Specialists from the University of Bristol have established that feeding dogs raw meat can lead to pets being infected with ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli. The results of the study were published in the journal One Health.
Escherichia coli can cause food poisoning and is one of the leading causes of serious illnesses, including urinary tract infections and sepsis. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a class of antibiotics (fluoroquinolones) used to treat various bacterial infections in humans and animals, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is considered a critically important antibiotic.
The study involved 600 pet dogs. Pet owners were asked to fill out a questionnaire, which allowed for the collection of detailed information about each dog, its diet, living conditions, and treatment received. A microbiological analysis of samples collected from each animal was also conducted.
According to the researchers, the collected data allowed for a statistical analysis that showed that the presence of raw meat in the diet was the only significant factor associated with the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the dogs' feces.
To address this issue, the scientists suggested further motivating companies that produce raw dog food to source meat from farmers who strictly adhere to the rules on the use of antimicrobial agents and to test the meat for resistant pathogens before sale. They also proposed implementing stricter limits on the allowable amount of bacteria in meat intended for raw consumption.
