What if your dog eats human poo...

Discussion in 'Labrador Health' started by MF, Jul 25, 2016.

  1. MF

    MF Registered Users

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    Snowie has a penchant for human poo. His vice. Thankfully he does not eat other animal poo.

    Today he must've found a bumper crop on our mountain walk -- he disappeared for longer than usual and came back with Stink Mouth! A few hours later he vomited up the poo on our bedroom carpet -- we have reach a new low! :eek: And then behaved very weirdly, as if he'd been poisoned. Rushed him to the vet.

    She said that it is very unlikely for a dog to get poisoned from eating human poo even if the human had ingested drugs and alcohol, that the drugs and alcohol would've been absorbed in the GIT already. She did relate a story of a puppy brought in having a seizure. Puppy eventually went to sleep and woke up later ravenous. Ate. Then went back to sleep, woke up later ravenous, back to sleep, woke up ravenous, and so on. Turns out the puppy had found the grandfather's stash of marijuana. So human drugs can affect dogs in a bad way and in the same way (with the munchies), but hopefully not via poo.

    Our vet said that human poo does have some terrible bacteria and she's had cases of dogs with bad gastro from ingesting human poo. Gave us Flagyl (antibiotics) but only to administer if Snowie has diarrhea. So far he has just been sleeping.

    She thinks he had a normal epileptic seizure. He is epileptic, but this was completely out of his pattern -- his seizures have always happened in the early hours. All signs were normal -- heart rate, temperature, eyes. But very wobbly, she said a clear sign he had a neurological issue, but she was not convinced it was poisoning. I must confess that I do think the seizure was caused from the human poo, it just seems too much of a coincidence: eat poo, have seizure. Not that I'm saying all human poo would have this effect, but for someone who sleeps on the mountain in the cold nights, I'm guessing that person is probably a druggie and who knows what has passed through their system...

    Anyway, thought I'd post this in case anyone does worry if their dog eats human poo.
     
  2. Snowshoe

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    Oh my, very scary. You will have to keep an eye on that. He's recovered now?

    For some reason I never thought of drugs. Jet, our sweet, gentle, feminine little girl, ate human poop, sometimes after rolling in it. In my opionion THE WORST poop. I'd rather smell horse or cow or even cat poop on my dog. It was a hazard on canoe trips at portages and campsites. We would tie her up with the leash, not because we were afraid she'd run off in the bush and get lost in some remote area, but because of the poop.

    I have read of dogs getting sick on horse poop if they ate it just after the horse had been wormed.
     
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  3. Jes72

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    No experience of eating poop but Homer once rolled in human poo while on holiday in France. We were In the car and stopped to look at some road side Roman ruins, hubby went off the path to 'water the plants' Homer followed him but found something else and had a good roll, his back and side and collar were covered in the most foul smelling poo. We had no choice but to get him in the car and take him back to the cottage we were staying in and give him the best wash we could with human shampoo. It was his most disgusting moment. Apart from that the worst was fresh sloppy cow poop. Eating poo, snowiest!
     
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  4. SwampDonkey

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    It's a general hazard round here Moo is a veteran of all times of poop human included . She has rolled in and eatten some vile stuff she's still alive at 13 it never made sick or ill judt smelly. I'm so sorry Snowys been so I'll i just hope he is ok now. I always worry when they get up to this kind or stuff but I've always Been lucky
     
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  5. MF

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  6. MF

    MF Registered Users

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    No. :( Usually, after a regular epileptic seizure, he might be out of sorts for one, tops two, hours. But he is still out of sorts and it's now 6 hours later. He has been sleeping on his bed since we got back from the vet. We did give him dinner, although I had say to him "Okay, you can eat! Okay, you can eat!" a few times before he would eat. That really worried me -- a Labrador not devouring his food! Look, he always waits for "Okay, you can eat" before eating, but he is always extremely eager. This time he ate all the meat and then took just one meaty bone to his eating spot (he likes to eat on a doormat while lying down!) and then just stayed lying there looking towards his food bowl. But he would not get up. My husband took his bowl to him but he just looked at it. So my husband fed him the other meaty bone by hand, which he then finished. But still, would not get up. So I put his bowl in front of him cos he likes to drink up the water/gravy afterwards. Took a few sips. Wouldn't move. Very worrying. So we helped him up, worried that perhaps his back his hurting him? He stood there very stiff so I rubbed him up and down on his back and hind legs and that made him wag his tail and become more animated -- I know pressure on the body can stimulate the nervous system. But he didn't do the usual of making a wee and poo after dinner, came in, but would not climb the four steps to where his bed is, had to coax him, seems he is either having trouble with judging where the floor is, or he is in pain. We gave him a Rimadyl in case he is in pain (while worrying about medicating without vet's supervision, although we guess she'd say one can do no harm).
     
  7. MF

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    Exactly what our vet said! It only dawned on her right at the end of our appointment what I meant when I said I was worried that Snowie had been poisoned.

    I must say, I do not cope well in these situations. I feel defeated and very sad.
     
  8. drjs@5

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    Sorry to hear this.
    I do hope Snowie gets back to his normal self :(
     
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  9. MF

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    UPDATE: I am pleased to say that Snowie looks like he's back to normal! We took him for a quick walk up the road in the freezing cold night with a raging wind just so that he could make a wee (since he hadn't made one since early afternoon). And boy oh boy did he wee! Usually he marks here and there. Not tonight -- leg held high up and long, long wees, several like this up the road. How much urine can one dog hold??? And then happy happy HAPPY! Trotted along with us, tail wagging, looking up at us with such a happy face. I am so pleased he is feeling better! :doug:
     
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  10. edzbird

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    Gosh what a time for you. I hope Snowy is feeling more like himself very soon.
     
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  11. SteffiS

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    What a worrying time! Hope Snowie continues to feel better.
     
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  12. SwampDonkey

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    Hope he's feeling a bit stronger soon. I do worry that the pooper may have been taking drugs and there .are drugs around here. I'm often told by a prison officer friend that certain types of human poop can look different way after drugs have been taken. Apparently sick can too she sees it a lot in her line of work. You are doing everything you can just hope the lovely fella feels better soon. Hugs from us all here
     
  13. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    Glad he's back to normal :)
     
  14. Xena Dog Princess

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    I haven't taken Xena on any bush walks yet, but encountering human poop hadn't even crossed my mind! So thank you for the public service announcement @MF.

    If a puppy hasn't shown any inclination towards eating dog poop, does this mean that they'll likely avoid other animal/human poop? Or can they have...preferences...Blerg :poop:
     
  15. Kelsey&Axel

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    Axel isn't interested in dog poop. But he loves goose poop and fox/coyote poop. Bear poop he sniffed but thankfully didn't go for it
     
  16. Snowshoe

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    Maybe you should tell us how it looks different? I almost don't want to know.
     
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  17. Snowshoe

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    I was surprised Oban didn't gobble up some raccoon poop recently as it was full of blueberries. Bear poop this time of year is too.
     
  18. Xena Dog Princess

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    Lol aren't they just gross! I can imagine that bear poop must be awful (?) so at least Axel is discerning.
     
  19. Kelsey&Axel

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    So gross! I don't know how smelly gross stuff is good to them. My Pomeranian will kill a bug and roll in it.. Why?! :eek:
     
  20. Lisa

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    Ugh so awful. I'm not sure I could cope with rolling in/eating human poo. Thankfully we have not had to deal with this. So glad that Snowie is feeling better, what a worry for you! :(
     

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