Raw chicken, not so good

[OSO-DETROIT]

Oso got into the garbage and ate raw chicken breast from the night before. It took a day but now hs's finally pooping ut its like water and smells 1/2 a block down. He's also been leting out horrible gas. anything i can give him for upset stomach? how long do u think itll take to run it's course?

[Jamiya]

It should move through him pretty quickly. Are you sure he didn't eat anything besides chicken? My dogs eat raw chicken all the time.

You can give something like Pepcid or Pepto Bismol, but please call your vet for approval and get the correct dosage.

[honeybears]

since he is not used to eating raw, it has upset his intestional tract. I was let it run its course , he should feel better pretty fast by tomorrow, If he doesnt, call the vet. I would hold off on feeding him his regular food today too

[Shineillusion]

There are a couple of things you need to concider here. First of all, the chicken had been at room temperature, so the likelyhood of organisms like salmonella and campylobacter being present on the chicken is quite high.

Salmonella infections in dogs are usually self-limiting, but not always. There are risks of complications such as dehydration, so keep an eye on your dog until the diarrhea has resolved and seek veterinary attention should the diarrhea contain blood and mucus.

There is also a risk of contamination for you and your family. Salmonella are shed in the stool and saliva for several weeks, even after the dog recovers. In fact, dogs can be carriers of salmonella without ever becoming sick. Wash your hands well after cleaning up any stools, and be aware that contamination from licking is a possibility.

Campylobacter is another organism that can make not only your dog but you quite sick. Campylobacter infections resemble parvo, and will even cause a positive results if the dog is tested for parvo. If you dog starts to vomit, has blood in his stool, or becomes weak or lethargic, seek veterinary attention ASAP.

[Jamiya]

Dogs (wolves) bury their kills and then dig them up and eat them days later. I don't think the chicken in itself is a problem for the dog.

[Shineillusion]

Dogs are not wolves. Over 10,000 years of evolution seperate wolves from dogs. While they may have the same basic genetics, several alterations have occured in dogs, making them dogs. There is also absolutely no way of knowing just how many wolves develop salmonella infection from eating days old kills, because they don't make a trip to the vet for diagnosis and treatment.

Wolf kills also don't come from slaughterhouses that are teaming with fecal borne pathogens. 80% of raw diets fed to dogs that have been tested for salmonella test positive. 30% of dogs fed raw diets also test positive for salmonella.

Salmonella is remarkably hardy. It can survive freezing for up to 4 months. It proliferates at room temperature.

Salmonella is concidered a pathogen that affects dogs to some degree. Veterinary texts define 3 levels of infection; subclinical, acute, and endotoxic. The contention that salmonella does not infect dogs is patently false. According to the CDC, USDA and NIH, subclinical infections (carriers with no clinical evidence of infection) in dogs have to potential of causing zoonitic disease in humans.

Salmonella outbreaks are common in greyhound kennels. Morbitity can go as high as 100% in puppies, with mortality ranging close to 40%. These statistics come directly from the USDA.

Campylobacter is also present on much of the poultry sold in grocery stores and meat markets. Campylobacter most definately infects dogs, is often confused with parvo, but unlike parvo it is possible for a human to become infected from an infected dog.

If a dog develops a case of diarrhea after pilfering raw chicken from the garbage, it's reasonable to suspect something about the chicken could be the cause. Salmonella and campylobacter would be the two most likely culprits.

[OSO-DETROIT]

SO FAR HE'S BEEN OK. THE STOOL HAS THICKENED, BUT HE SEEMS A LIL DOWN TODAY. THANK FOR THE INFO. ILL DEFINITLY KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR AWHILE ABOUT THE GERMS. IT WAS AT ROOM TEMP FOR AT LEAST 10 HRS.