My dog touched a dead pigeon. What health risks should I worry about?

It is highly unlikely that your dog touching a bird will cause any illness. While there is no way to know with certainty, dogs are always outside touching things they shouldn't be, and eating gross stuff like animal poop, carcasses, and puddle water. Their immune systems are built much tougher than ours fortunately, so unless you start seeing any clinical signs of illness I would not spend too much time worrying about this. Hope this helps!

Vinnie is such a cutie! Eating a dead bird can make him sick, but dogs eat really gross things all the time like poop and are fine. Just keep an eye on him. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, or lethargy, have him seen by a vet. Best of luck.

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 then transition slowly to the regular diet. If the vomiting or diarrhea don't stop or if you see other symptoms (lethargy, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, etc.), see your veterinarian.

There is no way to know for whether or not the bird Rocky licked was carrying any sort of pathogen, and whether or not that pathogen is transmissible to dogs. I would operate under the assumption that everything is going to be OK unless you begin to see any clinical signs of illness. You can certainly obtain a fecal sample and bring it into your vet to make sure he didn't pick up any intestinal parasites. Hope this helps.

No vitamins will make any difference for the good or bad, mist diseases pigeons get are harmless to dogs, if your dog ate the pigeon he could suffer from some mild gastrointestinal upset but nothing out of the ordinary.

Hi there. No, I would not expect this to cause any problems. :) It's quite common for dogs to encounter dead squirrels and other animals, and they often pick up carcasses and carry them around, or even eat parts of them without any serious issues. There are really no diseases or other issues that your girl could pick up from the scenario you describe here, so you shouldn't need to worry.

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.