Turkey and dogs??
 

Hi,
This is Sue again, Buddy, Dixie and now Henry's Mom. Henry is a 5 mos. old Shih-Poo rescue that was about to be put down by an unscrupulous vet--I was supposed to foster him and wound up adopting him.

Ok Buddy, my rescue Yorkie!! Buddy flipped out all day yesterday (tongue darting, sniffing the air, body humped, tail between legs, heart thumping out of his body, hiding in dark closet, being MEAN) --my sweet natured Buddy--to the new puppy etc. I was in tears--never have I have seen this kind of bizarre behavior in any dog and certainly not my sweet rescue, Buddy. He has the most even temperment of any dog I have EVER known which is why this is all so strange and upsetting.

Now, Buddy is the dog, if you all remember, who has severe, consistent and chronic IBD that I got under control with the wonderful organic supplements I have written this site about. These wonderful supplements, I believe saved Buddy's digestive life.

But all day yesterday he was totally bizarre as though in a constant panic attack. His body posture and temperment yesterday spoke of pain but until today I did not piece anything food-wise (I feed him organically along with the supplements now). And then I remembered that for the first time ever, I fed Buddy turkey. Yes, it was organic turkey but I am still wondering if the skin juices or the skin itself (I thought I cleaned it pretty well) set off a mild pancreatic attack.

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAPPENING WITH DOGS AND TURKEY? I have a vet appt tomorrow and WAS going to demand a CT scan because of his absolutely heartbreaking, bizarre behaviors but tonite, almost 48 hours later, and after pooping FIVE TIMES TODAY AND VOMITING TWICE, he is just fine again. And of course, I now have the vet appt that I might not need--not if I AM THE ONE who set off a mild pancreatic attack. But, I am keeping the appt since I have it.

I truly would like input on this wierd situation I have. Can turkey be bad for some dogs??Thanks so much, everyone. YorkieSue

He could be allergic to it, like some dogs are allergic to chicken.

My my pom gets sick form Turkey and chicken, Throwing up and diahrrea. I have Cali on the same supplements you ave Henry on hopefully they are not causing it. Cali did have loose stools yesterday but seemed ok today.

I was going to use the Royal canin that the breeder has been using ... is 'real food" better to feed them? She is only going to be 12 weeks old when i get her.

do not feed dogs turkey it will make them sick!

Turkey skin is very bad for them...It is likely to cause pancreatitis because of all the fat!!

Lean ground turkey (no skin) and lean ground turkey breast is usually okay, but absolutely no turkey skin.

That's not necessarily true. Lacy has eaten raw turkey and cooked turkey treats before with no problems. From the website you posted:

Turkey itself is not necessarily dangerous, but dogs who eat too much turkey fat or chew on turkey bones may run into serious trouble. Bones can splinter and lodge in the esophagus or elsewhere in the GI tract, possibly causing a puncture, laceration, or obstruction. Never allow your dog to chew on these bones (or any other type of bone that could splinter--the only bone that is safe for most dogs is a dried, processed, beef shin bone, available at pet stores.) Gorging on turkey fat (or any other fatty food) can cause a painful, sometimes life-threatening attack of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) in susceptible individuals, with subsequent leakage of digestive enzymes and severe secondary infections. If your dog does manage to gorge on a turkey carcas, do NOT induce vomiting. Vomiting bones can cause a dangerous esophageal laceration. To induce vomiting in a dog that has eaten too much fat actually INCREASES the risk of pancreatitis, rather than decreasing it. The safest approach (other than avoidance!) is to give high fiber bread (see #1) and to monitor carefully for vomiting, abdominal pain (again, see #1), difficulty swallowing or defecating, diarrhea, or persistent excessive salivation. If you see any of these signs, call your vet right away.

Also about the bones - this article is talking about COOKED bones - they splinter and are dangerous. Raw bones are safe for chewing

I suggest asking your vet. Our vet says turkey in small dogs can be very toxic and says not to feed them any. I learned this last Thanksgiving when I thought I was giving Bailey a small treat (like I give her chicken) and then had to take her to the vets because she got really sick. So I do not give my dogs any turkey at all.

I think turkey is absolutely fine to feed. Do not feed skin or fat. There is no problem with plain meat just make sure your dog isn't allergic. I had a nutrition consult for Ellie with someone who has a large amount of education on the subject. She is actually one of about 60 people in the world with the same training and she says turkey is fine. You should probably discuss it with your vet though.

There is no problem at all with turkey, my babies eat turkey as part of their raw diet alot. The problem comes when people allow their little dogs to completely gorge themselves on greasy, oily cooked skin and fat. Which anyone with common sense would know was a bad idea.