• Meat is essential in the diet of dogs and cats.
• It is important, however, to take certain precautions when introducing it into the daily bowl, and a short supply chain is essential for establishing its quality.
• Listeria and salmonellosis are two of the main concerns when it comes to meat.
• Pork must always be cooked before our pets consume it. This will prevent even serious illnesses.

Meat is a fundamental food in the diet of dogs and cats. It is felines in particular that need this type of protein in order to satisfy their hunter's instinct and feed in a way that is most suited to their nature.

There are, however, necessary precautions that must be taken in order to make a conscious and sustainable choice even when it comes to providing this essential component of the four-legged diet. Guiding us through the subject is Dr Chiara Dissegna, veterinary surgeon, who is also a member of the Nutravet group dedicated to animal nutrition.

Meat, an essential food for pets

Meat is fundamental for our four-legged friends. But certain conditions must be met. First and foremost is the quality and purity of raw ingredients. All the ingredients in a good home-cooked or raw (barf) diet must come from as short a supply chain as possible, without processing or cooking methods that can alter nutritional composition. In this respect, a great deal depends on where the meat comes from: if it comes from an intensive farm, it will certainly be more heavily treated and carry a higher risk of drug residues than meat from an organic farm.

In any case, the meat used for our animal friends should be the same as that intended for human consumption. When discussing a barf diet, however, a number of advantages must be mentioned. Smaller stools, softer and silkier coat, no conditions such as ear infections or dermatitis, and therefore a low tendency towards food or environmental intolerances. All of this, however, is contingent on the ingredients used being of genuinely verified quality.

Raw meat and listeria

Meat provides fundamental elements in the daily diet of our four-legged friends, but there are essential precautions to take for correct administration and trouble-free use. Whether opting for a home-cooked diet or a barf diet involving raw food, it is important to be aware that there can be risks both for pets and for the humans who live with them. One of the main risks is Listeria monocytogenes, a particularly insidious bacterium that can be present in various animal-derived products, especially in fresh turkey and chicken meat, in raw — that is, unpasteurised — milk, in certain types of fish, and in raw vegetables and greens. Being a bacterium that is particularly resistant to routine cleaning, it is unfortunately very widespread.

Listeria can cause serious illness in immunocompromised humans and in pregnant women, in whom it can lead to miscarriage. In pets, listeriosis causes non-specific symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. How can we prevent it? First of all, it is essential for humans to handle raw meat carefully, always washing their hands and, if necessary, wearing rubber gloves when preparing food. It is always important to use meat from a controlled supply chain, perhaps by going to a trusted butcher or by favouring products that display traceable labels showing the origin of the slaughter.

Listeria is not killed by household refrigerator temperatures. If a barf diet is chosen, it is therefore advisable to opt for meat that has been "blast-frozen" immediately at source and stored in a dedicated freezer. Special mention should be made of pork, which should always be cooked before being added to the daily food mix, due to the possible presence of a parasite, Trichinella — which can easily be found in wild boar as well — and, far more worryingly, pseudorabies.

The danger of salmonellosis

Salmonella is a class of bacteria made up of several variants, known as "serovars", which can be found in raw eggs, in contaminated fruit and vegetables, and, naturally, in meat. Salmonella bacteria are easily eliminated by cooking, since they are killed at temperatures above 48°. Conversely, this bacterium survives refrigeration for days and even weeks.

Salmonella bacteria are rarely found inside a fresh product that has not been handled by humans, but are present mainly on the surface, where they arrive through faecal contamination. This means that to protect our four-legged friends from the risk of salmonellosis, it will suffice to "sear" the meat used in their daily diet. Here too, however, choosing a product from a controlled supply chain becomes fundamental to guaranteeing our four-legged companions a healthy life that is truly geared towards the fullest possible wellbeing.