[Amaryllis]

Kabota, he of the insane prey drive, got a robin yesterday, and wouldn't drop it until it stopped twitching. (yeah, ick.) he did not eat the bird.

Today, he's got diarrhea. Otherwise, he's fine. Playing, walking, drinking the same and he really enjoyed his special dinner of chicken, rice and pumpkin.

Is there something on birds that could have made him sick?

Thanks.

 

[spotted nikes]

Probably not. If it was hot, and he was chasing the bird around in order to get it, the stress/excitement in the heat can cause diarrhea.

 

[Amaryllis]

Thank you. My concern was maybe birds have parasites or something. The pumpkin seems to be working.

No, he didn't chase it. One second he's sniffing at a tall stand of grass, the next, he has a twitching bird in his mouth. Kabota is proof positive that prey drive has nothing to do with how a dog acts otherwise. He's so mellow and tame- and then he's catching voles and birds.

 

[hanksimon]

You are correct that a bird has parasites. My dog had a similar problem when he killed a rat... took about two weeks for his system to clear, but there were no other symptoms. I think that a mouth full of feathers or fur may irritate the system

 

[grab]

Birds can have lice or mites, but usually they're species specific. At any rate, those would cause skin irritation, not diarrhea. Since he didn't eat the bird,it's probably just coincidence.

Must be that time of year..Goose was nibbling on a dead dove yesterday. (gross)

 

[NDpups]

Birds also have salmonella. My dog likes to eat dead dried birds. god knows how long some of them have been laying there. I asked the vet and he said she could get salmonella from them, but it would probably clear up on it's own.

 

[Fade]

birds also carry coccidia which is an intestinal parasite. this wouldn't be the cause of your dogs problem now but it may be a good idea if he is the happy little hunter to have his stool checked every few months.