How bad is it for dogs to eat chicken poop?

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wbruder17

wbruder17

Songster
9 Years
Jun 7, 2010
1,661
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Portland, OR
We have had an issue or two with two of our dogs getting sick... wobbling, not being able to stand, etc. They eat all kinds of stuff in the yard, so we really have no way of pinpointing any specific thing. I just want to know if chicken poo, one of the things im sure they eat, is toxic, and if so, just how toxic.

Thanks,
 
My dogs eat chicken poo all the time without any problems, besides the fact it grosses me out.
sickbyc.gif
I have read several threads that have talked about this, and chicken poo does not seem to cause dogs any problems. I would look for things like antifreeze, and other petroleum based products. Antifreeze tastes sweet so animals will drink it. The problems with it is that it destroys the animals kidneys.
 
Quote:
If it were antifreeze the dogs wouldn't be here.....they drink that and it gets them within a couple days, stop eating and get really sick real fast.....check for wild mushrooms in the yard.......also if you have a compost pile and they eat out of it that can cause those symptoms
 
Last edited:
It's gross and they can get some types of worms from it if your birds have them, but it's not toxic and it will not cause the symptoms you describe. It certainly does sound like some sort of toxicity or a neurological problem, but chicken poo isn't the culprit. You should go over your yard with a fine tooth comb and look for anything he could be getting in to. If he gets any human food at all you need to review that too and make sure he isn't eating something toxic (macadamia nuts cause temporary paralysis, raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure, etc).
 
My dog stays overweight from eating chicken poop, which my vet says is calorie dense. If the dog can pick up worms from eating it, he can also pick them up from the soil they are on. It is just about impossible to break the habit.

When I've had a dog or, especially, a cat get wobbly, it has been from eating chameleons -- happened several times til the animals wiped out the chameleon population.
 
My 3 dogs eat dog poop all the time so I asked the vet about it. He said as distasteful as it is to us it will not hurt the dogs. My dogs are on Interceptor Heart worm medicine which also controls rounds worms, hookworms and whipworms. They have a fecal test annually and are always negative for intestinal parasites.

Have you checked your dogs for ticks? Dogs can get tick paralysis from some ticks.
What is tick paralysis and how is it caused?
Tick paralysis is not a paralysis of the tick, but a paralysis in animals, which is caused by the tick. The females of the Dermacentor variabilis, D. andersoni, and Ixodes holocyclus (found in Australia) ticks secrete a toxin that affects the nervous system of mammals. It produces a flaccid (weak, with no muscular tone) paralysis. In some animals, only the hind limbs are affected. In others, the condition can ascend up the body and affect the front limbs and sometimes even the muscles required for respiration.

What are the signs of tick paralysis?

The signs of paralysis generally start 5-7 days after the ticks start feeding (it usually takes multiple ticks feeding simultaneously to elicit the paralysis). The first signs are weakness and incoordination in the hind legs. Several hours after the signs in the hind limbs start, the front legs are affected and soon the animal can not move any of his legs. Difficulty with breathing, chewing, and swallowing can be seen. The animal generally has no fever. Death can occur within hours from respiratory failure due to paralysis of the muscles necessary for respiration.

How is tick paralysis diagnosed?

The diagnosis is based on the sudden onset of paralysis, the rapid worsening of the condition, the season of the year, presence of ticks, and rapid recovery when the ticks are removed.

What is the treatment for tick paralysis?

The treatment for tick paralysis is basic - Remove the Ticks. Most animals will quickly recover. If an animal is severely affected, supportive care and artificial respiration may be needed. There is an antitoxin that can be given if it is available and can be procured quickly.

Not all ticks carry this toxin and not all dogs are affected, hence the disease is only occasionally seen. Cats appear resistant to the toxin.​
 
I am having the same symptoms with one of my dogs that eats a lot more than the other one. She is not quite a year old and started having equilibrium issues 2 days ago. We took her to the vets and they ran blood work to see if she had any toxicity or infection as well as checked her ears and eyes etc. Nothing showed up. She was much better yesterday, but this morning we let her out in the yard with the chickens for about an hour and she's awful today. She can barely stand up. Did you ever get a diagnosis for your dogs?
 
AinaWGSD said:
It's gross and they can get some types of worms from it if your birds have them, but it's not toxic and it will not cause the symptoms you describe.  It certainly does sound like some sort of toxicity or a neurological problem, but chicken poo isn't the culprit.  You should go over your yard with a fine tooth comb and look for anything he could be getting in to.  If he gets any human food at all you need to review that too and make sure he isn't eating something toxic (macadamia nuts cause temporary paralysis, raisins and grapes can cause kidney failure, etc).
Click to expand...

Chicken poo gives dogs worms....depending on how much they eat and the amount. We have four dogs and we cannot stop them from eating, so we use a dewormer on them about every 3 months. We notice things like excessive licking on legs, scooting the booty, lack of appetite and energy. Once we see those symptoms again we go through a round of treatment on the dogs.
 

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