raw pet food in the refrigerator.
- Store it in an airtight container in the freezer and refrigerator, away from other foods.
- Discard any leftovers that have remained at room temperature.