Can Guinea Pigs Become Ill From Salmonella And Other Bacteria In Raw Meat?

[Sian25]

Random question I know but I'm wondering whether guinea pigs can become ill or salmonella and other bacterias found in raw meat. I only ask because my dog is raw fed and I have always been very obsessive and overly cautious of any cross contamination to the guinea pigs. However, I've just found online an article that suggests that guinea pigs naturally carry bacteria like salmonella so I'm wondering whether they actually don't become ill like us humans? Obviously the dog doesn't go near the pigs anyway but we always wash our hands before touching the pigs or anything that they would have contact with and take our shoes and socks off before going in their room as they have floor time there. The dog also has his face/paws washed after eating.

Of course a certain standard of hygiene is needed when handling raw meat and a dog that eats it and holds between his paws etc but if I knew the guinea pigs wouldn't be affected then I would be a bit more relaxed about it. Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Random question I know but I'm wondering whether guinea pigs can become ill or salmonella and other bacterias found in raw meat. I only ask because my dog is raw fed and I have always been very obsessive and overly cautious of any cross contamination to the guinea pigs. However, I've just found online an article that suggests that guinea pigs naturally carry bacteria like salmonella so I'm wondering whether they actually don't become ill like us humans? Obviously the dog doesn't go near the pigs anyway but we always wash our hands before touching the pigs or anything that they would have contact with and take our shoes and socks off before going in their room as they have floor time there. The dog also has his face/paws washed after eating.

Of course a certain standard of hygiene is needed when handling raw meat and a dog that eats it and holds between his paws etc but if I knew the guinea pigs wouldn't be affected then I would be a bit more relaxed about it. Thanks

Guinea pigs can catch salmonella from you, but only if there is an acute outbreak. We had one case of that last year on the forum where somebody with an acute salmonella infection passed it on to their guinea pigs before they were diagnosed properly (which took some time in their case); but that is the only case I know of. I have not yet heard of guinea pigs catching salmonella via a dog. It is rare anyway.

Thankfully, there are not many issues that can pass across between guinea pigs, humans and dogs. Ringworm is the most infectious and common of them all, but that can be got on top of pretty straight forward with good hygiene. Most of these spores and bugs are naturally around in small quantities. The immune system can usually keep them under control. Dogs and guinea pigs should not use the same areas on the lawn, not just because fresh dog pee is poisonous and can kill.
In very, very rare and so far only episodal cases, a cold virus or a norovirus can jump over to guinea pigs, so use common sense and do not cuddle or handle your piggies any more than absolutely necessary when you are ill with a respiratory or with a gastro-intestinal infection. In any case, I would recommend to additionally use disposable gloves whenever you have an acute transmittable problem in the home, and if you have a healthy family member, let them take over the feeding/cleaning until you are past the highly infectious phase.

It is good that you are practising good hygiene, which should pretty much prevent any problems from being carried across, so I would stop fretting over it!

 

[Freela]

The fact that animals and people can carry bacteria without being ill does not confer any sort of immunity (for instance, we are both very likely colonized with E. coli right now in our digestive tracts... which doesn't protect us from picking up an E. coli infection from tainted food somewhere else down the line. We are all living symbiotically with a ton of bacteria without becoming ill, but it doesn't protect us from infectious bacteria from elsewhere, or from our own bodies but in the wrong place. Gastrointestinal bacteria that are harmless in the gut can wreak havoc if they migrate to the urinary system, for example. Skin bacteria can cause serious infection if they reach the bloodstream.) So just because guinea pigs may carry salmonella in their digestive tract doesn't mean that they are immune to salmonella, if that makes sense. That said, I think that the risk of contracting salmonella from a raw-fed dog is probably extremely slim and basic hygiene like washing your hands after prepping the dog's food should be enough to protect them (and you) from bacteria.

 

[Sian25]

Sorry I didn't get back, I've been manic with work so haven't been online for a few days. Thanks for easing my mind a bit though.

If we didn't have guinea pigs, we would relax a bit more but I worry with them being so small and fragile. It's a no win situation though because we have raw fed since day 1 and I personally wouldn't feed the dog anything else. I guess that although we clean the dogs face after he eats a meal, there is potentially still bacteria on his face that he then may transfer to the floor etc, then we stand on it and could walk it into their room- that's why we take our shoes/socks off as the pigs have floor time in their room. Of course the dog doesn't have access to their room but it does play on my mind alot. I suppose I'll just have to continue as we are and try and not think of it as I think we can start getting bogged down with a lot of potential hazards.

When I read the article about guinea pigs carrying salmonella, I did think that maybe they couldn't get ill from it (I'd never heard of a pig getting salmonella) so thought we could relax a bit but we will carry on as we are!

 

[Freela]

I really think basic common sense items like handwashing after prepping food would be enough to protect them. Realistically, we all come into contact with a ton of bacteria every single day. We have immune systems to help protect us and become ill from only a fraction of the germs we encounter. I mean, theoretically there are going to be germs on your shoes/socks/feet from anywhere you go and on your hands from anything you touch... yet we are not constantly ill, and our pets are not constantly ill. So I really don't think you need to stress excessively about this potential risk. Yes, raw meat can carry salmonella, but your pigs are very unlikely to contract salmonella simply from being in the same house as raw meat, or a human who has handled raw meat, or a dog that has eaten raw meat. I really do think the risk to them is small.