Dog Ate Chicken Poop – What to Do Next

Some dogs engage in coprophagia (the act of eating poop). The ingestion of chicken poop is a common issue that owners of backyard chickens may have to deal with. There are potential health risks with dogs eating chicken poop, such as the passing of bacteria and internal parasites.

What happens when dogs eat chicken poop

The ingestion of chicken poop isn’t necessarily an emergency situation. Some dogs may end up being completely fine while others may fall sick. One potential danger is the passing of internal parasites. Chicken manure, for example, may contain parasites like roundworms. These parasites can interfere with the dog’s digestive system and pose long-term problems such as stunted growth (if the dog’s body isn’t able to efficiently absorb food nutrients).

Giardia is another type of parasite that dogs may catch from eating chicken poop on a regular basis. Giardia infections could result in a number of symptoms such as intermittent diarrhea and fatty stools.

Chicken poop may also contain harmful bacteria such as salmonella. Dogs may fall sick when infected with such bacteria. Salmonella infection in dogs may lead to a number of symptoms such as lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, and abnormal weight loss.

What to do if your dog ate chicken poop

Don’t panic. Most dogs may end up being just fine after eating some chicken poop. That said, you might still want to get some advice from a vet, especially if your dog is starting to show any worrying symptoms or isn’t acting like his usual self.

In the meantime, prevention is important. You need to stop your dog from eating chicken poop. This could mean a number of things such as clearing out the chicken poop more regularly. It could also mean getting your dog some more entertainment. Some dogs may engage in coprophagia because they are constantly bored and anxious.