Raw Pet Food - Safe Handling Instructions

Safe Handling Instructions For Humans

If you want to feed your pet raw food, it is important that you follow certain steps when storing, handling, and serving the raw food. Valid health concerns do exist for humans if raw food is not handled and stored in the proper manner. These situations can be mitigated with a few very easily taken precautions to ensure that you, your family and friends, and other pets you have are safe.

Storing Raw Pet Food

You store raw dog food much in the same way you store your own raw food such as hamburger and chicken, place it in secure packaging, such as a covered plastic container, and store it in the freezer. This will help deter bacterial growth and reduce spoiling.

Safe Handling Instructions For Storing Raw Pet Food

• Freeze raw pet food until you are ready to use it
• Keep raw pet food separate from other food
• Immediately refrigerate all leftover raw pet food or discard all leftover raw pet food in a safe manner.

Handling and Serving Raw Dog Food

It is best that any surface the raw food touches, including kitchen counters, cutting boards, knives, food bowls, your hands or on surface that may come in contact with raw pet food be washed in case the food contains a pathogenic organism. The FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service)recommends washing your hands, surfaces, or objects that come in contact with dried or raw pet food to rid the surfaces of pathogenic bacteria’s.

Instructions for Safely Handling Raw Pet Food

• Always wash your hands For 20 seconds after encountering raw of dried pet food.
• Always wash your hands after touching your pet, especially within the first fifteen minutes after touching any pet that has just eaten.
• Do not let your pet lick your face, especially after your pet has just eaten raw or dried pet food.
• Thoroughly wash and disinfect any surface that has encountered raw pet food, remember raw pet food can splash and bacteria can spread to other surfaces. After washing with hot water and soap, a solution of 1. 
• Tablespoon of bleach and 4 cups of water is an effective disinfectant.
• You can always run items through a dishwasher to clean and disinfect them.
• Dispose of old or spoiled pet food in a safe manner, such as securing in a bag and properly discarding in the trash.
• Following these safe handling instructions will minimize your exposure yo pathogenic bacteria and having you and your pet enjoying the many benefits of feeding raw pet food!

The Difference between Cleaning and Disinfecting

Cleaning removes germs (like bacteria) and dirt from surfaces and objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs and dirt. This process doesn’t necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, cleaning lowers the number of germs and the risk of spreading infection.Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces and objects. Disinfecting works by using chemicals, such as bleach, to kill germs. This process doesn’t necessarily clean dirty surfaces and objects or remove germs, but by killing germs after cleaning, disinfecting can further lower the risk of spreading infection. This information is important to keep in mind for pet owners, particularly those who follow the RawFedK9 diet. Since this diet involves handling raw meat, it's essential to not only clean but also disinfect any surfaces that come in contact with the meat to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination.