Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My dog ate a dead raccoon paw. What health risks should I watch for?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Shepherd | Male | neutered | 1 year and 3 months old | 50 lbs

There is a dead raccoon on the side of the road that was run over a long time ago and was never cleaned up. Today, I walked my dog by there forgetting about it. Before i knew it he'd snatched up the dead raccoons dislocated paw. I told him to drop it and tried to get it out of his mouth but he didn't listen and swallowed it down before I could do anything. Should I be worried? Anything I should look out for?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 27th, 2018

If your dog is vaccinated against rabies, you do not have to worry about rabies. Dogs can eat stinky things without getting ill. Sometimes they get a tummy ache. If he starts vomiting or gets diarrhea, you can withdraw all food for 12 hours, then put Minho on bland food for a day or two, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to his regular food slowly over a few days. If this does not clear up the diarrhea or if the vomiting increases, or if he gets lethargic, he needs to see a veterinarian for an exam as there may be something more serious such as an infection going on.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 21st, 2020

    Rabies infection seems unlikely at this stage.This may be more related to a gastrointestinal inflammation/infection. As a first approach, I would suggest to withhold food for the next 8-12 hours and then start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog ( a doxle ) ate some type of meat that he dug out the snow! I live in the country and i was walking him and he dug something out of the snow that looked like meat i couldnt figure out because it was 5pm already but it looked like chicken skin
Oh dear! Dogs are bad about eating random things off the ground, and it can definitely be worrying. If it looked like a piece of meat, the most likely problem that this would cause is a minor upset stomach if it was spoiled or rotten. It's not possible to get rabies from eating meat like this, so no need to worry about that :) Some types of tapeworms and other parasites can be transmitted this way, so it would be a good idea to deworm him sometime soon to be safe. You can monitor him for the next day or two for any problems. If he has repeated episodes of vomiting, severe or bloody diarrhea, or if he's acting strange or lethargic, I would recommend having him examined by a vet since these can be signs of a more serious problem. Otherwise, you shouldn't need to worry.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog ate a rat and I’m unsure when he did it I found it in my yard last night it’s looks like it’s been dead for a while what should I do
There are two things you can do: 1) nothing, just watch your dog for diarrhea and/or vomiting or paleness. If yoru dog vomits/gets diarrhea do the following: I would fast Bandit for 12 hours and then put her on bland food for two days, such as boiled white rice and boiled white boneless chicken meat, fed in small quantities over several feeds and then transition back to her regular food slowly over a few days. Should he get lethargic, and/or pale (check his gums), he needs to be seen by a vet as the rat may have died of rodenticide. OR 2) if your dog ate the rat within the past 90 minutes, take him to a vet to have him regurgitate the rat with a medication called apomorphine.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog ate rancid dog food. It was very dark on the surface and red underneath. Seems the packaging in the box had been opened for a while. t’s been an hour or so and he seems perfectly fine (still hungry too - asking for his treats) I do worry he ma
Your dog will probably be ok, as dogs often eat stinky food they buried a long time before eating it. Watch your dog for vomiting and diarrhea and when this happens, take Russ off food for 12 hrs., then feed him some bland food such as boiled white rice with boiled boneless white chicken meat in several small feeds over the day. The next day start replacing small portions of the rice mix with his regular food. Do this for about two days until all the rice and chicken is replaced with his regular food. If he still vomits or has diarrhea, you need to take him to your vet for treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I took hachi to our backyard and he ate something that look like raccoon feces. I'm not sure what raccoon feces look like but after I did some research online, dogs can get raccoon roundworms from eating the feces. Is hachi in danger? I will take a p
