How to Sterilize Meat for Dogs

Steralize raw meat before feeding it to your dog to avoid illness.
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Raw diet or cooked for dogs? Not everyone agrees, but if you're leaning towards a raw diet, remember your domestic pooch may not produce the good bacteria or enough hydrochloric acid to protect him from evil food-borne diseases. Sterilizing raw meat before feeding it to him will help avoid illness.

Step 1

Fill your sink with cold water.

Step 2

Stir in 1 teaspoon of basic unscented bleach for every 2 gallons of water in your sink.

Step 3

Place the meat in the water, completely submerging it.

Step 4

Allow the meat to soak for at least five minutes but no longer than 10 minutes.

Step 5

Rinse the meat off and set it on a paper towel.

Step 6

Drain and completely rinse the sink to remove all traces of the bleach, then refill the sink.

Step 7

Place the meat in the plain water and soak it for 10 more minutes.

Step 8

Remove the meat from the water and pat it dry with paper towels.

Tips

  • In place of the bleach you can use 1/2 teaspoon of liquid grapefruit seed extract or a few drops of 35 percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide. You'll want enough peroxide to create little bubbles in the water, but not so much that it changes the color of the meat.

  • If you feel squeamish about feeding your dog a hunk of raw meat, cook it instead. You have to cook it thoroughly to ensure you've killed any bacteria that might be on or in it. Cooking it to a doneness that you would eat is a useful guideline to follow.

Items You Will Need

  • Water
  • Bleach
  • Paper towels