# Feeding Raw and Keeping Clean



## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

For those of you who feed raw, how do you keep the space where you feed your dogs clean and safe for the humans in the house? I am considering feeding Sasha, our puppy, raw due to what may be food allergies. She plays with her food and I could see her dragging raw meat all over. I suppose I could confine her to her kennel with her food or even put her and her plate into the bath tub and then clean the eating spot after.


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

Wow I never even thought about using the bathtub! That would be easy to clean, though it's kind of slippery unless you have some kind of mat for them to grip on? I fed Butters in her crate with no blanket inside, and then just wiped it down after - but I've also considered setting up a little pen area so she has more room to eat her food, and then just mopping it down. When the weather gets warmer, she's definitely gonna eat outside on the porch while I'm there with her


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

I don't feed a raw diet, but I do give raw meaty bones. One dog is in a kennel, and for the other two... I went to the fabric store and bought up a bunch of fleece fabric on clearance, then cut it into large "blankets". I put these over the dog beds and then just throw them in the wash when they are done with the bones.


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## marsha=whitie (Dec 29, 2008)

Bryna is fed in her kennel with the door locked and no blankets. Afterwards, I use a water/vinegar solution to sanitize. That's the best way for us. You could also work on training her to eat on a tarp, or something.


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## Discodobe (Jan 5, 2012)

Elsie gets her raw bones outside on the lawn. We have a separate chopping board for dog food. Elsie has her pre-made raw in the laundry... she doesn't drag it out of her bowl, but I spray and wipe the floor around there anyway.


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## CareBearStare (Dec 19, 2009)

My two get the majority of their food outside. I use bowls for eggs which they get regularly, pumpkin which they only get if needed (it's been months since I've fed the stuff), yogurt which they sometimes get as a snack and 'meat juice' aka the red stuff that collects in the bottom of my meat bins. If they're not eating outside they're hand fed which means the meal is being wrapped into a training session.

If I didn't have a yard that I could use I would probably either put towels down for them or just have them eat off the kitchen floor and use a homemade pet safe cleaner afterwards.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I taught mine to eat on a tarp which I lay on the carpet. I used to lay it on the hard floor but they were obviously uncomfortable and their legs slid and it was harder for them to eat there. I clean the tarp every few days. I watch them to make sure nothing gets on the carpet, and if that somehow happens then I roll out the steam vac. If they get blood and goo on their legs/face then I put them in the tub, wipe them down with a warm wet washcloth, and then wash the area.


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## PackMomma (Sep 26, 2011)

I feed a raw diet, honestly.. I prepare raw meat daily for myself in my kitchen so for the dogs it is no different. I thaw their raw meat patties in the fridge in a container the night before, I take them out following night, dump them into their bowls, place their bowls on the kitchen floor where they eat their meals, when they are done I immediately scrub their bowls with hot soapy water, place them in the dishwasher with the rest of the dirty dishes, if some blood or chunks of meat dripped on the counter or on the floor, I use a lysol wipe and wipe the area. Same as I would do when I am preparing raw chicken, steak or pork on my kitchen counter. 

Raw meaty bones they get outside if theyre really messy.. the soup/marrow bones aren't messy enough so they can have those in the living room.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Max generally eats outside and any mess is purified by UV and ants! Inside he eats on the tiled front hall that I can gate off if need be. I wipe the floor down with a vinegar and water soaked rag after he is done. He rarely is messy after eating, I wipe him off with a wet rag if he is. I prepare and clean after same as I do my food, after all it is the same stuff. Lots of soapy water is all it takes.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Because I'm a germaphobe and hate handling raw meat, oh and my dogs are both small... I just get premade ground raw for them. Saves me the trouble of cleaning up! Lyra gets her ears tied up behind her head when I feed raw--they get super gross and icky with the raw meat if I don't... besides that, it's hassle free and clean for me!

ETA: If I ever decided to feed them 100% raw and need to make it myself, I'll invest in a meat grinder.


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## cruiser73 (Jan 27, 2011)

I feed my boy from the bowl. He gets chicken frames, beef liver and either beef shin (cut into small pieces) or minced beef.


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## BlueChaos (Mar 29, 2010)

I have a large towel set up on the floor in the kitchen, but he still likes to drag it in his bed sometimes.


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

My pups eat in their bare crates. Keeps everything tidy, and everyone eating their own meal.


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## Sasha1/2 (Dec 22, 2011)

Sasha's been getting raw for a few months now. If her meal is chopped or ground, she is very tidy, but if I give her a whole fish, a meaty bone, or a big chunk of anything, she drags it everywhere and makes a mess. Oh, and she jumps out of the tub with the thing, so that's not an option for us. I'm going to have to kennel her and then wash the kennel and her down. 

What do you do about contaminating your yard? Do you follow your dog outside when they potty to pick up poo right away? I'm reading on good sites that raw fed dogs do have salmonella and e coli in their stool.


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## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

I feed my dogs raw in the backyard, mostly. If there's bad weather out, I'll feed them in their kennels or confined to the kitchen tile floor. The kitchen floor is cleaned promptly after feeding.

Also, keep in mind that dogs and humans alike will have salmonella in their stool regardless... Just pick up poop as you would and don't worry about it.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

> If I ever decided to feed them 100% raw and need to make it myself, I'll invest in a meat grinder.


My grinder was just delivered last week. I haven't tried it out yet.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Max usually eats outside and the UV from the sun ought to do a good job on any germs there are. He poops on the grass and I never worried about that! Inside he either eats on the tile floor I wipe up with a water and vinegar soaked rag or on a 'dog' towel that gets put into the wash.

When he eats something big and juicy inside I can remove the rug from the front hall and gate it off then mop up afterwards. If you have an exercise pen that would be perfect. Max doesn't throw food around for fun, he needs to move it this way and that to get a good angle on it and shake it to pull skin loose and the like.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I don't feed raw yet (switching over in the next week or so though) but I do feed raw meaty bones. I put old towels or blankets down. If the dogs move their bone off the blanket, I just put it back. They quickly learnt that if they stay on the towel I leave them alone and they can eat in peace.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

i taught my dogs to eat on a towel in the kitchen. they have their own cutting board, knife, cleaver, mallet, and scissors.

i wash their utensils and cutting board with soap and water and wipe down the counters...

salmonella is everywhere....i don't worry about it.

when i fed kibble, the kibble had salmonella. i didn't worry about it then.

i wasn't feeding raw when i got MRSA.....so if i can get that from a hospital...there aren't many germs that scare me anymore.


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## JulieK1967 (May 29, 2011)

Molly was taught to eat on a towel in the kitchen. After her first few attempts to take her meal to a more secluded location were thwarted because the food was removed from her control and put back on the towel, she got the message & she doesn't stray from it any more.


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