If you feed birds in your garden, prevent dogs from eating the fallen birdseed.
The birdseed alone is probably not going to cause too many problems unless a dog eats a very large volume of seed. Most dogs can pass small amounts of ingested birdseed.
If a dog develops a large amount of gas in the stomach from the seeds fermenting, it can cause the stomach to bloat, which can lead to a condition in which the stomach twists on itself. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate emergency veterinary attention.
Another area of concern is dogs eat bird droppings that may contain salmonella bacteria along with the birdseed. Salmonella can cause severe digestive upset with vomiting and diarrhea that can be fatal in very young or old dogs. The salmonella can also be passed on to people.
This article was taken in part from the 3/12/23 Daily Herald for West-Win members’ benefit.