Signs of Food Poisoning in Dogs

By Jerry Welsh


Food poisoning has caused a hundreds of dogs to die every year. We know how dogs love to roam. Dogs are noted to have ultrasensitive scenting abilities. Apart from being food motivated, dogs are known to be indiscriminate eaters. The smell of rotting food in trash bins and garbage heaps would be too tempting for a dog to resist. It's no wonder then if these animals often suffer from food poisoning.

Food poisoning commonly occur because of the dog's voracious appetite but this health concern can be due to other reasons as well. A pampered dog that is kept indoors by loving owners can get poisoned by commercially prepared food. High quality commercial dog food can get contaminated too. Contaminated commercial food would kill the dog slowly as owners unaware of the dog's condition will continue feeding the dog so that the toxins will build up in the dog's system.

Food poisoning, just like any other health issues can be prevented from causing the dog serious harm if detected early. To safeguard the health of the pet, a dog owner has to have an idea how a dog suffering from food poisoning would react. Dogs have the ability to doctor themselves thus a poisoned dog would know what must be done. Dogs that have swallowed substances not accepted by the stomach would induce vomiting by eating grass. However, the dog's self doctoring may be ineffective in removing the toxins.

Dogs that are allowed to wander have all the opportunities to eat rotten food. Food poisoning can be the result of introducing a new diet. A dog suffering from food poisoning would vomit. Diarrhea is another sign that the dog has ingested a toxic substance. Vomiting and diarrhea is the dog's system's way of removing the toxic substances. Excessive drooling and sluggishness are other signs of food poisoning. Food poisoning can cause the dog to turn away from food. If the toxins are not flushed out and remained in the dog's body for a few days, a yellowish tint in the eyes of the dog and bright orange colored urine will be observed. Vomiting blood, blackened stool, seizures and loss of motor skills are advanced signs of food poisoning. Dogs would totally refuse food. Worried dog owners would tempt the dog with the dog food mixed with human food thereby aggravating the condition if the poisoning is caused by the contaminated dog food.

Fasting the dog for 24 hours is the most common measure done on dogs that are vomiting and having diarrhea due to the ingestion of contaminated food. Give the dog bland foods like boiled rice and chicken after the fasting period. If this fasting did not resolve the dog's vomiting and diarrhea and if the condition of the pet worsened, it is imperative to head to a veterinary facility so that the dog can receive appropriate medical treatment.




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