My Dog Killed a Squirrel! Why Do Dogs Kill Squirrels and Sometimes Eat Them?
Millions of years ago, your dog’s ancestors werewolf-like carnivores prowling their territories at night, searching for warm-blood animals to kill and eat. Although your Labrador or Border Collie may greet everybody with tail wags, licks, and excited whines, they still carry a strong instinct to hunt, kill and eat small animals. Some dog breeds “hunt” more aggressively than other dog breeds, especially terriers, hounds, and spitzes.
Don’t be alarmed if you catch your well-fed dog catching and eating a squirrel. It’s got nothing to do with what you feed your dog. It’s just in their nature!
The Odds of a Squirrel Killing A Dog
One squirrel vs one dog, and we know what the likely outcome of this fight would be. Dogs have a size advantage and can be as fast as their counterpart. Although squirrels compensate with technique, if the dog can catch it, then the fight is over. But what are the chances of the dog getting all the disadvantages in a fight?
According to a BBC report in 2005, a dog in a Russian park was killed by a pack of squirrels. This happened because the stray dog started barking at the squirrels. The pack killed the dog and ran away with chunks of dog flesh. There is no footage of the said attack, so we don’t really know if squirrels are capable of this. All kidding aside, can a dog get sick by successfully killing a squirrel?
A Pack of Squirrels Killed a Dog!
In 2005 the BBC reported on a squirrel attack that supposedly happened in a Russian park. According to the story a large stray dog went into a park and started barking at the squirrels. The squirrels descended from the trees and, working as a pack, attacked and killed the dog.
The dog was gutted by the animals and the ferocious squirrels ran away with chunks of dog flesh.
Of course, this was a story out of Russia with no footage to support it and a local scientist called the report “absurd”.
I have never seen any other reports of squirrels attacking a dog but thought I would throw this in here just to freak a few people out
All kidding aside though, squirrels are TOUGH and they will put up a fight when attacked. If you dog is “successful” in catching a squirrel then make sure you look it over for bites and scratches and get them cleaned up with hydrogen peroxide to prevent infection.
Fortunately when it comes to diseases that squirrels can transfer to dogs there simply are not many. Squirrels do not carry rabies but, in some parts of the United States, do carry leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a spiral bacteria that attacks internal organs, specifically the liver and kidneys.
Squirrels transmit the leptospirosis bacteria through their urine which may or may not be released when you dog attacks it.
A dog infected with leptospirosis will present with high fever, vomiting and convulsions. Treatment by a vet will be required and will consist of aggressive antibiotics and administration of fluids.
Again, this will be an extremely rare event and is something that you probably should not worry about.
How do squirrels act when they have rabies?
Some dogs love to chase squirrels. If your dog is one of them, you will know that once they spot one there can be little you can do to stop them in their pursuit! But can chasing squirrels be a risky business for your dog? If your dog is particularly talented at pursuing squirrels and is lucky enough to catch one, it’s likely the interaction could leave your dog worse for wear. So, let’s have a look at what to do if your dog is bitten by a squirrel.