How bad is it for dogs to eat chicken poop?

[Bigbluefrog]

My dog has a grand mall epileptic fit (vet confirmed) the day after he eats chicken droppings.
Took us several months to filter out what was causing it.
Now he has NO access to the chickens and has not fitted.
Beware dogs eating chicken / bird droppings. It is dangerous for some dogs.

Good to be aware- I apologize for the emoji that was left didn’t realize it was chosen. I would have picked a sad face not a smiling laughing one. I have close vision issues at times

 

[Stephine]

Thanks HennyPenny2 for the reply.

Yes the vet ran tests on his poop & it showed Coccidia. When he is an adult dog it is less likely to happen so will just need to keep an eye on him over the next few months whilst him immune system strengthens and make sure it doesn't happen again. The symptoms were pretty obvious so I am sure we will notice if something reoccurs.

Coccidia is specific to the species, so chicken cocci will not make a dog sick. There are dog specific cocci in the environment though, so he could have picked them up anywhere.

 

[Bawkbok]

Our one year old large breed puppy ate all the chicken poop he could find after the girls would range. It made him gravely ill - extreme bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, severe weight loss, refused eating -- and this happened within a couple of days after cleaning the yard. After a vet visit and blood work, he required oral antibiotics including Metronidazole, Cerenia, 2 units of fluids for the extreme dehydration, and we had to wait for a compounding vet pharmacy in the NY area to ship us special oral antibiotics to fight the infection. His blood work did test positive for something chicken which I now can't recall as it's been a year ago. The vet told us to keep him away from the chickens and all their poop so I literally followed the birds around the yard and would pick up after them each time they ranged which means I literally had to follow them around and watch for them to poop. He has since stopped eating it now as an adult, not sure if age has anything to do with it or if he associated eating it with being sick. At any rate, the Vet said some dogs can become very ill, it just depends on the individual. Those chickens he ate after were also very sick, unbeknownst to us at the time, and all are now deceased. They obviously excreted something bad which he consumed. My advice, watch your dogs closely for any kind of ill reaction after eating poop, otherwise don't worry about it as the vet jokingly said it is a "delicacy" to a dog.

 

[Stephine]

Our one year old large breed puppy ate all the chicken poop he could find after the girls would range. It made him gravely ill - extreme bloody diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, severe weight loss, refused eating -- and this happened within a couple of days after cleaning the yard. After a vet visit and blood work, he required oral antibiotics including Metronidazole, Cerenia, 2 units of fluids for the extreme dehydration, and we had to wait for a compounding vet pharmacy in the NY area to ship us special oral antibiotics to fight the infection. His blood work did test positive for something chicken which I now can't recall as it's been a year ago. The vet told us to keep him away from the chickens and all their poop so I literally followed the birds around the yard and would pick up after them each time they ranged which means I literally had to follow them around and watch for them to poop. He has since stopped eating it now as an adult, not sure if age has anything to do with it or if he associated eating it with being sick. At any rate, the Vet said some dogs can become very ill, it just depends on the individual. Those chickens he ate after were also very sick, unbeknownst to us at the time, and all are now deceased. They obviously excreted something bad which he consumed. My advice, watch your dogs closely for any kind of ill reaction after eating poop, otherwise don't worry about it as the vet jokingly said it is a "delicacy" to a dog.

Would be interesting to know what your pup came down with. Glad he recovered. I can’t imagine picking up after each chicken in real time… I would have confined either the chickens or the dog…
Ours didn’t encounter chicken poop until he was 2, he has been handling it just fine (working breed, maybe that has something to do with it), considering the hens PEZ dispensers… I came across this post trying to find out something about the calories of chicken poop (I guess that’s hopeless) because our dog always gets chunkier when he has free access to them…

 

[Bawkbok]

considering the hens PEZ dispensers…

 

[Tomius]

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,

So. Just going to say it, although chicken poop doesn't necessarily cause illness in dogs, it ABSOLUTELY can cause illness in dogs. My malenois and my lab have had repeated bouts of diarrhea as a result of eating chicken poop. You should minimize exposure if at all feasible. I will say though that mine have never shown those particular symptoms. They just get a terrible case of the runs for 3 or 4 days. Not saying that's what you have going on, but it's a consideration. Another big contributor you need to be aware of is poison baits. Even if ur dog just chews on a critter that died from poison, it can make them sick at best, kill them at worst. Be aware.