How Long Can You Leave Raw Dog Food Out?

In the last few years, it seems that raw food has gained in popularity. Raw food prepared commercially is available in many pet stores.

There are many confusing arguments for and against feeding your pet raw. It can become a minefield in deciding what to do.

It can be difficult to decide what is best for your pet, especially when there are strong views both in favour and against the raw diet.

Raw feeding is a type of food

The term raw feeding means feeding your pets the ingredients in their natural state, as opposed to traditionally prepared food.

The raw diet usually consists of a mixture of uncooked meats, fruits and vegetables.

Why do people feed raw diets?

Many people feed their dogs raw food because it is a "natural" alternative to conventional dog foods. There are however no studies that support the idea that feeding your dog a raw diet is superior to traditional food.

Many owners who feed their pets a raw food diet claim to see many positive changes. It can be anything from an improved coat to more energy and less stinky poos.

You can achieve many of the benefits that are associated with raw food diets by feeding your dog a balanced diet.

Is raw feeding a problem?

It can be difficult to feed your pet raw food, particularly if you prepare it yourself. It is not recommended that you prepare your own pet's food, whether it be cooked or raw.

This can lead to nutritional imbalances and make your pet ill.

Meat, in particular, is a raw food that contains pathogens, bacteria and parasites which are normally killed by cooking.

Feeding raw meat to pets and other family members can be dangerous. Cross-contamination can occur even with great care.

You could spread bacteria like E.coli and Salmonella, or Tuberculosis via food, your pet, etc.

Bones can also be a hazard when feeding raw food, particularly "Raw Meaty Bones". No bones should be fed to your pets, whether they're cooked or not.

The bones can become stuck and cause blockage in the stomach of your pet, or even splinters can harm its delicate internal organs.

The teeth of your pet can be fractured if they chew on bones. Bones can cause constipation and stomach pain in your pet, even if they are lucky enough to escape these problems.

It has not been proven that raw food is better than traditional pet foods. Raw feeding arguments are more based on personal experience than on official studies that show a difference.

Are there any precations to take?

It can be costly to feed a raw food diet of high quality compared with other commercially made pet foods. There are cheaper alternatives to raw food, but they may not be as hygienically prepared.

Also, it's not recommend to purchase meat from supermarkets or butchers that is intended for human consumption.

They are intended to be eaten cooked, and therefore have higher bacteria levels than those recommended for feeding raw.

Even with all of the above precautions, you still run the risk that an infection could affect your family or pet's health. If you decide to feed your pet a raw food diet, be sure to keep the house clean.

• Separate all the items (bowls, storage boxes, cutlery etc.) that you will use for preparing or handling raw foods. Metal or glass containers and stainless steel bowls are the best because, unlike plastics, they will not develop small cracks that can harbour bacteria.

• Hands should always be washed before handling pet food.

• You will need to plan if you want to feed your pet a raw diet. This means defrosting the food safely before it can be fed to them. You can use a container that is sealed to let the food thaw safely in your fridge. Microwaves are not recommended to defrost raw foods as they can create hot spots that can overheat the food.

• After feeding, wash everything well. Sanitise all surfaces that you have used to prepare raw food.

• Your pet must consume the defrosted meats within 24 hours. They should never be refrozen.

• If your pet is fed raw meat, their saliva and poop may contain more bacteria that could be harmful. After touching your pet, wash your hands.

How long can I keep the raw dog food out?

Some dogs guzzle their food down immediately, whereas other tend to graze throughout the day or just leave food until later at night (like our dog).

There is a bit of speculation online about the length of time that raw dog food can be left out. However, we may need to use some common sense with this. In other words, treat raw dog food as we would treat raw meat to be prepared, cooked and eaten by ourselves.

We recommend leaving a food bowl out for no more than 1 hour (but on very warm days this may need to be reduced by half). You can put the food back into the refrigerator (use a covered container) if they don't eat it right away.

Also consider any insects that may be attracted to raw meats, especially flies. Leaving raw meat out in the open for a long period may harbour lots of flies which can then start to land on surfaces spreading bacteria and germs.

Follow Food Safety Procedures

As mentioned, treat raw dog food as you would treat raw meats for human consumption.

Food poisoning can be caused by raw meat or products that contain it. This is especially true if meat has been undercooked, or improperly handled.

It can be contaminated with germs such as Campylobacter Salmonella and Yersinia. If you are not cautious, these germs can be spread from one food to another.

Avoid cross contamination

Raw meat can contain harmful bacteria. This includes products like chicken nuggets and dumplings. You can read our tips to reduce your risk of getting food poisoning from handling or cooking meat.

Storing meat at home

Never leave it out to thaw at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Keep raw meat separate from cooked foods or any food that is not cooked, such as salad, raw fruits, and vegetables.

It is best to keep raw meat at the bottom your refrigerator. It prevents any juices that may leak (and contain bacteria harmful to humans) from getting onto your other food.

By storing raw meat in containers, you can avoid unnecessary cleanup by catching any juices. After using containers, make sure to clean them.

Keep the meat you have marinated in an airtight container in your fridge.

Preparing raw meat

Make sure that meat juices don't drip on other food.

Defrost the meat completely before you cook it to ensure that your food is cooked evenly.

Defrost the meat in your refrigerator overnight, not at room temperature. Use the microwave's defrost function if you are short of time or forget to do so.

Washing meat, especially chicken meat, before cooking can cause bacteria to spread. The washing of meat can cause puddles or sprays that contain bacteria.

Use separate cutting boards, serving dishes, and utensils for raw meat. Use hot soapy water to wash your board and knife after you have used it for raw meat.

After handling raw meat, wash your hands immediately with hot soapy water to avoid cross-contamination with surfaces and foods.

Take Away

Raw dog food is simply a combination of raw meats, vegetables, rice and grain (in many cases), however, it could be off-cuts of meat from a butcher or fishmonger.

In reality, you do not want to leave raw meat out for over an hour, and if it is hot you need to reduce this time accordingly.

To avoid contamination, potential illnesses and the spread of germs handle raw dog food to the same standards as raw meats for human consumption.