Well, I'll never do THIS again!

[Kipawa]

I just gave Kipawa his breakfast, boiled rice and boiled chicken, and you all know what THAT means.

Last night I gave Kipawa his kibble, some reconstituted NRG food (great stuff), fresh organic blueberries, fresh organic leafy greens and fresh organic broccoli. I also put in some carrots that I bought from the produce section of Safeway. They were in a plastic bag, pre-cut (slanted). I wash all fruits and veggies that we or Kipawa eats very well under running water. Kipawa ate his entire supper heartily - he's a great eater!

This morning, we get up and Kipawa immediately runs outside and throws up. I look down, and there are the carrots, pretty sure every single one of them .

After I comforted Kipawa, because yes, he was looking up at me with those basenji eyes, I checked the bag for ingredients. All it said was carrots. No mention of citric acid or anything else that would be a preservative. Usually all fruit and veggies I buy are from our organic store. But this time I was at a Safeway getting other non-food items and I thought I would buy these carrots because 'I' wanted to have something handy that evening to snack on. Well, that bag of carrots is going back to Safeway this afternoon and I want to talk to the manager in case any other dogs/people have gotten ill.

So, THAT purchase won't ever happen again.

I'm not telling anyone to only buy fresh organic. It's more expensive and sometimes not readily available. I just wanted to convey that what we sometimes think may be 'healthy' may not be at all. Being an informed consumer is important, because it's getting more and more important for us to be very aware of what we eat, what we wear (some clothes are sprayed before they hit the store racks) and where we might live (for Kipawa and I, high voltage power lines are a no-no).

[lvoss]

Did he chew the carrots or swallow them whole? Sometimes they will barf up stuff because it too large and sits in their stomachs unable to move on down the line.

[Kipawa]

@lvoss:

Did he chew the carrots or swallow them whole? Sometimes they will barf up stuff because it too large and sits in their stomachs unable to move on down the line.

Ivoss - DING DING DING! Thanks for that thought - makes sense!

Some of it was definitely chewed, but a couple of pieces were whole, so those whole pieces could have been the aggravation. I know when I looked at the throw up (fingers and all, I get right down and even sniff it) I thought it odd that their were undigested pieces, but my mind went to 'something bad about the carrots', not that they were too big. The size was about 2 inches long, but thin. The last time Kipawa threw up it was because of the salmonella in his Taste Of The Wild food. We had one of the recalled bags (product code indicated it was in the recall). So I think right away my head went to the 'tainted food' place. But the undigested larger pieces - I hadn't thought of that.

Kipawa does wolf his food down. I think it's a good idea for me to change his food bowl to one of those bowls that make it harder for them to inhale their food. I'm passing by my favourite pet store today, so I'll go in. They seem to have everything I have ever wanted to get for him.

Once again, so thankful that knowledge like yours is available to all of us who really care about our fur babies. This forum is the best!

[eeeefarm]

I give Perry carrots…...nothing special, just horse carrots that he sometimes steals and I sometimes offer him......and carrot does not digest well. I often find bits of it in his stool, and he has the occasional throwing up episode when he doesn't chew it adequately (usually when he has stolen one from the horses and doesn't want to give it back!)

I am blessed that he loves them, as it makes a handy dandy reward. I just grab one when we go down the field, and if he pleases me I bite off a bit and give it to him. He is as eager for carrot as most dogs are for steak!

[EskiLovr]

My mother has had great danes for years and gives them vegetables to help supplement the giant volume of dog food that she must buy for such big guys. She feeds carrots in the cooked form only, says none of her dogs have done well on raw carrots. She also feeds potatoes cooked only, for raw veggies she will feed other veggies, but for carrots and potatoes always cooked.

[Jenga]

I have been making food for my pups and supplementing with Science Diet Puppy. No problems with the carrotts which I cook with the rest in the crock pot and then blend a bit with the hand mixer. So far so good. However, my daughter asked me why I am taking such care with their good and what kind of treats they get when they go outside and do things like eat a dead mouse or, as yesterday, Jenga ate a baby bird which had fallen out a nest. They also like horse poop now and then. I am assuming this is nothing that I should be worried about? I am just wanting them to have the best nutrition possible as they are quite active here on our farm and my special helpers it seems in everything I do.

[eeeefarm]

Carrots will definitely digest better if cooked…....for people as well as dogs. Personally I wouldn't worry about a little horse poop, but I would try to avoid them eating a lot of it. My guy likes to get into my horse's food before he eats it, and since it contains beet pulp, that makes for large messy stools. I always know when my husband has had the dog out and hasn't been paying attention! I think it would be unwise to let them near horse manure if you have been administering any drugs, such as dewormers…..

[DebraDownSouth]

Fran, dogs don't really digest whole veggies. One thing I learned many moons ago on barf lists, if you want your dog to fill up, serve in chunks. You want your dog to get any benefit … smash them up. If you want to check it for yourself, give your dog several chunks of different veggies, check the poo. Often what you find looks pretty much what goes in.

That said, mine love apples. USUALLY they chew them up. I got up to Cara throwing up 2 days ago-- on big apple chunk and liquid. Sigh. Guess I'll slice much smaller.