It's difficult to say if this is raccoon feces for sure from the picture, but if it is, raccoons can carry a form of roundworm, and it can be harmful to dogs and humans. Even if it is not raccoon feces, other types of wildlife can also carry parasites that can be harmful to dogs and humans. I recommend calling your vet to get dewormer for Hachi right away. Your vet may also recommend an appointment to have Hachi examined and running a fecal test on him to check and see if he has any parasites. If this is not an option I recommend seeing if you can get an over the counter dewormer that is labeled for dogs and giving it as per the label directions. If you notice diarrhea or vomiting, or worms in Hachi's stool, I recommend seeing a vet right away, as these could be signs that Hachi has intestinal parasites. Wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning up Hachi's stool to reduce the risk of infection.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog I just got from a shelter got away from me last night, and when I found him he was eating what I think was another dead animal. It was night, so I have no idea what it was. He hasn’t had his rabies shot yet, should I be worried about anything?
Most shelters will provide vaccines, so if you aren't sure of Redd's vaccine history, contacting the place you adopted him from to get a record of his vaccines is best. If you think he may have been exposed to rabies or another serious illness, seeking out veterinary care immediately is also a good idea to prevent accidental injury to yourself, or to Redd. In some cases, eating a dead animal carcass can cause severe digestive upset, or other issues due to the bones, bacteria, etc. Signs of this can include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, inability to produce stool, not wanting to eat or drink, fever, etc. If you see any signs of illness at all, seeking out veterinary care ASAP is best.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog found a dead Squirrel and started to eat parts of it. I stoped him before he could eat much more but, what should I be looking out for? Will he be okay?
Thank you for using Boop by Petco! Unfortunately, dead animals can transmit bacterial infections and various parasites. I recommend keeping a close eye on Buddy for vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite. Pieces of bone or hair can cause intestinal blockages which result in similar signs. If Buddy exhibits any of the signs above, he should be seen by a vet right away. I hope all is well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
My 9 week old puppy ate a rat
Eating a rat likely will not cause problems unless the rat was poisoned with rat poison or had already been dead for a while. Your puppy may get a bit of diarrhea or start vomiting. If that happens, start feeding her some white boiled rice with boneless boiled white chicken meat for a day and then slowly introduce her normal food again. Watch his gums for color (they should be pink, not white or bluish) and little specks of blood (petechiae). If her gums turn white or you see petechiae within the next few days, you need to take Kilo to a vet right away, as the rat may have ingested (and died from) anticoagulant rat poison and Kilo would need to be treated with Vitamin K1 tablets.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
So my 1 year old dog may have possibly killed a rat in my back yard. She is up to date in all her shots. I don't know if I should be concerned about this. She hasn't shown any type of sickness no vomiting or diarrhea.
Killing the rat shiuldnt be an issue, my only concern would be if she had eaten the rat and it had been baited with rat poison. If she didnt ingest any i wouldnt worry, but if she did eat it you could have the vet make her vomit just in case.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
When my dogs are out side they kill rats, if I were to get doggy mouth wash and put some in there water will that clean out there mouth ? How else can I clean there mouth after them killing rats? Thank you in advance! :)
The mouth is not the problem, the problem is if they ingested the rat or not and if they are vaccinated or not, these are the two important factors when dealing with a dog the kills a rat, the mouth is irrelevant. if your dog ingested the rat you must take him to the vet urgently, because of the high risk of rat poison (this will likely be deadly if left untreated), the second issue is vaccination, if your dog is not vaccinated he is in risk of contracting a disease called leptospirosis which can cause severe health problems and in some cases can be fatal as well.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog ate a dead bird. Should I be worried??
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for dogs to eat dead animals found in the yard or on walks. Thankfully, in most cases the worst that may occur is some stomach upset (vomiting or diarrhea). Monitor for GI upset ([vomiting](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/vomiting-1/) and/or [diarrhea](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/diarrhea-1/)), lethargy, loss of appetite or abdominal pain. If your dog is behaving normally otherwise, you can [manage minor GI upset at home](https://www.petcoach.co/article/6-things-you-can-do-at-home-if-your-pet-has-diarrhea) by first withholding food for 12-24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte during this fasting period. Resume feeding a bland diet ( boiled boneless / skinless chicken and plain cooked white rice) in small, frequent amounts. Begin with 1 tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount if there is no vomiting. Continue feeding bland until there is no vomiting for 48 hours and/or the stool is normal
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored