 Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Melissa Thom ]
#281892 - 06/28/2010 07:45 PM |
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Melissa, I get that there is a chance of harm to an immuno-suppressed patient, and I can understand the "better safe than sorry" stance the Delta Society has taken. However, it chafes to see the pet food giant's shiny corporate logo flashed all over the society's website as you read this decision. Smacks of collusion.
Ripley & his Precious
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Meredith Hamilton ]
#281893 - 06/28/2010 07:58 PM |
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Well they could have been A holes about it. But they're not saying you must feed Purina Pro Plan, just feed a non raw diet. THK is expensive but totally workable and it's not "raw" or you can home cook a diet. I can think of a half dozen kibble brands that aren't complete crap. I doubt that Purina had any weight in the decision. Personally I think it's a good thing that these major feed suppliers do sponsor programs. Then at least some good can come out of the crap they sell.
My suspicion is that someone did something stupid like expose a "raw" treat to a patient to feed to a TD and a nurse/doctor/sane person walked by and raised holy stink about it. Then the delta society had a decision to make and rightfully sided on the side of caution. The Therapy dog program walks a thin line as is, I would be much happier that the program gets to stay with a few added restrictions, rather than throw the program out completely because of the risk to patients.
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Meredith Hamilton ]
#281894 - 06/28/2010 08:08 PM |
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We're all sort of right.
...that's my rub.
Follow the money trail...it too often leads to this sort of thing.
I'd like to see some controlled science on the "shedding germs" topic. I doubt we'll see any though, because good, large scale controlled science is expensive, and somebody has to pay for it...
But:
The studies reported are all "incident reports" which do support the conclusions reached. I'm sure the meat-handling and raw feeding practices of the animals covered the gamut from responsible to lousy.
The risk to fragile humans is too great...
Certain individuals are at increased risk of disease if they encounter various pathogens, particularly people that are immune-compromised, very young, or elderly.
This is not a fight that TD groups can win, unfortunately, because there is no regulation/certification of raw feeding practices. Heck, even pet experts can't come to a consensus on the topic. That's the beauty of raw feeding: a responsible owner can create a diet SUPERIOR TO any government-regulated program. We just can't prove it at the "germs shed" level.
A dog has alot of friends because he wags his tail instead of his mouth.
- Charlie Daniels |
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Rob Abel ]
#281944 - 06/29/2010 09:54 AM |
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How do they prevent all the other various germs and bacteria associated with the presence of a dog from being problematic for immune-compromised patients? It's possible that a visit from a dog (or even an unknown person) is just inappropriate for some patients.
My sister continued to feed her dog a raw diet all through her chemo treatments and was completely unharmed by it. On holidays she had TWO raw fed dogs in her apartment. I would like to see MUCH more research to support Delta's claims.
Maybe I'm just cranky because it means no more Therapy Dogs for me, I strongly disagree with the reason why, and don't trust the source. 
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Rob Abel ]
#281946 - 06/29/2010 10:05 AM |
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The risk to fragile humans is too great...
If that is the case, then the fragile humans should probably not have furry visitors of any type, regardless of diet. JMO.
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Kristel Smart ]
#281947 - 06/29/2010 10:06 AM |
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I wonder how many people will turn from the Delta Society and join Therapy Dogs International?
TDI would be smart to track that.
Ripley & his Precious
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Melissa Thom ]
#281948 - 06/29/2010 10:08 AM |
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Interesting comment at the end of the Whole Dog article,
Nestle/Purina is a major contributor to Delta and has placed people on it's board. Nestle, as you may recall, was the target of a major boycott over it's marketing practices in developing countries. Boycotters said the company sent people all over the Third World countries to convince mothers that mother's milk was bad and their babies would only thrive on Nestles' powdered forumla. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott
As always, follow the money.
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Konnie Hein ]
#281958 - 06/29/2010 11:18 AM |
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The risk to fragile humans is too great...
If that is the case, then the fragile humans should probably not have furry visitors of any type, regardless of diet. JMO. Thank you! My thoughts exactly!
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Michael_Wise ]
#281962 - 06/29/2010 12:01 PM |
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Fragile patients also shouldn't have human visitors not wearing infection-control garments. People who don't wash their hands (including hospital employees) are the leading cause of Hospital Acquired Infections. Not therapy dogs.
The Delta Society also states that even the housemates of therapy animals cannot be raw-fed because of the risk of cross-contamination from the feeding bowl--- what about the humans that handle raw meat? Must the human partners of therapy animals never come into contact with raw meat either? What if they own a cat and litter box? What if they touch unwashed produce? Strawberries are filthy. Heck, the world is a filthy place. Everybody poops.
Cinco | Jack | Fanny | Ellie | Chip | Deacon |
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Re: Delta Society bans raw fed dogs
[Re: Melissa Thom ]
#281964 - 06/29/2010 12:05 PM |
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This is sad. I would like to have Lily become a therapy dog, and I won't be changing her diet or the other dogs diet, just so I can. I'll have to be sure that in the future when I do have her ready to be certified, I find another org to have her certified by.
I have been feeding my dogs a raw diet since before we had our daughter, who is now 2, and are still feeding them raw while I'm preggo with our little boy. None of us has become sick due to the feeding of raw, and little kids and pregnant women, along with the elderly, tend to be more prone to catching salmonella, ecoli, etc. Healthy and happy so far, and that's every living thing in my house!  Delta needs some better information before making a firm decision, since dogs ate food scraps (raw and cooked) and garbage before commercial kibble came along.
Keleah |
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