PSA: Don't feed your dogs McDonald's! Or "How a free hamburger cost us $260!!"

[surfergirl602]

eating McDonalds does the same thing to my stomach!!! If I can't eat that stuff, i can only imagine what it would do to my dogs. Its too fatty. I could never give it to my dogs in good conscience. I couldn't do that to them.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Oh man OP, I can relate. A similar thing happened to my cat and what she had been eating. The trouble is that pancreatitis and similar complications are much harder to detect in felines so it cost us $1300 to repair our kitty.

She's ok now and the vet still couldn't put a precise thing on the cause guessing it was either being hit on the belly hard or falling wrong on it (less likely since she wasn't bruised but she's an out/indoor cat so we don't alway know what she's up to)... or a terrible diet that her body cannot support and honestly, everytime we'd eat fast food we'd give her something with beef since she loves it! Especially Arby's roast beef.

It was just a scary time. Had I not been home to notice she wasn't eating or going outside, she wouldn't be alive today. Even the vet said her intestines weren't pink and they had to go in and work them into working again, she was that close to dying

Lesson learned, animals can't eat a lot of things we do.

But I hope doggy feels better soon and I feel your pain, it's a scary feeling knowing a family member is in trouble. I hope the recovery is fast and I am happy that dog has a loving family that can offer support in the time of pain.

 

[Anne34]

I guess they're like humans - certain foods make certain dogs sick..

When I was growing up, every dog we had was always fed table scraps - with no problems at all.. Go figure..

I agree -- Our dog eats anything and everything (except jello!)

 

[pixie921]

Can you give a dog Gas-X, the regular over the counter kind made for people? My dog occasionally gets bloated & gassy and it would be great if I could give him one and see if it helps.

Yup! The vet had us get the regular strength Gas X tablets (cherry flavored) and cut them in half and administer every 8 hours as needed.

The first time was really, really bad.. I was living with my DD and her family (it was during the winter months), and DD and her DH were both at work.. Cody (the dog) wouldn't respond to me at all and was really just barely breathing.. His nose was very, very warm and I was sure he was going to die right there on the floor.. DD worked quite a distance away, so I called her DH at work and told him Cody was sick.. He asked if I thought he would be okay until he got home from work (about 2 hours later) and I told him "NO - this dog is dying!!" He came flying home, scooped up Cody (obviously he couldn't even stand, let alone walk) and took off for the vets office.. I won't ever forget that.. Horrible! Then to have it happen again?

So yes - the rule is if they have had it once, they are very prone to having it again.. And the worst part is, there are foods that will cause it that you would never even think of..

I hope your doggie continues to do well - and please be very careful from now on..

Thanks, and we definitely will. We never want him to have to go through this again!

Oh man OP, I can relate. A similar thing happened to my cat and what she had been eating. The trouble is that pancreatitis and similar complications are much harder to detect in felines so it cost us $1300 to repair our kitty.

She's ok now and the vet still couldn't put a precise thing on the cause guessing it was either being hit on the belly hard or falling wrong on it (less likely since she wasn't bruised but she's an out/indoor cat so we don't alway know what she's up to)... or a terrible diet that her body cannot support and honestly, everytime we'd eat fast food we'd give her something with beef since she loves it! Especially Arby's roast beef.

It was just a scary time. Had I not been home to notice she wasn't eating or going outside, she wouldn't be alive today. Even the vet said her intestines weren't pink and they had to go in and work them into working again, she was that close to dying

Lesson learned, animals can't eat a lot of things we do.

But I hope doggy feels better soon and I feel your pain, it's a scary feeling knowing a family member is in trouble. I hope the recovery is fast and I am happy that dog has a loving family that can offer support in the time of pain.

I'm so glad your kitty was okay! They really are furry family members, aren't they? And I'm happy to report that he's been absolutely spunky the last half hour when his grandma came to visit. He insisted on her playing with him and the new "baby" I picked up for him at Walgreen's. I figure every sick kid deserves a new stuffed toy to make them feel better, right?

