Are chicken feces toxic?

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi and thanks for a great question!

The risk with dogs eating chicken feces is that they may end up ingesting bacteria such as salmonella or campylobacter. Both of these can cause serious diarrhea and can be contagious to people as well.

With that being said, not all chickens carry these bacteria so not every dog who eats chicken poop will get sick.

Still, it's a good idea to discourage the practice.

There are no parasites that can be spread from chickens to dogs via the stool so you have no worries in that respect.

I wouldn't worry about doing anything right now. If the dog has some mild diarrhea you can try a 24 hour fast followed by small meals of cooked chicken and rice. However, if the dog has severe diarrhea, diarrhea that is lasting for more than 48 hours or really doesn't feel well then you will need to see your vet for antibiotics.

I hope all is well!

Dr. Marie.

Related question: Are tomatoes bad for dogs?


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