All about food poisoning of English bulldogs
04 Jun 2009
Your English bulldog loves to explore its way by sniffing and at times eating food off the floor. They find garbage cans quite appealing when searching for meals. It is never a bad idea to keep an eye on our pets. Dogs can be similar to toddlers who do not know what is good or bad. Dogs are clueless if foods eaten from trash are poisonous or not.
Food poisoning can happen to any other bulldog as it happens to every dog at least once in their lifetime. Once dog smells something they like then it will eat it even if rotten or not. Spoiled foods are rotten and rich in bacteria and other harmful microorganisms capable of making your pet sick. When these harmful microorganisms reach the digestive tract, its body will employ every means to eliminate these substances as manifested by vomiting and diarrhea. The extent on how far the microorganisms are located can be known by the symptoms shown by your pet. Vomiting usually means that the germs are spread through the upper intestines. Diarrhea means that it has now spread to the lower intestines.
Symptoms of dog food poisoning
The symptoms of food poisoning in bulldogs can be a combination of vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, and generally feeling unwell. When your dog is suffering from food poisoning then it will not defecate more than usual and feces will be in large amounts unlike other lower digestive system illnesses.
Causes of dog food poisoning
Don’t take the case of food poisoning of your bulldog lightly. You should investigate and check possible areas in your house that may have contributed to your pet’s sickness. Food poisoning can be found in its sources such as garden, on a walk, around the house, or in the garbage bin where the illness derived its nickname of “garbage disease.”
When the gastro intestinal tract including the stomach is irritated from unwanted substance, it causes the body to flush it out of the system either through vomiting and diarrhea. It is the same mechanisms as with human and other animals on coping with damaging substances in the digestive system.
Your English bulldog may respond to a sudden change of diet by showing signs and symptoms of food poisoning. Its body may not be accustomed with the new food variety given so you may want to introduce foods more slowly next time around.
What your vet may say or do
The most effective, if not the only, way to cure dog food poisoning is to enable the dog to get rid of any offending foods or substances in the digestive system. You will need to stop feeding your dog for 24 hours and give them only water. If you continue feeding your dog then its body will not have any means to get rid of all the food in its system. It will only make vomiting and diarrhea worse since it makes the digestive system think there is more bad foods to get rid of.
The initial step to take on the detoxification and clearing of your dog’s digestive system is to start feeding it with strictly water only for 24 hours. When 24 hours have passed you should begin feeding it with bland foods such as boiled rice, pasta, boiled chicken, turkey or white fish. These bland foods will ensure that the stomach is eased in gently and minimize the risk of food rejection due to strong taste.
Continuously monitor your bulldog to note if it has produced at least two normal stools then you can gradually begin introducing them back to their regular foods. You can do this by mixing the bland food with some stronger tasting food then slowly increasing the amount of normal food you add until your dog is eating full portions of their daily diet.
This process should not take longer than 48 hours after the initial 24 hours of “water diet”. If the vomiting and/or diarrhea become worse over this period then it is strongly recommended to seek further advice from your vet. The vet will then assess for other symptoms such as obstructions, infections, or inflammation caused again by dog food poisoning.
Pet owners should be responsible enough to practice proper dog food preparations, maintain a clean home environment, and ensure your pooch does not eat whatever it sniffs. Treating a simple sickness won’t be too costly but not as less costly when prevention of likely sources of food poisoning.
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