Dog with dead squirrel in mouth

[JacquelineN]

Hi, My 3 year old Golden was running around our yard with a dead squirrel in her mouth. We were away so didn’t see this, our dog sitter told us about it. The dog sitter said that the squirrel was definately dead when Sophie picked it up. She ran around with it for a few minutes before dropping it to come inside. Should I be concerned regarding bacteria, rabies, etc?

Other than brushing her teeth, what would you recommend?

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Should I be concerned regarding bacteria, rabies, etc?

No.

Other than brushing her teeth, what would you recommend?

IMHO there's no action needed, however you may feel better if you schedule a routine vet visit.

 

[JacquelineN]

No.


IMHO there's no action needed, however you may feel better if you schedule a routine vet visit.

Hi Dr. Jeff, Thank you for your reply. This sort of thing makes me anxious so your help is really appreciated.

 

[Dr. Christina]

So glad you posted to the forum, Jacqueline. When faced with anything, another step which maybe you did, is to relax, breathe deeply, then think about who/what a dog is.

In the wild, or thousands of years living with or near people, many dogs will have picked up things that are not healthy and most will have been fine. Their stomach and intestinal microbiome is certainly designed to eat fairly rotten meat, sniff and even lick animals' rear ends, eat stool and much more. The tooth brushing would be more for you (I certainly would do it) than for your pup's health! Not to worry and you can tell this story for years.

Oh, do you have your holistic health care team organized yet?

Dr. Christina

 

[JacquelineN]

Thank you, Dr Christina. I appreciate your insights and the advice to pause and think about what a dog is and how they have handled these (and many other) things that are unpleasant but pretty natural with a little context, which was very much needed. I always find it comforting to have you and the others at HA for your thoughful and truly supportive help.