Top vet reveals the foods she would never give her dog – as she warns how your pet’s diet could put YOU at risk

A top vet has revealed the food she would never feed her dog as she warned certain pet diets are putting owners at risk.

Virginia Beach-based Tiffany Ruiz-Dasilva has been an animal doctor for seven years and now wants to dispel some myths about what’s good and bad for four-legged friends and their owners.

The 35-year-old explained how omitting raw ingredients, watching for bacteria and counting calories are some of her helpful tips.

She urged pet owners that it is even more important to be aware of this if there are children or vulnerable people in the home.

Based in Virginia Beach, Tiffany Ruiz-Dasilva has been an animal doctor for seven years and now wants to bust some myths about what’s good and bad for four-legged friends and their owners.

The 35-year-old explained how omitting raw ingredients, watching for bacteria and counting calories are some of her helpful tips.

“Many factors play a role in what people feed their pets, whether it’s finances, religious beliefs or personal beliefs,” Tiffany said.

‘My job is to ensure that the dogs are healthy and that their owners are well informed.’

In a video on her Instagram, the expert shared how she didn’t want to feed her canine companion raw eggs, raw meat and bully sticks.

It sparked a lively debate between owners in the comments before Tiffany shared a follow-up clip to address the widespread fury.

She has since said: ‘If anyone wants to feed their pet a raw diet for any reason, I recommend it be a commercially made diet.

‘By that I mean it has been formulated by a veterinary nutritionist or PhD, ensuring it is complete, balanced and has undergone high-pressure pasteurization.\

‘Research shows that raw eggs are less digestible than cooked eggs, so there is no benefit to them.

‘However, there is a high risk because raw eggs often contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause serious health problems in dogs.

She urged pet owners that it is even more important to be aware of this if there are children or vulnerable people in the home

In a video on her Instagram, the expert shared how she wouldn’t feed her canine companion raw eggs, raw meat and bully sticks

‘Even if a dog shows no signs of infection, it can be a carrier and transmit the bacteria to humans through contact with the infected dog.

‘Feeding raw egg whites for long periods of time can also lead to a biotin deficiency, causing skin and coat problems, lethargy and other health problems.’

Tiffany also warned owners not to feed their dogs bully sticks, a long-lasting, high-protein dog treat made from the dried penises of bulls or steers, also known as pizzles.

They are also known as beef sticks, beef pizzle or beef sticks.

She said: ‘I don’t recommend feeding dogs bully sticks in the first place as around a third of them have been found to be contaminated with bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella.

‘If a dog swallows a large piece, it can cause an intestinal blockage, which may require emergency surgery.

‘They are also quite high in calories, about 90 calories per 15 centimeters.

“While this doesn’t sound like much, treats should only make up 10 percent of a dog’s daily calories.”

And the last no-no on Tiffany’s list is uncooked meat.

She said: ‘I don’t recommend feeding dogs uncooked meat as there is no clear benefit based on the current evidence to date and there are many risks.

‘Raw meat-based diets also contain a lot of fat. Although they may lead to coat improvements, higher fat diets can cause gastrointestinal problems and increase the risk of obesity.

‘It’s easy to overfeed because of the increased palatability.’

Tiffany also says that while many dogs can tolerate pathogens, not all dogs can.

But viewers were left bitterly divided over the advice, with one person writing: ‘Hmmmm ok. Raw meat works great for our dogs, but yes, bacteria risks need to be taken seriously’

“My job is to make sure the dogs are healthy and their owners are well informed,” Tiffany said

She said: ‘Due to the nature of raw foods, they are inherently susceptible to bacterial contamination.

‘Although freezing and freeze-drying can reduce the number of bacteria, not all pathogens are destroyed.

‘These pathogens will continue to pass into the feces even if the dog consuming the raw meat-based diet shows no signs of illness.’

The expert then explained that this can endanger both owners and their dogs.

She said: ‘This could affect people who are young, pregnant, old or immunosuppressed, and increase exposure to drug-resistant bacteria that can cause antibiotic resistance.’

Instead, Tiffany recommends that people feed their dogs a commercial fresh food diet because she “firmly believes that fresh food is the ideal choice.”

But viewers remained bitterly divided over the advice, with one person writing: ‘Hmmmm okay. Raw meat works great for our dogs, but yes, the bacteria risks need to be taken seriously.”

“My dog ​​ate a rotten possum the other day. I think he’ll be fine on his raw diet,” someone else added.

Another surprised user said: ‘Wow. I have been feeding raw food for over 10 years and the only food that ever made my dogs sick was kibble. Yeah, I don’t understand why people advocate raw meat when you can just gently cook the meat at home and make it safer!’

‘Dogs are constantly compared to wild wolves while living completely different lives as justification for a raw food diet,’ said one pet owner.

Another person added: ‘Thank God for this post. I love it. So many people get (pardon the pun) BS about what dog food should look like.

‘I call it dog abuse. Raw is, among other things, very sour and lazy. Great post.’