Can dogs eat squirrels? This is a question that some dog owners have pondered over. It’s not uncommon to see squirrels in your backyard, but what do you do if your dog tries to eat one?
Luckily, it’s not as dangerous as you might think. However, there are some precautions to take if your dog does decide to feast on one of these little animals! In this article we will answer the question: can dogs eat squirrels and discuss what you should do if they do.
Can Dogs Eat Squirrels?
Dog may or may not eat squirrels. They have been known to eat squirrels and other small, furry pets like little critters or rodents, which they usually find on a walk around someone’s yard or garden.
Your dog may or may not eat squirrel depending on what type of dog they are. If it is a carnivore, it can prey on other animals for food. If your dog lives where there are squirrels around, then, that becomes an opportunity for your dogs to hunt and eat them. Since squirrels don’t have any defences against dogs, they can be easily chased and eaten by them.
If your dog is omnivorous, it normally eats plants, other mammals or birds. Most likely, it will also eat a squirrel and can survive without any side effects from eating its meat. Lastly, if your dog is a herbivore, it will never eat a squirrel, since it is not used to eating non-plant-based foods.
What Will Happen If My Dog Eats A Squirrel?
What will happen to your dog when it eats a squirrel depends on what kind of squirrel it has eaten. Is it dead or alive?
If the squirrel was already dead when your dog decided to take a bite out of it, ask your neighbors if they used rodent poison. If these poison pellets have been eaten by the squirrel, seek veterinary attention immediately as soon as possible. Know that this can cause death within hours.
The important thing to know is that, it’s not really bad at all if your dog eats a squirrel that it hunted from your backyard. Dogs can digest furry mammals of different sizes because their stomach’s inner surface has large folds that allow it to expand significantly after a meal is consumed. When it enters their stomach, it is crushed into tiny bits.
After which, it will be combined with enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and other chemicals to form a liquid food called chyme. Then, it is progressively discharged into the small intestine for additional digestion. Just watch out from other symptoms like vomiting or nausea and bring to the vet if it suddenly feels unwell.
What Should I Do If My Dog Eats A Dead Squirrel?
If your dog eats a dead squirrel, you need to call the nearest vet clinic or poison-control clinic in your area because there is a possibility that it can get poisoned.
The dead animal might have eaten some rodent poison that was used by the neighbourhood to control or kill tree squirrels coming into their backyard.
If it has not consumed it all, you can bring the dead squirrel to get tested for parasites or infections that your dog can get from eating it. Your veterinarian will then instruct you on what to do and how to properly treat your dog.
If your dog has consumed all of it and still acts normal, then all you need to do is observe it. Dogs are nature-scavengers and will eat gross things. You only need to watch out how it will feel after eating as most likely, it will experience vomiting and diarrhea.
If nothing happens, just continuously give them vitamins. If your dog is not on a raw diet, give it some coconut oil like Raw Paws Organic Coconut Oil for Dogs daily for digestion benefits.
However, if your dog did not chew and just swallowed the dead squirrel, its stomach would be compromised and might suffer from nausea as a result of an obstruction. Speedy attention should be sought in this case.
Depending on what is found during examination with X-rays or endoscopy, surgery may also need to be performed to remove the animal from his small intestine.
What Do I Do If My Dog Caught A Squirrel?
There are several things you can do if your dog caught a squirrel. First of all, don’t force your dog off the squirrel. In some circumstances, that may cause more harm than good. Y
ou should first make sure your dog is in a safe area. Ideally, you would want your dog to be on a leash as a precautionary measure, just in case it gets aggressive.
You don’t need to remove your dog’s teeth from the squirrel until you feel confident there’s no threat of it attacking again.
If your dog suddenly and unexpectedly came into contact with a squirrel, the best thing you can do is grab them by their collar or their leash and remove them from the area as quickly as possible.
Lastly, if you see your dog eating one, keep an eye on it to ensure it’s okay once it gets done with eating. Have a vet evaluate your dog when needed.
If your dog captured a squirrel, it is best to find the nearest forest and release it there. Lest keeping the animal inside will cause health problems for both. Squirrels are more used to climbing trees than dogs are, so they don’t have any issues getting out of an enclosure.
Can Dogs Catch Diseases From Squirrels?
Although it’s not a species-to-species transferable disease, your dogs can catch diseases from squirrels. Whenever there is contact with something infected, there is a possibility of catching the disease that the bacteria or virus carries.
