My dog eats 3 or 4 squirrels a week; this anything I should be concerned about?

My dog eats 3 or 4 squirrels a week; this anything I should be concerned about or anything I should watch for?  He's a little over a year, 65 - 75 lbs. pure bred, UTD on everything. Takes Trifexis [sp]. He runs free on 2 acres.

Comments

[lemonie]

I think he should eat more squirrels - less money spent on dog-food.

L

[Sovereignty]

That was my reasoning too, but sometimes the carcass will get nasty before he gets around to it. I don't know biology, but I can imagine there're some unpleasant germs or bacteria on it.

Wasn't sure if dogs had a tolerance for such things.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[lemonie]

Dogs will eat "anything" sometimes - I didn't realise that you meant rotten-squirrels. What is causing them to die?

L

[Sovereignty]

He's the culprit. He catches them, 'plays' with them and buries what's left; then, sometimes a couple days later, he'll eat it.

Every once in a while he only half buries them or I'll see where he put it and dispose of it.

[Sovereignty]

And my first instinct was that some of his senses were a lot more sensitive than mine; maybe he knows when to say 'no'.

[lemonie]

Ah right, it's a natural thing where good food is hoarded. Dig them up chop them up and in the food bowl.
I am impressed that you dog catches them, I seen cats fail repeatedly...

L

[Sovereignty]

Yeah, that would be pretty spectacular, but he has my two other dogs helping trap them. And he's head honcho out there.
Thanks, I just needed the reassurance that he's simply doing what's natural.

[lemonie]

I've seen cats turn their furry-noses up at many things, but dogs eat pretty much anything, and I guess they are hardened to it. Else the species would have died-out due to food-poisoning.

L

[CatTrampoline]

If he is finding dead squirrels and they have been poisoned, he will also be poisoned by ingesting the carcass. If they died of natural causes that is bad too.

[CatTrampoline]

Squirrels have a lot of little bones in them. They might cause a problem being the same size as chicken bones. I know every vet I've ever know has said not to give chicken bones to dogs.