Is Bird Food Harmful to Dogs?
Any dog owner knows that dogs will eat anything they can get their paws on. Bird food is no exception. The question is: will it harm dogs?
The answer depends on several factors. Small amounts of bird food aren’t likely to harm your pooch. The seeds will be digested and pass through your dog’s digestive system without issue. Too much bird food is a different matter.
Is Bird Seed Harmful To Dogs?
If your dog devours a lot of bird seed, then you should go to the vet. Dogs can easily get through large amounts of black sunflowers and sunflower hearts, which may cause abdominal discomfort in the form of vomiting and bloating. Should the reaction be more serious, seek veterinary advice immediately.
Why Is Bird Seed Harmful To Dogs?
On its own, a small amount of bird seed is fine. Sunflower seeds are a common bird food ingredient, and some studies suggest they are beneficial to dogs in small quantities.
This is because too many sunflower seeds can cause gastrointestinal upset in dogs. If your dog has a sensitive stomach or is prone to pancreatitis, it might be best to avoid sunflower seeds altogether. If you do use sunflower seeds in your bird feed, make sure they are shelled. Otherwise, the shells can cause diarrhoea and vomiting, or get lodged in the digestive tract and cause blockage and obstruction.
Birdseed that has gone mouldy can be dangerous due to the presence of aflatoxins in the mould that can be toxic. Aflatoxins can cause liver damage and even death in pets. If you are concerned your dog has consumed a small amount of mouldy bird seed, watch out for symptoms like loss of appetite, vomiting, and diarrhoea. If your dog has a yellow tint in the whites of their eyes, that could be a sign of jaundice and you should go to the vet immediately.
You can get around this by regularly cleaning the feeder and topping it up with fresh bird food. This will prevent mould from becoming a problem.
Raisins are the biggest danger in bird food. Raisins are well-known to be toxic to dogs, and consuming even one can cause serious kidney problems in your pet. To avoid this problem, we offer a raisin-free blend for ground-feeding birds.
Eating bird seed off the ground means your dog could also be eating bird poo, which is full of harmful bacteria like salmonella and campylobacter. There are several ways to avoid this:
• Keep your bird feeders high off the ground
• Position bird feeders over a flower bed
• Use seed trays with hanging seed feeders, preventing seed spillages
• Swap seeds for food like peanuts or fat balls that can be fed in a wire mesh feeder
• Store your bird food in a heavy-duty storage tin
If you have any questions about the effect bird food might have on your pets, please do get in touch.
