# If your dog caught a squirrel...



## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

...would you let him eat it? Balen is getting closer and closer to catching one, and I know he would eat it if he caught it, but should I let him? I just dont know how healthy these city squirrels really are. They *look* nice and fat and healthy, but IDK. 


And would that count as raw feeding if he did eat it? LOL


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

I wouldnt. Parasites.


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## TimberGSD2 (Nov 8, 2011)

My dogs eat everything they catch. I don't have issues with parasites as they are on monthly preventatives. I feel they earned it.


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## Freddy (Apr 23, 2009)

I knew I had a solid aus when my dog got a rabbit and started to shake it. Last dog got 2 squirrels. I've never let them eat them though.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Not squirrels. My dogs have come close to both rabbits and squirrels and my youngest jumped up and caught a Canadian Goose by the wing mid air when she was about a year. I wouldn't let them eat it just because of the "possible" risk. Mine eat raw as well so I don't find the need to allow them to eat the prey they catch. If it was a rabbit - I might have a friend skin it and use the hide as a toy/lure though..


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## ponyfarm (Apr 11, 2010)

TimberGSD2 said:


> My dogs eat everything they catch. I don't have issues with parasites as they are on monthly preventatives. I feel they earned it.


 I was told that squirrels carry tapeworms and the month preventive does not cover that. And, sadly, many of the squirrels here are covered with mange/fleas and I dont want my guys chomping on that! Yuck!


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## TimberGSD2 (Nov 8, 2011)

My cats also hunt constantly and I treat everyone for tapeworms every 3 months. I've not had an issue of tapeworms in my dogs in years. We also do not have a lot of wildlife that is dumb enough I guess to come in our yard. We have 6 acres fenced for the dogs and very rarely will you see any creatures inside that fence area.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

No. Never. Fleas, parasites. /shudder


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

My dog has caught a squirrel one time. Pimg loves this time of year where the squirrels get both brave and FAT at the same time! Nothing like a brave, slow squirrel to chase. A couple years ago she chased a big fat squirrel in late fall and caught it right as it jumped onto the tree. She knocked it down and the squirrel decided to run towards the center of the yard. Big mistake since there's no trees there... Pimg chased it in a circle quite literally spiraling towards the center of the yard where she caught it. The instant she went to bite it, I gave her a firm "No! Leave it!" which she complied. It was just enough time for the squirrel to get away and run up a tree. It's the one and only time Pimg has caught a squirrel and it was so hilarious to watch! I was also proud she obliged my order even clearly in prey drive. No- I would not let her mouth or eat a squirrel that she caught.


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## PatchonGSD (Jun 27, 2012)

> Nothing like a brave, slow squirrel to chase.


LOL!

Thanks for confirming my thoughts everyone, not a good idea.


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## pfitzpa1 (Apr 26, 2011)

My girl killed 3 squirrels and a gopher on a single walk. She wasn't interested in eating them but enjoyed killing them. She is crazy about rabbits now, she will find them and flush them out easily, she outs about 3 every morning on our walk. She has yet to catch one, though. It's so funny watching her chase the rabbits, she yelps like crazy during the chase. I figure, odds are she will come across a lame or old rabbit one day and get her dream.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Pimg should come visit me at work! The squirrels here are tame (you can hand feed them) and each time I walk Nikon around I realize they are totally tame toward dogs too! One of them tried to *approach* Nikon.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

My dogs have killed countless numbers of bunnies and squirrels over the years and they do eat most of them. I will say that they did get sarcoptic mange once, a very long time ago, from a bunny, and last year they got tapes, again from a bunny. That's a pretty low percentage considering how many have met their end in my backyard.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I am extremely lucky, none of my dogs chase any critters outside. They are taught early on to leave it. Just last week about eight ducks waddled right past my GSD..I'm talking about five feet from her. She just laid there and watched them. My sister had a St Bernard that escaped and found a dead bunny in the road...that dog turned into Cujo...teeth and all. He ate the rabbit, a week later he was in his new home and got really sick and he died...the rabbit was what they suspected, but I don't know what the rabbit had that killed the dog


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

I guess I'm lucky too, because my dog sucks at catching squirrels. We have plenty of them, but I bet he would starve to death before actually catching one  Maybe I don't give him enough credit. 


But, if he did catch one, I wouldn't allow him to eat it.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Koda has killed 2 opposums so far, he didn't eat his kill.


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## SewSleepy (Sep 4, 2012)

The GSD we had when I was little died after eating a rabbit. They think the rabbit had been poisoned from a farm nearby.

Tumbleweed (mixed mutt) killed lots of squirrels (she was super fast) but never ate any. I don't think she was smart enough to figure it out.

I don't think I'd let Seven eat one-it'd gross me out.


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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