Is kibble safer?
When talking about bacteria, kibble has had more recalls than raw ever has. Kibbles are regularly recalled for salmonella, e.Coli, and listeria. Worryingly, processed dog foods are recalled for other horrifying reasons such as dangerously high levels of synthetic vitamin D supplements and aflatoxin (a dangerous by-product of mould from rotten grain products) – both of which can make your pet extremely sick.
Bacteria thrives in grain, which is one of the reasons a grain-free raw diet can be safer for your dog.
Our views on parasites:
There are so many misconceptions about the raw diet, but one in particular has been coming up a lot for us recently is every pet-parent’s worst nightmare: worms.
It’s easy to understand why people are concerned about internal parasites, worms, salmonella, E .coli, Listeria monocytogenes etc. when it comes to feeding their beloved animals raw meat.
But dogs are carnivores, not humans, far more equipped to handle raw meat than we are since their bodies are designed with acidic stomachs to kill off any bacteria that would have eaten in the wild when they were allowed to eat raw.
That said, the risk is lower than you might think it is - and you might not be so free from these worries just because you feed your dog kibble or cooked food.
Emmarentia Raw is committed to giving you honest and factual information, so we’re not going to lie to you and say the chance of parasites is 0% when feeding raw meat. However, the risk comes not from the raw feeding, but what you’re feeding.
Your can contract internal parasites, salmonella, or e.coli through raw meat, but only when the food isn’t up to the standard that it should be.
What is that standard?
A Grade - Human grade sourced suppliers ensures the meat we manufacture is from established farms & abattoirs who meet all necessary regulations.
Meals are microbiologically tested to ensure there are no dangerous levels of e.coli, Listeria monocytogenes or salmonella present. In South Africa, by law, raw pet food must be tested for registration purposes to ensure the safety of the product.
Meals are kept frozen at -18 degrees from production to arrival at your front door. This keeps any harmful bacteria from developing and kills any parasites that could have been present.
Careful manufacturing practices in a factory that only uses strict quality control systems in food-safe workspaces. Stored correctly in -18 degree freezers until distribution is also of the utmost importance.
Diatomaceous Earth is added to all our Emmarentia Raw meals: This potent & natural mineral eliminating intestinal roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms to name a few.
The problem is not raw feeding, it’s bad products. It is always important to make sure the raw you’re choosing is human-grade, safely produced, and storing practices are being maintained.
How do our pets get internal parasites?
The most common cause of our animals getting internal parasites is from their environment. Contact with contaminated soil or water, fleas and ticks, or eating poop or carrion, are the more likely candidates for where your pet picked up these nasty tag-alongs.
That said, a healthy dog’s immune system can usually combat most encounters with parasites since they’re typically very mild exposures. But if your animal’s immune system is weak, they’re more at risk.
Parasites and worms don’t want a healthy host, so a healthy immune system means you shouldn’t have to worry about your dog getting internal parasites.
So how do we keep our dog’s immune system strong? Well, funnily enough, a raw diet is one of the best ways to do that - which you can read about here.
Emmarentia Raw & Internal Parasites
To date, we have not had a single incident of an animal contracting worms, salmonella, e.coli, or any internal parasite from our food.
As a company, we work hard to ensure your pet’s safety by only using the highest quality human-grade meat, fruit, vegetables, and supplements in our meals. All our products are manufactured using the same safety practices necessary to produce food for humans and are frozen from fresh to maintain quality, flavour, and safety.
All our meals should be kept frozen until use and thawed before feeding in our sealed containers. Once thawed, they should be kept in the refrigerator and used within 48 hours of opening.