Some rodent-borne illnesses are possible to catch from establishing contact with squirrels. This includes Ehrlichiosis and Tularemia.
Tularemia can also survive for up to six months in soil where spore forms. It can infect animals such as dogs who then ingest the spores by licking their paws. The bacteria live in your dog’s body by creating tumor-like masses in the liver.
Dogs are at risk of contracting the deadly Leptospirosis disease from squirrels. In some cases, this dreaded illness can also be passed on to humans and prove fatal for both.
Why Do Dogs Hate Squirrels So Much?
Here are a few reasons why dogs hate squirrels so much:
Dogs are predators, and a squirrel will typically run away from them versus running towards them; which is what they would do if they were out in the wilderness. This act of quick running annoys a dog.
Squirrels also create an environment that’s not very welcoming for dogs such as high up in trees. Their quick agility makes it hard for dogs to get too close.
Second, there’s “squirrel shyness”, which is a serious phobia for many dogs. It may be the result of a previous traumatic incident with a squirrel. In this case, desensitization therapy would work best to help the dog feel better about encountering them again.
Lastly, squirrels often make noise to alert other wildlife of their presence. The noise causes an alarm to both the creatures they’re warning and the dog who does not know what’s going on. This can cause anxiety to dogs.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Killing Squirrels?
There are a few things you can do to stop your dog from killing squirrels.
The first and simplest option is to simply keep the dog on a leash in the yard when it’s not fenced. Like iYoShop 6 FT Strong Dog Leash , this keeps them from running too far away, which should stop them from preying on smaller animals like squirrels or birds. However, putting fence on your backyard is more helpful and effective when your dog hates being leashed.
Second, if you have a pond around your property, then release some koi fish into it. These fishes will usually scare small animals away with their large presence alone.
Third, when you’re playing with your dog outdoors, do it during the hours when the squirrels are not around. But if they’re appearing any time of the day, choose some indoor games. However, if you want to manage his prey drive outdoor, try Frisbee or hide and seek. This will allow your dog to use its innate prey drive through games instead of hunting squirrels.
Why Are Dogs So Attracted To Squirrels?
Dogs are so attracted to squirrels because of their smell. Squirrels have an especially good smell for them since they smell like small critters, which gets dogs excited.
Dogs can sniff out a trail from miles away and are driven by the scent of their target animal. When your dog is in this instinctive mode, it would be tough to make it change its mind to stop squirrel hunting.
The fur seems to be like a kennel which leaves behind trails of its pleasant scent wherever it enters. So if they don’t get away soon enough, dogs will still be following the errant animal with great interest because of this appealing scent.
Squirrels are thought to taunt dogs. This can make your dogs irritated when they find them near their houses. Remember, dogs do not want any other animal species to invade their domain. When this happens, dogs are attracted to catching them.
Is Squirrel Poop Bad For Dogs?
Squirrel poop is certainly bad for dogs. Lately, there has been a surge in cases of canine distemper, which stems from contact with squirrel droppings. You should be aware that if you see your dog eating the feces of a squirrel, it is very toxic. and could potentially catch parasites such as leptospirosis and salmonella bacteria.
Furthermore, if your dog does come into contact with some of these icky droppings, your dog’s nose is at immediate risk of infection since it is in an unsanitary spot. Vets recommends owners to keep their dogs on a leash while near trees and bushes that might harbor squirrel poop.
Are Squirrels Afraid Of Dogs?
Squirrels are afraid of dogs and are aware that they have a natural predator instinct. They’re scared of them, so it is not uncommon for a squirrel to be petrified with fear at the sight of even the smallest dog, such as a toy poodle.
Squirrels have an innate fear of canines much like humans have an instinctive fear of snakes. Squirrels will likely head up into a tree when they see the dog approaching them. The sound and movement of the dog make them afraid. This makes the squirrel agitated especially if it has sudden spurts, or when it growls and shows its teeth.
Do Squirrels Tease Dogs On Purpose?
Squirrels do not tease dogs on purpose. They are just naturally curious about anything new in their environment. They don’t have a lot of natural predators, so they often approach dogs out of sheer curiosity and end up getting chased by the dog in the process.
Squirrels might also be trying to protect themselves, just as would any other animal. Its only defence is to scurry away from danger such as to get into the treetops, which it typically does when an approaching dog growls or moves aggressively toward it. Unfortunately for them, that movement usually ends up provoking pursuit and more chasing on behalf of the dog.
