Raw meat is actually bad for dogs, boffins have claimed.
The uncooked food increases their chance of developing E.coli.
And owners picking up their dog’s poo also increase their chances of catching the bacteria – which can cause sepsis.
The study looked at 600 dogs.
Researchers monitored each canine’s diet, environment, and if antibiotics were given.
They found a strong link between ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli and the dogs that were fed a raw diet.
It was the only significant risk factor associated with the resistant bacteria.
Once E.coli is swallowed it can live in the body for years and can be difficult to treat.
It can also cause infection.
Side effects include food poisoning, urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections.
In extreme cases, it can lead to sepsis.
Owners feeding their dogs raw diets has increased in popularity in recent years.
Dr Jordan Sealey, a Research Associate in the School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine led the research.
She said: “Our aim was not to focus on raw dog food.
“But to investigate what might make a dog more likely to excrete resistant E. coli in its faeces.
“Our study found a very strong association between excreting ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli and feeding dogs a raw food diet.
“Individual measures to reduce the risk of resistant bacteria being excreted by dogs include changing to a non-raw food diet or sourcing good quality raw meat that can be cooked, and then cooking it.
“Most raw food sold for consumption by dogs is not of a quality that can be cooked, and can cause a serious health hazard to dogs if cooked.
“Choosing to feed a dog meat from animals raised on farms in the UK, or other countries with very low usage of critically important antibiotics in farming, may also decrease the risk of them eating resistant bacteria with their dinner.”
The findings were published in journal One Health by researchers at the University of Bristol.
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