A three year old Labrador retriever was brought to a veterinary clinic in Austria over the weekend. His symptoms?
- The dog had gas and diarrhea.
- The dog was vomiting.
- The dog could barely stand up or walk a straight line.
- According to the vet, the dog smelled like a beer hall.
The veterinarian who treated Dingo said that the dog smelled like a distillery. Tests revealed that Dingo’s blood alcohol content was WAY over the legal limit for humans. The eighty-eight pound dog was most definitely drunk.
But it’s not what you think. The owner wasn’t sharing beers with the pup, or being careless with liquor storage.
Dingo had nabbed a bowl of fresh yeast dough from a kitchen counter. The dough began to ferment in the dog’s stomach during digestion! That ball of dough turned into a serious binge for poor Dingo. The dog was seriously drunk without drinking a single drop.
Don’t worry — the hungry Labrador survived the experience. He might have had a nasty hangover and a serious belly ache the next day, though! Thank goodness this story had a happy ending. It does serve as a good reminder:
- Alcohol is never safe for pets! If you want to share a beer with your four-legged best friend, pick a dog-safe, alcohol-free brew.
- Be careful with what you leave on the counters when you aren’t home! Even things you think are safe — like a bowl of dough or a closed box of chocolates — can be a temptation.
- Many foods that are safe for humans are not safe for dogs or cats. Familiarize yourself with the list of unsafe foods so you can protect your pets.
- Don’t trust that your dog or cat will ignore food left out on the counters. Their instincts teach them to be hunters, and food left out might just be fair game.