Dog Ate Raw Hamburger Meat

While beef is a great source of protein and healthy fats, there are some risks when your dog consumes raw beef. Raw ground beef puts your dog at risk for salmonella, a bacterial contamination. Salmonella often leads to gastrointestinal illness.

Is it safe for dogs to eat raw hamburger meat?

What Happens if My Dog Eats Raw Hamburgers?

We’ve established that your pet dog eating a raw hamburger patty is not a good thing. The salmonella in the raw beef can wreak havoc on your dog’s body.

What exactly will happen if your dog eats a raw burger patty that has been tainted with salmonella? Your dog will go through a bout of food poisoning if that happens. The symptoms of food poisoning caused by salmonella are detailed below.

Vomiting is one of the most common symptoms of food poisoning in dogs. Your pet may start to throw up the contents of their stomach not long after eating.

Their bout of vomiting can also be short or extended depending on how the bacteria are affecting them.

Diarrhea is yet another symptom that will present itself in dogs who have eaten raw beef. Similar to vomiting, dogs may keep defecating for a while if they are suffering from food poisoning.

Most pet parents are aware of just how unpleasant it is to clean up after a pet with diarrhea. Avoid that experience by keeping raw burgers out of your dog’s diet.

Your dog can lose a lot of their liquids quickly if they are vomiting and defecating consistently. The risk of your dog getting dehydrated is very high during that time. Watch out for that because dehydration can also cause some serious issues.

A bout of food poisoning can really take a toll on your dog. They may become lethargic as a result of what happened. Your once energetic friend may just lie down all the time because of the tainted beef.

No matter how much your dog likes to eat, they may not be able to overcome the effects of food poisoning. They may only take a few bites of their food or turn it down altogether because they feel sick.

Dogs that are suffering from a severe case of food poisoning may also start to experience seizures. Take action right away if your dog is already exhibiting those symptoms of food poisoning.

What to Do if My Dog Eats Raw Hamburgers?

No pet parent wants to see their furry friend exhibiting the symptoms of a serious illness. If your dog has food poisoning, you need to care for them right away.

One way to treat your sick dog is to fast them. For the next 24 hours, you should only give your pet water. Don’t give them any food during that time so the bacteria can clear out of their system.

Hopefully, your dog will not vomit or defecate while they are fasting. Your dog is probably on the road to recovery if they are able to pass through the fasting period without any issues.

Taking more immediate action will be necessary if your dog continues vomiting or defecating while fasting. At that point, you need to take them to the veterinarian so they can be examined and treated by an expert.

Heed the advice given by the veterinarian so your dog can recover quickly.

How much ground beef can I feed my dog?

Before you begin your dog on a raw meat diet, consult his veterinarian for a consultation and checkup. According to Founders Veterinary Clinic, you should feed your dog 1/4 to 1/3 pound of meat per day for each 20 pounds of his body weight.

FAQ

What happens if a dog eats raw hamburger?

Raw meat is likely to contain harmful bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli and more. Cooking meat to a safe temperature kills off those harmful bacteria. By feeding uncooked meat, there’s a higher risk your dog will develop a foodborne illness or other type of bacterial infection.

Will raw beef hurt my dog?

Yes, a dog can become ill from eating raw meat, although this is a very rare occurrence. Instead, when you hear about the risk of your pet becoming sick from raw meat, you should be more concerned about the humans who handle it. The risk is no different than humans handling raw meat for their own cooking.

How much raw hamburger can a dog eat?

If your dog eats raw meat from the grocery store, chances are that they’ll be fine. However, if you are worried or you notice anything out of the ordinary after they consume raw food, contact your vet.