Why Don't Dogs Get Salmonella, etc. When They Eat Rotten Food (chicken, coyote)
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I worked at a fish hatchery that spawned Chinook salmon. Our dog ate some raw fish and got Salmon poisoning. We took her to the vet and she got antibiotics. If we hadn't recognized immediately what was going on, she probably would have died.
They sure do get sick from eating nasty things. They can get away with eating stuff we (US citizens) cannot tolerate, but their digestive systems are not invincible.
Dogs can become severely ill from eating nasty things. That said dogs evolved to have a much higher tolerance to eating things like bacteria infected meat. They are opportune feeders and evolved a stronger digestive system than humans have with stronger stomach acid to tolerate food that people can't including animals that have been dead for a while.
The best example of this are vultures. They can eat any meat no matter how rotten it is. They also have the strongest stomach acid in the animal world.
Dogs can become severely ill from eating nasty things. That said dogs evolved to have a much higher tolerance to eating things like bacteria infected meat. They are opportune feeders and evolved a stronger digestive system than humans have with stronger stomach acid to tolerate food that people can't including animals that have been dead for a while.
The best example of this are vultures. They can eat any meat no matter how rotten it is. They also have the strongest stomach acid in the animal world.
Bingo. Dogs have a digestive system like a garbage disposal, at least with regards to meat. But onions and grapes are poison to dogs in relatively low doses. It’s like asking why a Prius can’t pull a tractor trailer but a Freightliner can.
Because they are not human. Their systems are different with different gut bacteria.
They have to have different gut tolerances. Just think about what they have no choice but to expose their tongues/mouth to on a regular basis.
True story: a neighbor of mine slaughtered one of his livestock in his front yard. He was quite cavalier about such things which was a constant source of irritation to the neighborhood. Apparently he left home on short notice and the carcass stayed right where it dropped after butchering the useful meat off of it. His own dogs free-ranged normally so they gorged themselves on it for days. So did the local ravens, magpies, jays, coyotes, other loose dogs and who-knows what other scavengers, carrying off the bits they could carry. As the carcass rotted the smell attracted dogs from farther away. When some visiting dog gorged, left, and ended up getting rid of it's belly full of spoiled meat, it just scattered contagion farther. More and more came down with intestinal infections and pancreatitis. At least three died, others ended up at the vet's for varying amounts of time and expense. Someone finally posted a plea at the local market begging someone to volunteer their backhoe to bury the nuisance. They left him quite a bill too.
Last edited by Parnassia; 10-22-2018 at 06:55 PM..
I've seen dogs eat some gnarly things and they don't seem to suffer for it. Why?
Canines have a tough constitution. Coyotes eat stuff that would make a billy goat puke and just go on their merry unphased. One of my buddies dogs found a dead steer once and rolled in it when we were out on the range. OMG did he STINK. He was literally black with dead steer. We were in a jeep at the time so the dog wound up running home. We were no way going to let him in the rig. But he was quite happy with the stench.
Yeah, think about wild dogs. Wolves can catch something, then not eat all of it, and come back to it for several days. Think how gnarly it's gotten in the meantime.
I feed my cat raw chicken hearts, and sometime they're a bit tired, but she doesn't mind and doesn't get sick. That said, if they're *too* dated she won't eat them.
The do seem to have stronger constitutions, but they can and do get sick from pathogens.
I would imagine most carnivores have a high degree of resistance to bacteria and such in meat, or they would die off pretty quickly.
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