 

[snapppyd]

I'm so glad he is feeling better!

 

[Scurvy]

As others have mentioned, it isn't just McDonalds that can cause that. Last December my parents boarded their Golden and she got into a container of dog treats and ate too many, and got very ill. The vet said any food that had fat could cause pancreatitis. The holidays are apparently especially bad for that sort of thing - the vet said he sees several cases each day between Thanksgiving and New Years because people tend to give their pets more table scraps than usual during the holidays. Turkey skin and gravy are especially bad for pets, he said. He recommends never giving pets any "people food" and not giving them too many pet treats at a time.

Can you give a dog Gas-X, the regular over the counter kind made for people? My dog occasionally gets bloated & gassy and it would be great if I could give him one and see if it helps.

Apparently pumpkin is really good for dogs who have issues with that sort of thing - you just mix a little bit into their food occasionally and it's supposed to help.

 

[yoopermom]

Our dogs do get human leftovers, but only plain meat and veggies. Introduced in small amount, veggies provide extra fillers to chowhounds, which all of ours are!

No McDs for ours, either!

Terri

 

[PatsGirl]

I grew up with a lot of dogs and they all ate table scraps and lots of times that meant gravy and the fat from scrambled burger over their dry food

With my own dogs I didn't feed them much from the table, maybe the occasional piece of cheese or a goodie but I had always heard it was better not to give them human food. Now I know why.

I did give my new kitty a piece of salmon last night because he was meowwwing like crazy at my plate. He's fine but maybe I won't do that again

 

[hellokitty86]

Our dog Ruby is prone to pancreatitis too. We used to feed her people food way too often and she got very very sick once. Now we don't feed her people food at ALL and none of the junky dog treats they sell. I know what signs to look for now and when Ruby starts acting like she doesn't feel well we give her 1/2 a pepcid (vet's orders). That usually prevents an episode and we also feed her plain rice and canned chicken for a couple days. The vet says its good for her to eat something 'bland' and she thinks she is a getting a treat! Hope your doggy is feeling 100% soon!!

ETA- Our vet also recommended a different food for Ruby- 'Wellness' which they sell at Whole Foods & PetCo. It has very few ingredients and no wheat, by products, corn or soy (no no's for dogs) and Ruby hasn't had an episode since we've started feeding it to her a couple months ago! Plus Ruby loves it and its very reasonably priced. Maybe ask your vet about that!

 

[JerseyJanice]

I agree -- Our dog eats anything and everything (except jello!)

Mine too! And nothing bothers his stomache. Ever. When he was a puppy, he actually swallowed a roofing shingle with a nail stuck through it. He threw it back up whole, none the worse for the wear. So yes, my dog can eat nails.

Sorry to hear about your dogs being so sick. Hope they get better soon.

 

[SDFgirl]

I think this is a pretty sad commentary on what complete junk goes into fast food burgers!

I mean, dogs can eat a pile of poop they find out in the yard, but can't properly digest a McDonald's burger?! Gross...and very telling!

Glad your pooch is okay!!

 

[Disney Doll]

I have heard the same thing abot Chinese food.

 

[Sammy]

I don't know ... maybe poop isn't greasy? And he doesn't eat it "routinely" -- I just said it was his favorite, LOL! We do our utmost to keep the catbox sparkling clean to avoid him finding anything to munch on (jeez, that's gross).

In our house, we call them "kitty crunchies!"

 

[agnes!]

...Nah, the dog's real favorite treat is cat poop! ...

Isn't it amazing how an animal that routinely eats "poop" would get sick on a hamburger. I'm having a little trouble processing that.

I don't know ... maybe poop isn't greasy? And he doesn't eat it "routinely" -- I just said it was his favorite, LOL! We do our utmost to keep the catbox sparkling clean to avoid him finding anything to munch on (jeez, that's gross).

In our house, we call them "kitty crunchies!"

I had some friends who had both cats and dogs & they called the cat poop "kitty kibble" because the dogs just couldn't/wouldn't stop chowing down on the stuff ...

agnes!