Raw Squirrel for Breakfast

Dear Dog Lady,

My dog, Sam, chased a squirrel this morning. After managing to get a hold of it in his mouth, I asked him to leave it and he did. His dog park friends then appeared and they had a good run. He also decided to show them the now-dead squirrel, which was bad enough until one of them went to take it from him and Sam decided to eat it. I was traumatized. Will he be okay? I called the vet who said he should be fine, but I'm really worried.

Amanda, Bronxville, NY

Amanda, after his gamey breakfast special, your dog should be fine. Raw meat is the purest dog food there is. If he’s up-to-date on his rabies vaccination, Sam should digest the crunchy critter with ease, although if he has any obvious gastric distress, you should check back with your vet.

When our squirrel-crazed nuts actually manage to catch a bushy-tail, it is terribly traumatic for the humans involved. We like to imagine the chase as a game of sportsmanship -- until a racing rodent doesn’t make it up the tree. Please supervise your Sam more carefully when he’s stalking prey.

Posted by Dog Lady at August 10, 2006 01:23 PM