Raw Food

Question
Hello,  I am ready to embrace the RAW diet for my dogs but my husband is having a hard time with it. He is worried about the germs we can pick up from touching the dog after they are done eating, or germs that the dog would leave all over the house.  What, if anything do you suggest I use on their beards to 'clean' it?  They are Schnauzers, so their beards are long and large!

Answer
While I do occasionally use a raw diet myself (I prefer home made cooked diets) I think the pathogen-shedding issue is a valid one, particularly if you have children, elderly people or anyone in the household with a compromised immune system. I might consider using a mild solution of grapefruit seed extract - I mean VERY mild - to wipe their beards afterwards. you don't want them to ingest a lot of it, but small amounts in dilution are helpful in terms of sterilization.

All Purpose Cleaner
Add 15-30 drops of extract to any 32 oz pump sprayer filled with your favorite cleanser or this can be added just to water. Use on all surfaces of the house.
http://www.botanical.com/products/learn/grapefr.html
Personally I might use more like 12 drops per 32 ounce bottle, for use on a live animal.

Hope this helps and best wishes with your new diet! be sure you check the numbers against the NRC guidelines so you know you are providing all the required nutrients. Simply rotating the foods will not guarantee this. If you need more help, my yahoogroup provides a free tutorial on nutrient balancing for home made diets:

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePossibleCanine-Nutrition/
All the best, Catherine