Ignore trend: No raw meats for pet food

Q: I recently married, and my husband says it’s OK to feed my dog Oscar raw meat. I don’t think so, but I don’t want to start an argument. Could you settle this issue for us? — Jayme W., Portland, Oregon

A: Nice to hear from you, Jayme, and congrats on your nuptials. Raw meat diets for dogs (and cats) are increasingly popular. Americans have recently spent $100 million a year on commercially prepared, uncooked chunks of protein, believing it’s a diet better suited to a pooch’s digestive system.

But not only do new genomic studies show that domesticated dogs have evolved to handle a comparatively starch-rich diet, studies here and in Europe also show that raw meatbased diets often are contaminated with bacteria and parasites that can sicken both a dog and its human handlers.

So Jayme, spare Oscar, your new hubby, yourself and your future offspring the dangers of a raw meatbased diet. Dish up cooked pet food only.

Q: When someone sneezes, what really are the chances of spreading a cold or flu to others? — Sarah T., Springfield, Missouri

A: During cold and flu season, sneezy folks are everywhere. And those sneezes, say MIT researchers, create a cloud of potentially germ-infused droplets that balloon, break apart and disperse as a spray; they can spread up to 6 feet.

While most viruses that trigger coldlike symptoms don’t live long on your hands, 40 percent of externalized rhinoviruses are still infectious after an hour. Respiratory syncytial virus, another sneeze-producing microbe, can survive on door handles for up to six hours and on clothing and tissues for 30 to 45 minutes.

Your best bet when around someone who is sneezing is to stand back, don’t touch your face with your hands until you wash them, and support your immune system by maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding inflammatory foods and walking 10,000 steps daily.

And what should you do if YOU are the sneeze factory?

Sneezing into the crook of your elbow or upper arm deposits potential infectious material on you that can be easily “shared.” Your best bet? When you sneeze, cover your face with a tissue. Flush the tissue. Then wash your hands for 20 seconds. Not possible? Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

And take heart, no matter which end of a sneeze you’re on, in one study, out of 61 folks with the flu, less than half released the virus into a room.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.