Even though your dog looks like a well-behaved and active 5-year-old child, deep inside, it still has the nature of a true predator.
Therefore, it is not difficult to detect that the dog has a special passion for playing tag with living creatures smaller than it, such as mice or birds.
But one day, after just a few minutes of taking your eyes off your dog, you discover it is devouring a dead bird, and there are maggots? “What if my dog ate a dead bird with maggots?”
Of course, bacteria-filled pests like maggots never provide nutrients that benefit your dog’s health.
Refer to the information in this article to promptly prevent health issues that may occur right now.
Are Dead Maggots Harmful To Dogs? Should I Be Worried?
Yes! Although the dog seems to have a steel-like stomach to devour anything, it can suffer ill effects from eating any animal carcass.
The longer the death time, the more the corpse decomposes and contains dangerous toxins, parasites, and bacteria.
The maggots crawling in the bird’s corpse are larvae hatched from fly eggs. They often appear in garbage and animal carcasses, which are abundant food sources.
As soon as the fly eggs hatch, the larvae will eat all the rotten food around them, including feces.
So, what disadvantages can a corpse containing maggots cause to a dog’s body? Scroll down and learn through the six dangers below.
Gastrointestinal Problems
Gastrointestinal problems can be caused by bacteria and parasites that live in decomposing animal carcasses.
Although maggots are not harmful to pets, many of these organisms will upset the dog’s stomach.
As the condition becomes more severe, your dog shows gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and yellow diarrhea.
After a few days of struggling with these discomforts, the dog will become weak and need timely medical intervention.
Wound Infestation
Dogs can easily become infected with maggots through direct contact of their wounds with dead animals while eating.
The injury will then become a new breeding ground for maggots and their larvae and become a source of disease for other animals, including humans.
The first clinical signs of maggot infestations in dogs include:
- Itchy, inflamed, red, wet skin.
- Pus secretion.
- It has an unpleasant odor with tiny white spots like mushrooms.
Although the damage may not seem serious, rapidly increasing numbers of larvae will cause fungal disease, eroding healthy tissue and damaging deeper tissue layers.
After being infected, animals will become tired, lose their appetite, and have high fever or shock because maggots invade important organs.
If you think your dog has this issue, look for unattended wounds with a suspicious appearance and strange odor.
The most suspicious areas include the tail, behind the ears, the top of the head, and between the toe joints.
Take the dog to the veterinarian to determine the source of fungal growth and disinfect immediately.
Your veterinarian will then scrape the affected skin to remove any remaining bacteria and maggots and promote wound healing with appropriate antibiotic prescriptions and treatments.
You can treat small wounds at home by putting 10-15 drops of chloroform into the wound. Then, place a cotton pad on top, stretch the sterile bandage, and use tape to secure the application.
Botulism
Botulism disease comes from fish that live in fresh and saltwater and are hunted by water birds (such as seagulls, gulls, kingfishers, etc.).
Poisoned birds will die quickly while still keeping this poison inside their bodies and transmitted to the dog’s body through the digestive tract.
Loss Of Appetite
As mentioned above, dogs that ingest maggot larvae from animal carcasses suffer from diarrheal tract problems, typically vomiting and diarrhea.
In addition, they also face the potential risk of extremely dangerous blood infections and parasites.
The first consequence of digestive system problems is anorexia, which appears within a few hours of the dog eating dead bird.
Dead tissues are difficult to digest, leading to the dog always having an upset stomach and losing its appetite.
In addition, weakness after many days of living with the illness causes the pet’s body to weaken, and they no longer have the strength to eat anything, including their usual favorite food.
Worms
Fly eggs often appear in dead animals, rotting food, decaying organic matter (feces, garbage, vegetables, fruits), and even the feces of infected animals.
Those are the first signs of a worm attack if you discover moving white spots in your dog’s stool or food.
Spoiled food causes dogs to vomit and have diarrhea for several days, leading to severe fatigue and physical weakness.
Although the acidity in a dog’s stomach can kill most larvae, worms (with the bacteria and parasites inside) can still cause food poisoning, digestive disorders, and death in dogs.
When flies lay eggs on the dog’s fur, you can also notice ringworms.
Dogs with rosacea show restlessness, excessive licking/scratching/biting, hair loss, sour-smelling fur, and weakness.
When you take the dog to the vet facility, the doctor there will recommend different prescriptions based on your 4-legged friend’s diet, including oral antibiotics, antifungals, dewormers, or intravenous fluids.
Exposure To Toxins
You cannot rule out the possibility that the bird ingested toxic substances (environmental toxins, contaminated animal/insect sources, pesticides) and died.
Even several days after decomposition begins, toxins are still active in the corpse’s digestive system and are absorbed into your pet’s body.
Depending on the type of poison, the amount of poison left, and the size of your pet, your dog will experience different symptoms and severity.
Typically, a poisoned dog often includes the following signs:
- Yellow skin, poor skin elasticity
- Tired, moody, unable to stand up
- Convulsions, paralysis
- Nausea, vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Foaming
My Dog Ate A Dead Bird With Maggots- What Should I Do?
When you see your pet devouring a dead animal, you first need to calm down. Skillfully control the situation by separating the dog from that ugly piece of raw meat.
Then, please pay attention to the type of bird, estimate the time of death, state of decomposition, and how much rotten meat the dog has eaten.
After understanding the situation combined with information about the dog (species, weight, age, size), the veterinarian will give you the most effective treatment plan.
If you don’t catch a dog eating a corpse, watch closely to promptly detect bad symptoms of the dog, including weakness, abdominal pain, appetite loss, vomiting, dehydration, and diarrhea.
Your veterinarian will likely take your dog off regular food and switch to specialized therapeutic food.
How To Prevent Dogs From Eating Dead Birds?
It is difficult to prevent a naughty dog from attacking and playing with unhealthy toys/foods, such as dead animals.
However, you can refer to the following measures to minimize your dog’s risk of accidentally eating maggots.
Keeping a clean space is a top priority. Dispose of animal carcasses in your home by placing them in a sealed bag and throwing them in the trash.
Additionally, ensure your dog is always on a leash so that it doesn’t get excited by animal waste or carcasses along the way.
Make sure all trash cans in living areas are covered. It can reduce the risk of dogs scavenging animal carcasses in the trash and eating it.
FAQs
Can Maggots Make My Dog Sick?
Animal carcasses are never safe for dogs because toxins, harmful bacteria, and viruses are hidden.
If the dog continues consuming it, it will likely suffer from serious gastrointestinal diseases, become a new maggot host, and even cause death.
How Long After Eating A Dead Animal Will A Dog Get Sick?
Signs of your dog’s declining health will appear 24-48 hours after consuming the dead animal.
It will often cause vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, loss of strength, and severe abdominal pain.
Can A Dog Get Sick From A Dead Bird?
Maybe! Even though your dog’s stomach may seem sturdy, consuming dead animals can cause serious health issues.
Dead animals are highly likely to transmit toxins, parasites, bacteria, or viruses that can cause dog disease.
Some Last Words
Although this may sound wild to us, a dog’s primal instincts drive him to devour the carcasses of dead wild animals.
Although eating infected birds may not be life-threatening, it does pose health risks of dangerous bacteria and viral illnesses.
So, what to do when my dog ate a dead bird with maggots? You’d better stop the dog, monitor its health, and contact the nearest veterinary center for advice.
Keep your four-legged friend away from disease sources at all costs! Good luck!
