{"id":9416,"date":"2020-08-04T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T15:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=9416"},"modified":"2026-01-09T10:24:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T16:24:42","slug":"garbage-gut-in-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/culture\/myths\/garbage-gut-in-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Debarking Pet Myths: My Dog Can Eat Anything!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another installment of \u201cDebarking Pet Myths,\u201d our monthly series that addresses common myths, misconceptions and old wives\u2019 tales about dogs, cats and their nutrition.<\/em><\/p>\n

We all know that one dog owner who boasts of their dog\u2019s seemingly cast-iron stomach. The dog can eat anything \u2014 french fries<\/a>, garbage, stagnant water, etc. \u2014 and feel no ill effects. But can the dog really <\/em>eat anything, or are these tales taller than most?<\/p>\n

In reality, a dog that \u201ceats anything\u201d is a dog that often suffers from dietary indiscretion, a condition more commonly known as \u201cgarbage gut.\u201d When a dog eats something that their system isn\u2019t used to, they can face gastrointestinal upset that can manifest itself in a number of ways, often depending on what exactly they ate. If the ingested food was absorbed into the system, it might cause vomiting or diarrhea, but if your dog ingested something indigestible, like a bone or a sock, there might be a physical blockage that causes the distress.<\/p>\n

Outdoor pets are more susceptible<\/h3>\n

The term \u201cgarbage gut\u201d can be misleading because eating the garbage is far from the only way a pet can end up with it. Eating any spoiled food or certain raw foods can upset the gastrointestinal system. A pet can get it from eating other animals\u2019 stool, from eating birds or other wild animals, or drinking stagnant water; this is why it\u2019s more common in dogs and cats who are free to roam outside. Ingesting anything unusual can potentially cause an issue.<\/p>\n

Some cases can be severe<\/h3>\n

While most cases of garbage gut work themselves out within 72 hours, it can<\/em> be severe and is almost always scary for the pet owner. You might see diarrhea and vomiting, lethargy, fever, lack of appetite or signs of an achy stomach. In some cases, the vomit or diarrhea may be bloody. It\u2019s never fun to see your pet down for the count.<\/p>\n

Dogs and cats have \u2026 interesting bowel movements somewhat regularly, so in mild cases, you might not even know that something out of the ordinary is occurring. You know your pet better than anyone, so if they seem to be sick or acting weirdly for an extended period of time, consult your veterinarian. Severe cases of garbage gut can lead to dehydration or pancreatitis.<\/p>\n

Treating garbage gut<\/h3>\n

More often than not, garbage gut is mild, and your dog will feel better after a few days of rest and a bland, easily digestible diet. If there\u2019s been a lot of vomiting or diarrhea, your veterinarian may administer fluids to prevent dehydration, or even medication to calm a rumbly stomach.<\/p>\n

In severe cases, your dog might be hospitalized, or your veterinarian may treat them for pancreatitis, an uncomfortable condition caused by an inflamed pancreas. The exact cause of acute pancreatitis is unknown, but a sudden influx of fatty foods (like in table scraps), can be a culprit. If left untreated, pancreatitis can cause shock or death.<\/p>\n

Prevention is the best medicine<\/h3>\n

The easiest way to keep your pet free from garbage gut is to limit their diet to a high-quality pet food. But we all know that dogs are curious, and we can\u2019t expect them to remain indoors and away from table scraps or garbage 100 percent of the time. If you suspect that your pet has come down with garbage gut, try to retrace their steps to see what may have caused it, and keep a close eye on their behavior.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it; we all sometimes eat things we shouldn\u2019t. Pets are no different!<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another installment of \u201cDebarking Pet Myths,\u201d our monthly series that addresses common myths, misconceptions and old wives\u2019 tales about dogs, cats and their nutrition. We all know that one dog owner who boasts of their dog\u2019s seemingly cast-iron stomach. The dog can eat anything \u2014 french fries, garbage, stagnant water, etc. \u2014 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Is It True that My Dog Can Eat Anything?","_seopress_titles_desc":"Explore the truth behind dogs eating anything. Learn about \"garbage gut\", its symptoms, treatments & how to prevent this common dietary indiscretion in dogs.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[158,275],"tags":[382,134,365,70,54,171],"class_list":["post-9416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-myths","tag-debarking-pet-myths","tag-diamond-pet-foods","tag-dog-behavior","tag-dog-health","tag-dogs","tag-pet-myths"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}