The Dangers of Bird Seed to Dogs (if they consume it)

Above photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeChineseCrested

 Many dog owners find out their dog just loves to eat. They all love to get things in their mouth, see what it tastes like and swallow it down is possible. If you are allow your dog outside a lot and you also feed the birds or are places where other people feed the birds be careful about your dog eating the bird seeds. Bird seeds are definitely not a nutritious food for dogs to eat. They actually might find the bird seed tasty, but nonetheless, don't allow this. Don't be alarmed if you catch them in the act and they swallow a few seeds freshly thrown down by the birds before you are able to stop them, however if your dog gets into old bird seeds you could have a real problem. Here is why:

Damp, old bird seeds might be molded and contain high levels of aflatoxins that can cause severe illness and even death in dogs.

Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include:

• sluggishness
• loss of appetite
• vomiting
• jaundice (a yellowish tint to the eyes or gums)
• diarrhea

Science tells us the liver is the primary organ affected by aflatoxin poisoning.

If you have a bird feeder or have your dog around someone else's bird feeder, you will most likely find bird seed underneath the feeder. The dog is also likely to be eating bird feces in the area underneath a bird feeder. Even if the seeds alone to do harm your dog, bird feces contains a variety of bacteria and parasites that can be passed onto the dog resulting in salmonella according to animal scientists. The salmonella infections can cause minor or very serious attacks of diarrhea and vomiting.

If you like to feed the birds here are some tips of how you can keep your dog safer:

1. Always use fresh seed and read the ingredients to be sure there is nothing harmful to a dog in the mix.
2. Wash and sanitize your bird feeders often at least every 2 weeks and more often during heavy use or wet weather.
3. Clean up the bird seed birds scatter out on the ground regularly.
4. There are screw-on trays to place under the feeders keeping the seeds from ever hitting the ground in the first place.
5. Teach your dog the command "leave it" in the hopes that if you catch him you can immediately shout the command "leave it" and keep he or she safe.

I hope this article about dogs and bird seeds is helpful to you as you enjoy your dog or dogs outdoors.