February 09, 2010
1 min read

Three Keys To Handling Raw Dog Food

3 keys of raw: storage, thawing, and handling.

Storing Raw Food

Keep frozen raw meat patties below twenty-nine (29) degrees F. It is important to keep our frozen patties in a good solid frozen state before thawing because of potential bacterial growth. Yes it is possible for bacteria to become active again if we do not keep our raw meat frozen solid. The secret to best preserve the product is to freeze fast and in the least amount of time. The variable that can be a concern is the possibility of temperature abuse (up and down) in getting the product through the supply chain. Many people are involved in the transfer and storage of the product to get it to our freezer. It is critical that everybody in the supply chain use best practices methods and maintain our product at or below 29 F at all times.

The Diet Nature Intended, Fresh and Frozen right at your doorstep

Thawing
Let us know look at the best way to thaw our raw meat patties once we have them and are ready to serve to our dogs. There are several ways to thaw the frozen patties and the MICROWAVE is not one , because the heat can kill the enzymes. The best way is to let the patties thaw over night in your refrigerator (thaw as much as needed only). Another possibility is to run cool water over the patties until thawed. Lastly is putting the patties out at room temperature. This method although workable, is not preferred, because it could lead to bacterial growth if we expose the patties for a lengthy period of time.

Handling
Because raw meat patties or anything raw means there is possible contamination from bacteria. It is best if we just follow a few simple steps after handling, wash our hands, clean up our work area and wash our utensils with hot soapy water.

Common sense is the rule for all steps.

Robert Mueller

Robert Mueller, BSc, Pharm. is a registered pharmacist, author of “Living Enzymes: The World’s Best Kept Pet Food Secret”, and co-developer of BARF World’s BARF diets patties, nuggets and supplements – the first company to make the Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF) diet conveniently available to animals everywhere. He and his wife love to travel around the world with their dog, Moxie – a Yorkshire Terrier/Maltese mix. For more articles like these and to learn more about the benefits of raw food for your pets, sign up for “The Intelligent Pet” monthly e-zine atwww.barfworld.com .

Three Keys To Handling Raw Dog Food

Robert Mueller

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