This past Sunday brought the fridge clean-out, which is one of my most dreaded chores. In addition to cleaning I found myself doing a mix of snacking and tossing. I hate to waste food and I had in my hand some turkey breast, which seemed to be a bit past the point of freshness. I was thinking that it probably wasn’t wise to eat or to give to the kids but the thought occurred to me to save it just one more day to give to the dog with his medication. Then I questioned my judgment.
Pets are highly susceptible to illness from bacteria left behind from food or from unsafe food itself. People tend to be more discriminating but Pets are just as susceptible, if not more so to food-borne bacteria. Salmonella, for instance, is a nasty bacterium especially common in poultry–, traces of which are often left behind after food preparation. Our four-legged friends are naturally drawn to the smell of chicken and turkey; raw meat and egg products which are often left in the kitchen sink, on cutting boards, in the kitchen trash and even sometimes in the outside trashcan. If they ingest bacteria, Pets can experience an upset stomach and severe diarrhea symptoms that can plague them for days and lead to more serious issues. If they do get sick, it’s best to seek assistance from your veterinarian as soon as the illness starts instead of waiting to seek treatment.
Pet food itself can spoil and lead to food poisoning if eaten. Once a can of wet food is opened it stays fresh for a much shorter period of time than dry food. In addition, dry food stored in a bag or container can spoil, too. Buying quantities appropriate for the size of your Pet is a great idea, which means you wouldn’t want to buy a 50 lb bag of food for a 5 lb Pet. Keeping dry food in a cool dry area helps extend the freshness after opened.
Some good information regarding food poisoning and safe food preparation can be found at WebMD. Remember that Pets are just as susceptible to the digestive upset bad food can cause so a good, safe rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t eat it yourself, your Pet shouldn’t either.
