Hi Bellesmom I feed Crouton raw and have been doing it for about 5 years she hasn't ever caught salmonella poisoning except, I suspect, we both did only once when it was my mistake of catching mackerel of the pier and leaving it the bucket without gutting it and without ice while catching more. So when we both ate fish dinner that night (her's raw and mine fried) we both had bouts of vomitting and diahrrea 
. And whereas hers only lasted 2 days mine lasted 1 horrible week.
But dogs have a shorter intestinal tract than humans and I think that healthy raw fed dogs have higher acid content in their stomach that will kill bacteria. Also I think that processed meat and kibble has a higher percentage of salmonella because it is ground and macerated therefore more surface area equals more room for bacteria to live in. There is also the added concern about their processing techniques because the more it is handled the more room for error.
I found this quote from the website rawfed.com
"Dogs are surprisingly well-equipped to deal with bacteria. Their saliva has antibacterial properties; it contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys harmful bacteria. Their short digestive tract is designed to push through food and bacteria quickly without giving bacteria time to colonize. The extremely acidic environment in the gut is also a good bacteria colonization deterrent. People often point to the fact that dogs shed salmonella in their feces (even kibble-fed dogs do this) without showing any ill effects as proof that the dog is infected with salmonella. In reality, all this proves is that the dog has effectively passed the salmonella through its system with no problems. Yes, the dog can act as a salmonella carrier, but the solution is simple—do not eat dog crap and wash your hands after picking up after your dog."
. And whereas hers only lasted 2 days mine lasted 1 horrible week. But dogs have a shorter intestinal tract than humans and I think that healthy raw fed dogs have higher acid content in their stomach that will kill bacteria. Also I think that processed meat and kibble has a higher percentage of salmonella because it is ground and macerated therefore more surface area equals more room for bacteria to live in. There is also the added concern about their processing techniques because the more it is handled the more room for error.
I found this quote from the website rawfed.com
"Dogs are surprisingly well-equipped to deal with bacteria. Their saliva has antibacterial properties; it contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys harmful bacteria. Their short digestive tract is designed to push through food and bacteria quickly without giving bacteria time to colonize. The extremely acidic environment in the gut is also a good bacteria colonization deterrent. People often point to the fact that dogs shed salmonella in their feces (even kibble-fed dogs do this) without showing any ill effects as proof that the dog is infected with salmonella. In reality, all this proves is that the dog has effectively passed the salmonella through its system with no problems. Yes, the dog can act as a salmonella carrier, but the solution is simple—do not eat dog crap and wash your hands after picking up after your dog."
