Please see :

http://www.drpitcairn.com/nutrition/...ion_index.html

W.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Wim

Thanks for posting the many very interesting and very educational posts.

I found this one where Dr. Pitcairn mentions the susceptibility of dogs to get parasites from eating raw meat. I did get an e-mail from a yahoo group on raw meat where a cat threw up a worm. There is so much to learn prior to starting our pets on raw meat.

Great vet to ask questions and learn from.


http://www.minimum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=215

I already mentioned the new forum where Dr. Pitcairn is answering questions for cats and dogs. Please see new topic called : Forum of Leading Voices in Homeopathy on this vet.forum.

The susceptibility of dogs for parasites etc. applies to dogs that are not healthy ! Please have another look at his post.

W.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

yes, dogs that are not healthy. Makes me wonder if we won't know how healthy a dog or cat is until we feed him raw meat and then gets worms. Might be a good idea to have something before hand to deal with the worms just in case.

Happy to to know about this vet.

Thanks again.

Pat, I belong to another Homeopathy group on Yahoo for pets. There are several homeopathic vets/practioners on that group who also advise feeding raw meats to their animals. A healthy animal may get worms but if healthy the parasites will not survive. Parasites can only survive in an unhealthy host.

I will look and see if I can find their websites and show you what they say about diets for "carnivores".

The first one is from a homeopathic vet in FL. He is very highly regarded in the US. Lots of good information on his website about nutrition and health care for dogs and cats.

http://www.homevet.com/petcare/pet_natural.html

Here is a homepathic vet from Spain.

http://www.weim.net/homeovet/English/Nutrition.htm


I will post more links if you like. I have access to many, many sites with referrals from qualified homeopaths.
Homeopaths need you to help them treat your pets by providing the best nutrition to them. Without good nutrition your pet will take much longer to get well.

http://www.weim.net/homeovet/English....htm#Nutrition

http://www.rawlearning.com

Although I`m in favour of feeding carnivores raw meat it sometimes may be wise not to do so for one`s peace of mind.

I`ll explain :

Cats usually don`t contract (tape) worms by eating good fresh raw meat, but actually get infected by eating raw meat in the juvenile stages of the tape worm. If you prevent your kitten/cat from eating wild animals such as rats and mice this will also reduce the likelyhood of getting infected considerably.

Some people and cats may contract toxoplasmosis from eating raw meat. This is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Normally, infection causes no problems in people, but this is not always the case and on rare occasions it can result in damage to certain organs(brain, eyes, etc.) Infected cats usually display no symptoms which makes it very difficult to diagnose them.

So it`s more or less the same dilemma as with vaccination......i.e. the owner of the cat has to decide whether to have his/her companion vaccinated or not .......or to feed the cat either raw meat or cooked meat , etc.

If an owner wants to fully avoid the risk of his/her companion becoming infected he/she should give cooked meat to prevent this parasite from being transmitted to the cat.

Wim

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Wim,
Interestingly according to Wilkipedia 88% of the people of France have the parasite from ingesting raw or undercooked meat.
It also said that by putting your meat in your freezer for 24 hours before eating it will kill the parasite.
It also blames cats for most of the problems of the disease. Because they eat wild birds and rodents such as mice and rats.

Seeing as I always freeze the meat for at least 24 hours before we eat it and I always cook our meat I shouldn't see it a problem. Even if it were a problem it is so wide spread according to the info, you can get it from just being near or cleaning your cat's litter box.

Sometimes I think some things are blown out of proportion a bit. Like the following comments in the Wilkipedia article....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

I find it hard to believe that rats would seek out areas that cat frequent no matter how sick those rats are!

Freeze your meats for 24 to 48 hours. That will kill almost any parasite...or move to Maine where it commonly goes down to -25 in the winter, ha ha....

Anyway, according to the article, probably most people and animals in the world have the disease already and for people it is from cleaning their cat's box! What if that cat never ate wild birds or mice?

Is this another scare thing to make sure people feed massively overcooked food or commercial pet food?
If this is so hard to diagnose, how can you be sure it is the cause of problems associated with it?

Sigh, there are lots of things in the world that are dangerous to do. If a person is really worried about this parasite, freeze the meat! Wear a mask when you clean your cat's box cause obviously according to the article it can even kill sea otters.....they actually claim that sea otters were dying because of cat feces! I am having trouble swallowing that one.......

For one of the good websites on this subject type in Google searchbox : toxoplasma gondii.......then scroll down to :

If I am at risk, would I be able to keep my cat ?

W.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)

Once infected with Toxoplasma is my cat always able to spread the infection to me?

No, cats only spread Toxoplasma in their feces for a few weeks following infection with the parasite. Like humans, cats rarely have symptoms when first infected, so most people do not know if their cat has been infected. The infection will go away on its own; therefore it does not help to have your cat or your cat's feces tested for Toxoplasma.


Wim, it looks like they are pushing canned or dry pet food. Like I have said over and over again. A healthy animal will reject parasites. And I always was careful cleaning the cat box. Washed my hands afterwards.
Guess this is a moot point for myself at this point anyway as we have decided to not get anymore cats. My hands are full with Luka and I can't take anymore heartbreak. So even if someone offered me a cat, I would say no.

If I am at risk, would I be able to keep my cat?

Yes, you may keep your cat if you are a person at risk for a severe infection (e.g., you have a weakened immune system or are pregnant); however, there are several safety precautions to avoid being exposed to Toxoplasma:

• Keep your cat healthy and help prevent it from becoming infected with Toxoplasma. Keep your cat indoors and feed it dry or canned cat food rather than allowing it to have access to wild birds and rodents or to food scraps. A cat can become infected by eating infected prey or by eating raw or undercooked meat infected with the parasite. Do not bring a new cat into your house that might have spent time out of doors or might have been fed raw meat. Avoid stray cats and kittens and the area they have adopted as their "home." Your veterinarian can answer any other questions you may have regarding your cat and risk for toxoplasmosis.
• Have someone who is healthy and not pregnant change your cat's litter box daily. If this is not possible, wear gloves and clean the litter box every day, because the parasite found in cat feces needs one or more days after being passed to become infectious. Wash your hands well with soap and water afterwards.

Thank you for the link to the CDC info. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasi...mosis.htm#what

Here`s another one (with proper references) mentioning commercial foods or cooked meat for people who are in doubt.

http://www.petshed.com/articles/huma...cat-worms.html

W.

__________________
Homeopath for people and animals.
(Sorry, Wim no longer works here.)