Is there something about pets that makes unsanitary food safer for them than humans?

Some people call their dogs "iron guts" because even after eating things that you or I would consider inedible such as food that has been dropped on the ground, dead fish, and garbage, they seem to survive just fine.

Unfortunately, even dogs accustomed to such behaviours often end up with nasty bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. Farm dogs, for example, will often have these episodes outdoors and away from observation. Unless symptoms persist and result in complications like dehydration and behavioural changes, these bouts may go unnoticed.

Other hidden dangers like sharp bone fragments in these gnarly foods can lead to serious health risks including intestinal obstructions and punctures.

Toxins produced by bacteria and fungi in spoiled foods are another hidden danger that can cause nasty consequences.

Castoff raw, meaty bones from the butcher shop can carry serious contamination like salmonella and campylobacter bacteria which will not only make a dog sick, but may be transferred to people as well. This can pose serious, even life-threatening consequences for infants, seniors and immunocompromised people – those living with cancer, AIDS and diabetes.

It seems that small breed dogs are particularly sensitive to high fat diets and the resulting pancreatitis or gastroenteritis may have very serious potential consequences.

Cats are natural carnivores and when allowed outdoors will usually catch and eat rodents and birds. This diet will not affect a cat or result in diarrhea unless the cat is immunocompromised as a result of a chronic viral infection other medical condition. Having said that, cats may experience gastrointestinal problems if fed diets that are not natural to them such as table scraps. For example, cats love fish, but fish bones are very sharp and can result in intestinal punctures.

Luckily cats are much more finicky eaters than dogs and as a result, their exposure to toxins in spoiled foods is lower than that of dogs.

They say curiosity killed the cat, and as an aside, a cat’s worst scenario is an unattended sewing box! A cat’s insatiable attraction to needle and thread keeps many a veterinarian busy.

Where people and unsanitary foods are concerned, if you’ve ever observed toddlers, your notice that everything goes into their mouths, from soil, to spiders (eww!), well, pretty much anything they get their hands on. Toddlers will most often reject inappropriate items, but if you walk down the halls of a pediatric surgery ward, the items displayed that young children have ingested will amaze you!

When feeding your pets, common sense is the bottom line. If food is not fresh and clean, properly prepared, and from a trusted source there will be some risk of food contamination. As your pet’s primary caregiver, it behooves you to apply the same principles of safe food handling to your pet as you would for your family.