There are three common traits that all labradors tend to share:
- Being very friendly
- Specialising in the “wag walk” (where their wagging tails may actually help to propel them forward)
- Liking food. A lot.
Sometimes, however, our labrador friends are guilty of making terrible food choices. These poor food choices can be classed into three main categories:
1. Simple dietary indiscretion – a.k.a ‘sneaky snacks’
This involves a dog stealing and eating food items that simply don’t agree with their gut, such as fatty table scraps from the garbage, or items that we would not even consider food, such as the faeces of other animals!
This can lead to symptoms such as nausea, lethargy, tummy pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.
2. Toxins
The most common toxins ingested by nosey labradors tend to be human medications (e.g. ibuprofen) or household chemicals (e.g rat bait), which can lead to potentially life-threatening illness.
In some cases, spoiled foods can also contain bacteria or toxins that can cause “garbage toxicity”, involving tummy upset and sometimes other symptoms such as muscle tremors.
3. Foreign bodies
Unfortunately, labradors are known for eating things that aren’t actually food at all! Quite commonly, via surgery or the induction of vomiting, our vets retrieve foreign bodies such as socks, meat netting, toys, or personal sanitary items from naughty labradors.
Obstruction of the intestine with a foreign bodies usually causes persistent vomiting, which can lead to dehydration and mental fatigue.
Treatment and prevention
If your pet vomits more than a few times, appears lethargic, or is having profuse or blood-tinged diarrhoea, it’s recommended to consult our team for advice. Depending on your pet’s condition, we may recommend supportive care such as anti-nausea treatments and intravenous fluids, and sometimes abdominal imaging such as x-rays.
However, if you suspect that your pet has eaten a toxin, we’d advise urgently contacting our team or the Animal Poisons Helpline for further advice.
Lastly, if your pet is a persistent perpetrator of poor food choices, have a chat with our team about how we can kindly help to redirect their problematic behaviour away from labra-dabra-don’ts toward labra-dabra-do’s!