Pup eats bird?

paultf

Have a 6 month old pup who is so food hungry that sometimes he actually thinks water is food.

When out walking he is quicker than me at spotting potential food. Recently he ate some raw fish along the canal.

This morning I saw the wing of a bird in his mouth. He wouldn't drop it and ate it. There is a starling nest at the corner of the house so I am assuming it was one of those.

I don't know how much of a bird he consumed but was wondering will he be alright or is there something I need to do?

muddypaws

I'm ensure that he is up to date with his worming if he's eating stuff like that.

How often are you feeding him?

paultf

muddypaws wrote: »

I'm ensure that he is up to date with his worming if he's eating stuff like that.

How often are you feeding him?

His worming is up-to-date. I have some Drontal puppy liquid which I have been giving him once a month or so.

The breeder told me he had a big appetite. He is big for a cocker of 6 months and weighs around 6.5kg already.

The Burns folk suggest 2 meals a day for 6 months old. He also gets extra food during the day. He is well fed but loves his food and always wants more.

I just wanted to check if I needed to go to the vets after eating something like that.

wolfpawnat

paultf wrote: »

His worming is up-to-date. I have some Drontal puppy liquid which I have been giving him once a month or so.

The breeder told me he had a big appetite. He is big for a cocker of 6 months and weighs around 6.5kg already.

The Burns folk suggest 2 meals a day for 6 months old. He also gets extra food during the day. He is well fed but loves his food and always wants more.

I just wanted to check if I needed to go to the vets after eating something like that.

At 6 months, many would suggest 3 feeds a day.

aisher

I found a dead bird in my garden without its head and was unsure if my puppy had ate it or if a cat had left it there - rang my vet who said the main problem if my dog had eaten it was to make sure she went to the toilet - apparently the bones could impact in the gut and either cause a blockage or tear the gut - he was fairly confident there would be no problems and he was right. I think your dog should be fine.

muddypaws

paultf wrote: »

His worming is up-to-date. I have some Drontal puppy liquid which I have been giving him once a month or so.

The breeder told me he had a big appetite. He is big for a cocker of 6 months and weighs around 6.5kg already.

The Burns folk suggest 2 meals a day for 6 months old. He also gets extra food during the day. He is well fed but loves his food and always wants more.

I just wanted to check if I needed to go to the vets after eating something like that.

Sorry for my typo in the first reply

I'd say maybe try the 3 meals a day, I would still be feeding that often with a 6 month old pup, not extra food, but just divided into 3, purely so that the pup feels full for longer during the day.

Just keep an eye on him, one of my girls got a swallow yesterday she seems fine.

paultf

Well so far Dooley seems to be alright. No problems with the bird issue yet.

(@muddypaws didn't see the typo!
@wolfpawnat: for my other pups I almost sure I fed 3 meals. I saw a video on the Burns website recently where they said it was a personal choice but 2 would be OK. I'll try 3 meals and see how we get on.
@aisher I'll watch out at toilet times.)

Off-topic - Dooley was neutered on Monday and has been trying to get at the stiches. During the day I use a 'comfy collar' (inflatable) as I can keep an eye on him. It seemed to be working and I thought he couldn't get at them. With the comfy collar he is relaxed enough to lie around, drink from the bowl, etc. I take it off at mealtimes.

The first night's sleep though I wan't totally confident about the comfy collar so I used the traditional plastic buster collar. But I left the light on in the utility where he slept as he seemed a bit lost with the buster collar.

Then last night I toke a chance with the comfy collar and everything seemed to be OK down below when I checked this morning.

Today I was away for about 4 hours. I left him with the comfy collar. Came back and he somehow he got at the top stitch (there are 6 total). The wound is slightly red so I hope it is OK. He does let out a yelp sometimes when he moves quickly so it must be still sore.

So I am afraid he'll back on the buster collar when he is on his own.

muddypaws

You see, blooming dogs, you try and make their life the best you can, and they just don't appreciate it

dodderangler

It's a cocker so its natural for the dog to have some sort of want for birds
I wouldn't worry if he eat a fresh bird
I'd be more worried if he found a dead rotten one

anniehoo

muddypaws wrote: »

I'm ensure that he is up to date with his worming if he's eating stuff like that

There isn't anything parasitic he's likely to "catch" that's pathogenic bar maybe cryptosporidiosis off a dead bird that normal deworming is going to prevent and even then it's unlikely.

Foreign body obstruction from undigested bones or salmonellosis is your biggest worry, but if after 24hrs there's no symptoms, he's pretty much ok.

Bid08

My black lab done this when he was a pup. I looked out the window and all could see was 2 bird legs dangling from his mouth, there was nothing I could do but tell him to drop it, by the time I got out to him it was gone. but yea I would agree just keep an eye on his poop but he should be fine

muddypaws

paultf wrote: »

When out walking he is quicker than me at spotting potential food. Recently he ate some raw fish along the canal.

muddypaws wrote: »

I'm ensure that he is up to date with his worming if he's eating stuff like that.

anniehoo wrote: »

There isn't anything parasitic he's likely to "catch" that's pathogenic bar maybe cryptosporidiosis off a dead bird that normal deworming is going to prevent and even then it's unlikely.

The OP doesn't know if the bird was fresh, or what kind of bird it was, and states that the dog often finds things and eats them, when on walks, as highlighted. So, going on my own vet's advice, if a dog is scavenging like that, keeping up to date with a worming regime is, in my opinion, good advice.

anniehoo

muddypaws wrote: »

keeping up to date with a worming regime is, in my opinion, good advice.

It's always good to keep up to date with worming, but my point is there isn't anything parasitic that is transferrable from the bird to the dog.

Your dog is more likely to get sick from a bacterial infection or forgeign body ingestion, so deworming isn't relevant in this case.

muddypaws

anniehoo wrote: »

It's always good to keep up to date with worming, but my point is there isn't anything parasitic that is transferrable from the bird to the dog.

Your dog is more likely to get sick from a bacterial infection or forgeign body ingestion, so deworming isn't relevant in this case.

I'm not sure if you're having problems with your screen, so you can't see what I am actually posting, or if you're just looking for an argument? Maybe re-read the highlighted bits of my last post?

I don't know what your qualifications are, you may well be a canine health professional, but I do know what qualifications my vet has. When I discussed the fact that I feed my dogs raw fish, she advised me to ensure that I worm them meticulously, so that is who's advise I will listen to, rather than some randomer on the internet that I have no idea about.

anniehoo

Okaaay maybe the break you're taking is probably a good thing, because your attitude is appalling today.

I think you've missed my point entirely as i have simply stated that there are no parasites transmissible to dogs from birds that warrant deworming or will be affected by deworming, if this is the reason you're doing it. I was only referring to birds above.

With fish, they can get Diphyllobothrium, which is a cestode (tapeworm) so your wormer will need to contain an active ingredient against tapeworm. Not all do. This is where everyone needs to educate themselves into why and what they're giving their pets.

Randomly deworming when you've no idea of the parasites involved or whether the dog is even the primary host is pointless.

I won't bore you with my qualifications,but suffice to say the advice above has just been confirmed by a European Parasitology specialist.