Is Eating Rabbit Poop Dangerous for Dogs?
Rabbit feces is generally not dangerous for dogs. However, we should do what we can to prevent them from eating it.
If nothing else, feces can conceivably serve as a food source for bacteria and other microscopic pathogens, which may make your dog sick.
For that matter, your dog’s slobber ends up all over you and everything you own during the course of daily life, so it just seems prudent to keep poop out of his mouth.
But with all that said, rabbit poop isn’t terribly likely to make your dog sick. Most parasites and pathogens found in rabbit poop are relatively species-specific and not capable of infecting dogs (which is why it’s actually more dangerous if your dog eats another dog’s poop than a rabbit’s).
For example, dogs who eat rabbit poop are often found to excretecoccidia (a type of single-celled parasite) in their feces. However, thesecoccidia organisms are harmless to your dog, and they’ll just pass right onthrough his system.
Despite the fact that rabbit poop is typically harmless to dogs, you should always contact your vet if:
Rabbits May Still Present Dangers to Your Doggo
While rabbit poop itself doesn’t represent much of a seriousrisk to your dog, the actual rabbit may be dangerous.
(Insert obligatory killer rabbit joke here).
Kidding aside, rabbits aren’t going to try to fight your dog, but, if your dog actually catches and consumes a rabbit, he may become infected with worms.
Additionally, rabbits often harbor fleas and ticks, including some that may spread tularemia or – even worse – bubonic plague (yup, that plague).
So, if your dog seems to have a tendency to eat rabbit poop, or you simply have a lot of rabbits on your property, you want to do what you can to protect your pooch. This means using a good preventative flea medication (preferably, one that also works as a tick preventative too), and supervising your dog closely while he’s rompin’ around in the back yard.
Coccidia
Coccidiosis is a parasitic infection caused by an organism called coccidia. Veterinarians can use the presence of this protozoan in the stool to determine whether or not your dog has consumed rabbit feces, but don’t worry – it won’t harm them! It will simply pass through the gut and come out when they poop.
If you notice that after eating rabbits droppings your dog develops gastric sensitivity or diarrhea, get him/her checked as something more sinister might be at play here…
Dog Wont Stop Eating Rabbit Poop
If you live in an area with a large rabbit population, you may struggle with keeping your dog away from their poop.
Eating rabbit poop is a common behavior that many dogs take part in, no matter how gross it may seem to us.
A dog eating rabbit poop will not likely cause serious illness, but it can lead to complications surrounding GI upset.
So what could happen if a dog eats rabbit poop, and why do they eat it in the first place?
In this article we will help you better understand this strange canine behavior, and how you can best protect your poop-eating pup going forward.