Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat–based diets for dogs and cats

The feeding of RMBDs to dogs and cats has received increasing attention in recent years. The American Animal Hospital Association,1 AVMA,2 and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association3 have adopted statements discouraging the inclusion of raw or undercooked animal-source protein in dog and cat diets. The Delta Society's Pet Partners Program expressed concern that pets in a therapy animal program could be shedding pathogens in the presence of immunocompromised humans and other at-risk human populations. Therefore, they adopted in 2010 a policy that precludes animals that eat RMBDs from participating in their therapy animal program.4