Yahoo News Dog owners warned over harmful 'antibiotic-resistant' bacteria found in pet food
Dog owners are being warned to watch out for bacteria that can become "antibiotic-resistant" after traces have been found in some raw pet food.
It comes as a recent study carried out at the University of Bristol alerted pet owners after conducting tests for Escherichia Coli (E. coli) on 15 samples of raw dog food from “specialist” pet shops.
Scientists also analysed 58 samples of raw beef, pork, chicken and lamb for human consumption sold in UK supermarkets.
In total, 87% of the chicken-based raw dog food samples and 81% of the meat samples for human consumption were positive for E. coli.
The samples were tested for resistance to amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, spectinomycin and streptomycin.
According to The Mirror, the findings which were presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Global Congress in Barcelona, said: "This study confirms that uncooked meat carries multiple resistant E. coli, commonly including resistance to critically important antibiotics important for human health."
Speaking to Fox News Digital, co-author of the study Professor Matthew B Avison advised: "They [bacteria] can sit in your gut for years without causing sickness, and in some cases the bacteria will cause different types of disease later on, including urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections that can kill."
Professor Avison added: "Infections with resistant bacteria are more difficult to treat and so are more likely to get worse."
He also explained how the latest findings question the assumption that raw dog food is “safe” from contamination due to “being sold frozen”.
“People often believe that because raw dog food is sold frozen, the freezing kills the bacteria, but we have shown that it does not,” Professor Avison continued.
He went on to say: “There were just as many samples of chicken-based raw dog food contaminated with resistant E. coli than there were samples of raw chicken meat.
Recommended reading:
Vet issues Lyme Disease warning to all dog owners amid tick season - how to spot
The ugliest dog breeds in the world revealed - do you agree?
“If you feed your dog raw meat, therefore, you are likely feeding it antibiotic-resistant E. coli."
Speaking about what owners should do if they feed their dogs uncooked meat, Professor Avison said: "Treat all raw meat as if it were contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and assume dogs fed raw meat will be excreting resistant bacteria.
“Don't let your dog lick your face or share your bed, and wash your hands after petting it."
