Dog's digestion V high fibre sdugar beet pulp.

[HazellB]

Yesterday afternoon I tried something new for the horses. I gave them a kilo of dry sugar beet pellets as their treat for coming in off the grass for their hay. If you don't know, sugar beet pellets are something that horse owners usually soak in about five times their volume of water then feed as a warming winter energy source. Dry in small amounts they are safe for a massive horse, but not so good for a tiny short-legged Jack Russell.

The dog stole about half the pellets from the horses (I'd stupidly scattered them on the ground so the horses would snuffle about for them for a few minutes) then had a drink and a nap.
By 6pm he looked like a pufferfish and had screaming indigestion. Luckily Jack Russells tend to see indigestion as an occupational hazard, so I just left him to sleep it off.

By 6am my house looked like a muddy war zone.

It's incredible just how much STUFF can come out of a small dog.
It's also incredible just how proud Jack Russells can be of what they produce all over your home, furniture, garden, etc.

What's your dog stolen that's made them 'proud' ?

[wendy]

Eeeek ! That is the trouble with dried food. It doesn't look a lot until liquid gets to it and it expands.
Just getting over the bougainvillia episode, so feel your pain.

[bluebell]

OMG Your dog has been so lucky, poor little thing.

[HazellB]

OMG Your dog has been so lucky, poor little thing.

I gave up pitying him long ago. He is one hell of a magician - making all manner of unedibles vanish on an almost daily basis. What's more, as he's guzzling them he tends to know there'll be repercussions and indigestion. I wouldn't mind, but he's well fed twice daily and has masses of other things to keep him busy at the stables all day

He ate a snail this morning. Shell and all

[Gwenoakes]

That is one lucky, lucky dog you have there.

Dont snails and slugs carry lung worm? Sorry if that has worried you even more.

[MissEllie]

He sounds like a real wee character Hazel
Our first rescue dog Barney ate my 21st birthday cake - every last crumb - then heaved it all right back up again

[HazellB]

Dont snails and slugs carry lung worm? Sorry if that has worried you even more.

I'm not in the slightest bit worried about lungworm - and neither should anyone be.

Have you ever heard of a dog getting lungworm? Ever had a vet tell you to treat your dog for it?
No.

The only reason anyone's heard of it beside occasional vets and donkey owners (donkeys are prone to secondary problems with lungworm) is the TV adverts on for the past year. They're only on because the treatment has been made available to dog owners without prescription and is highly profitable - not because lungworm itself is a problem.

Call me a cynic, but lungworm is the least of my worries with this horrid little dustbin of a dog
He ate a fatball the wild birds dropped today. Net and all .......

[wendy]

I have to say I have never treated for lung worm and certinly never heard of it years ago.
I have heard of two, in my classes, that were ill due to lung worm. So I suppose it may be regional.
But then I don't worm my dogs after their puppyhood anyway. Never de flea unless I see fleas either.
Hence my 10 year old Josie has never been treated as she, nor Dave, has never had fleas !.
Very anti dr-ugs for them or me.

I hope the net comes out the other end

[Gwenoakes]

That is a good point, Wendy re being regional. I have known one dog round here that has had it, but not anymore and when you consider how many dogs there are around here it is a very, very tiny percentage.

When we were in Australia, heart worm was rife and one of the conditions coming back to this country with dogs apart from obviously the quarantine was that they had to have heart worm pills each day before and after arriving here.

I didnt know lung worm affected donkeys, Hazel. Wonder why it affects donkeys and not horses, do you know?

Your dog must have a cast iron gut to cope with what he is eating. LOL

[HazellB]

I didnt know lung worm affected donkeys, Hazel. Wonder why it affects donkeys and not horses, do you know?

I think it's more that a donkey with lungworm has clear outward signs, while a horse with it doesn't, to be honest. Horses have larger, heavier lungs than their slower moving cousins, so probably don't rattle and roar as much if they have lungworm. Plus, years ago, almost all horses had lung problems anyway (thanks to poor stable care and dusty feed) so nobody noticed them having additional problems.

Modern wormers get rid of equine lungworm, so it's not a worry now.

Sheldon has a cast iron stomach? Nah, cast iron cracks in cold weather - Sheldon just eats more rubbish!