Author CJ Puotinen’s six-year-old Labrador Retriever, Chloe, has been a Delta Society Pet Partner since her first birthday. She can no longer participate in the Pet Partners program due to her raw diet.
Are Raw-Fed Dogs a Risk?
A major therapy dog registry has banned raw-fed pets.
Delta Society is one of the largest and best-known organizations that registers and insures “pet therapy” volunteers and their companion animals. Pet/handler teams – known as Pet Partners – brighten lives in hospitals, nursing homes, group homes, schools, pre-kindergarten programs, libraries, jails, women’s shelters, homeless shelters, senior centers, adult day programs, and a host of other facilities. But on May 19, Delta Society triggered a firestorm of controversy, complete with conspiracy theories, angry denunciations, frustration, and confusion, when it announced that effective June 30, “any dog or cat from a household where raw protein food is fed is not eligible to be a Delta Society Pet Partner.” Delta’s Raw Protein Diet Policy raises serious questions about the safety of feeding raw food regardless of an animal’s pet-therapy status.
More Dog Food (Raw)
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A Home-Prepared Dog Food Diet Recipe Critique
Subscribers Only — This is the debut of what we intend to be a regular feature in Whole Dog Journal: a detailed critique of a... -
Feeding a Home-Prepared Diet Economically
— Feeding fresh food to your dogs can help make them healthy and happy, but it can also be expensive, particularly for... -
A Review of the Best Books on Home-Prepared Dog Food Diets on the Market
Subscribers Only — Over the past few months, I’ve read more than 30 books on homemade diets for dogs. Many offered recipes that... -
Five Steps to Take if Your Dog’s Food Has Been Recalled
— Over the past few years, owners have become uncomfortably aware that their pets’ food can be suddenly declared... -
Even More Frozen Raw Dog Food Manufacturer Information!
— I love you, and I wonder if you even know how rare a publication like Whole Dog Journal is. On the same day that I... -
Instructional Books on Home-Prepared, Bone-Free Dog Food Diets
Subscribers Only — Interest in homemade diets has never been greater, especially since the huge pet food recall of 2007. Last month, I... -
How-To Books for Feeding Raw Diets
Subscribers Only — When someone becomes interested in feeding their dog a homemade diet, I always advise them to read at least one book... -
Canine Kismet
— One of the most gratifying things that readers say to me is, “Every time I need an article to appear on some... -
Dog Breeders Who Only Feed Raw Dog Food Diets
— You know you’ve been feeding raw for a long time when it no longer seems like a radical, ground-breaking, or... -
Whole Dog Journal's Commercial Frozen Raw Dog Food Review
Subscribers Only — The more I've learned about the meat used in pet food, the more I've come to admire commercially produced frozen raw...
