Dogs Eating Fat On Meat

[Staffyluv]

A few weeks ago after my son's 21st we had family stay for a BBQ breaky and even though I asked them not to, they fed him cooked bacon (Zig gets raw meat and veg and bones with a bit of kibble and the usual liver treats for training, cottage cheese or peanut butter to mix stuff into his kongs and rarely but he has had a couple of raw hide chews - this is all he eats)..

After spending that night with a sick dog, vomiting and the runs, we went to the vet and got some hydralyte and probiotics and he came good.

Last night, we were doing roast lamb for dinner. Before I cooked it, I cut off the small shank and gave it to him as a treat.

In the wee hours of this morning, he is hassling me and I wake up to find him dry retching, so we run outside (bless him he made it to the back deck) and he vomits again.

Could it be the fat?

He does get brisket bones and sometimes they can be a bit fatty but they never seem to bother him...

The vet seemed to think last time he MAY have had a mild case of pancreatitis due to the bacon fat but he was not tested.

He seems to be fine now (I have not fed him this morning) and looking for food in his dish, bringing me toys in the office - he seems well enough.

[Stitch]

Having just experienced a combined attack of haemorrhegic diahorrea and IBD with one of mine I am now extremely careful with what I feed.

It took my girl over a week to control the bleeding (both ends) and she was in the vet hospital twice...the second time she had a relapse after they took her off the drip. She was extremely ill and lost heaps of weight...all over eating a little oil which I added to her meal.

Some dogs just can't tolerate oil or fat in their diets....and also some dogs can be just fine with it then one day something sets it off and from then on they can't tolerate fats. I have 4 that have no problem with fat/oil and 1 that does.

Now my girl is on Hills Z/D for the next month or so then we will see what we can wean her on to.

So my advice is if you notice that your dog can't tolerate added fat, then do everything you can not to include it in the diet.

Edited September 2, 2012 by Stitch

[Dame Aussie]

I would avoid anything fatty for Ziggy, it sounds like he might be a bit sensitive, poor wee man.

[persephone]

It could been teh sharp shank bones which cause him problems ... weight bearing bones are inclined to have sharp bits .. unlike brisket etc which can be 'ground up ' by teeth .

The bacon ... may have been a combination of the fat and the nitrites in the bacon ?.

Our house dogs get bacon fat/rind most days never any ill effects - but I guess in sensitive dogs there could be a bad reaction.

[OSoSwift]

I cannot feed one of mine pretty much any fat. Any meat he eats is very lean or he has the same issues along with an upset tummy.

Lean raw roo is fine. Lamb is a definate no no as is chicken - even lean, bacon would be a disaster and beef only in small amounts and lean.

He does not tolerate any fat much at all.

[Tara8430]

I also have trouble feeding my girl fatty things such as lamb, she would bring them up a couple of hours later. She seems to be getting better at eating fatty things, i only ever give uncooked bacon rind.

[Staffyluv]

Thanks all,

I ended up taking him up to the vets (he was due for his vaccination anyway this week) - after talking to the vet and him going all over Zig, he said he thinks it was probably just the fat.

He gets sardines in oil and that doesn't seem to be an issue so I am just going to make sure that the meat he eats contains as little white fat as possible from now on.

I took the bone itself off him once he stripped it as I don't like him trying to crack these big bones - they are to sharp and my old boy had to have a tooth extracted after breaking one on a big bone.

Ziggy seems fine now but he is not getting any food today but he can have some chicken breast with rice for dinner..