Organic vegetables and sprouts is not without risks; the e-coli problems in Europe should be a concern in pet diets also.

Dr. Gary Pusillo

Poop is to an organic farm as liquid nitrogen fertilizer is to an Iowa corn farm. With the e-coli outbreak in Europe, we should be careful in believing that the term organic guarantees safe, risk free foods.

All sorts of human and animal waste are used in organic farming operations throughout the world. Human waste; sometimes called night soil;”has been used to raise vegetables in Europe since the time of the Roman Empire.

My family has farmed organically since 1980; a time when people like us were called “Tree Huggers.”When our farm uses manure for raising crops, we are careful to make sure that it has been properly composted. Even our best composting techniques cannot prevent some bacteria from growing in the manure at some point in time.

As heavy rains fall on manure fertilized vegetables, the water splashes bits of the manure onto the crops being fertilized. This is one of the reasons raw vegetables harvested from organic farms must be thoroughly washed before use.

Even after washing vegetables before use, I never put raw vegetables in direct contact with raw meat and store them in the refrigerator or freezer. Raw vegetables and raw meat  blended together and stored, is just taking too much of a chance of allowing some nasty bacteria and other microorganisms the perfect conditions to proliferate and create toxins. The argument can be made for flash frozen and pasteurized commercial raw vegetable and meat blends, but for my house we will not allow it.

Raw vegetables and meat packaged and sold as a complete diet for pets provides the perfect environment for unwanted microorganisms to flourish enough to infect a pet’s digestive tract. Using commercially grown sprouted peas or grains should be used only if they are prepared properly, fed immediately after washing, and not stored with the raw meat you are providing to your pet.

Preparing homemade raw diets by choosing your own selected meat source, vegetable dietary enhancements, and professionally made vitamin and mineral supplement, can be an excellent choice for your pets individual needs.

The major difference between a commercially prepared raw meat and vegetable diet and a properly made homemade diet, is the attention to detail that you can provide to the ingredient selection process. Another major difference is the amount of time you allow raw vegetables to remain in contact with raw meat before feeding.

When buying “organic” produce at your local farmers market, be mindful of the “night soil,” animal manure, and the possibility that bits of the all natural fertilizer are on the vegetables grown in it.  Remember vegetables can be organic, but that does not mean they are 100% safe.