Can Squirrels And Dogs Be Friends?
Dogs and squirrels can or can’t be friends.
One reason why they can’t be friends is that their lifestyles are different. A dog spends the whole day lying around waiting for some attention. Whereas a squirrel is always scampering around looking for food.
Dogs want to chase squirrels up a tree where they can toy with them more easily. But when this fails, the dogs will often resort to other methods, such as becoming frustrated and barking or lunging at them. Meanwhile, the squirrel doesn’t like to be near the dogs because they will bark at them and chase them.
If your dog has been trained to socialize since it was a puppy, there’s a big chance that it can get along with a squirrel. Training your dog at an early age will help encourage it to play with pets other than humans, like squirrels.
However, just like any relationship, this one takes time and effort. It’s important that pet owners introduce their dogs to pets of all shapes, sizes, and types. This way, they can become familiar with the different things they may encounter on walks or when out in public.
Are Grey Squirrels Dangerous To Dogs?
Grey Squirrels are not really dangerous to dogs though they can be a little aggressive to them. The reason for this is that they are more mobile than other prey, which would normally attract the attention of predators. This may be why the squirrel has such a sharp, irritable personality.
Grey squirrels will hiss and chatter when agitated to scare the predator off or indicate it should back away from its territory. This is why grey squirrels have a reputation for being aggressive pets.
But that really depends on what the dog does to provoke them. Grey squirrel is also known as wild squirrel and can be intrusive. But their preferred method of attack is to run away as they seem to have a primal fear of dogs.
When a squirrel perceives something as aggressive, they just stand on their hind legs. It will lengthen its fur all around their tail to appear 10 times larger than what they really are.
The difference between grey squirrels being docile and hostile mostly depends on how they are approached, and whether or not a dog scares them. Nonetheless, grey squirrels do not have rabies for the reason that they are extremely unlikely to survive a rabid animal attack. So you don’t have to worry about them giving you or your dog some rabies. They are just there to look for food.
Can Dogs Get Fleas From Squirrels?
Dogs can certainly get fleas from squirrels. The infestation can happen to dogs only after being in close contact with a squirrel in your yard.
The parasite that causes the hatching of flea eggs, known as Rickettsia, can be found in both squirrels and dogs. It’s also found in saliva coming from infected squirrels. It can infect dogs through bites and droppings.
Or even by just being around one another long enough for an infection to develop by way of direct contact with the skin. This would happen if a dog encounters live fleas sporadically paired with an infestation of infected rodents like squirrels in their backyard.
While the fleas on squirrels and dogs are different, they can still jump from one to the other. So your dog could get a flea infestation from a squirrel in spite of not having been near one before.
However, this typically only happens when you live in an area where your vacuum has collected enough insects that can carry and spread the disease.
Also Read: Best Natural Bug Repellent For Dogs You Should Read About
Can My Dog Get Sick From Killing A Chipmunk?
It is unlikely that your dog will get sick from killing a chipmunk. Chipmunks are a common part of most dogs’ diets in the Western world.
However, you need to be careful about your dogs’ health if they struggle with roundworm or tapeworm. If your dog suffers from chronic parasitism, it can increase its chances of getting external and internal worm infections. So, while your canine buddy might not get sick from killing a chipmunk in general, it may get a nasty worm infection.
The good news is that even if this does happen, there is an easy course of action to remedy the situation. You can give your dog one pill recommended by your vet everyday until the intestinal coccidia is eliminated.
Conclusion: For Can Dogs Eat Squirrels
Certainly, dogs can eat squirrels, but they should not be considered as your dog’s raw meat diet! Even though your dog’s prey are typically rabbits, cats, and rodents, squirrels can still be an occasional part of a mixed diet.
The goal for a healthy dog is to have a canine’s high caloric needs met with high-quality, species-appropriate food. So it would be best for your dog if you feed it a vet-recommended diet. To ensure that their dogs maintain their digestive health, most dog parents do not allow their dogs to eat squirrels. It is because of the risk of contamination and spoilage.
The next time you see your dog chasing squirrels, know that it’s their normal response to their prey drive. And if your dog prefers the squirrel meat rather than its vet-recommended food, you need to go get a Vet visit. You need to get some good alternatives and ensure the safety of your furry best friend!
Also Read: 30 Worst Foods You Should Never Feed Your Dog
