Eating Mice - Page 1

I would be very concerned about your dog ending up with a very serious infection called leptospirosis. I don't know how you can keep the dog from catching them, and because the dog is around, poison is not a good solution at all to get the mice. But one thing you should be thinking about is why you have all the mice around and where they are. Are they inside or outside where she is catching them? They are also leaving droppings and urine too for you to be infected with something, depending on what they are carrying and where you live. This is not a healthy situation for you or the dog.

lay off hodiedowner.  Athena Von Mouser is in a class by herself and fast too.

Hodie is 100% correct Do not take her words too lightly, Mice are Full of Diseases, and if you have them in your house you put your family at risk and there is no need for them to be in there bad husbandry. If they are that plentiful outside the house then there is rubbish and waste food left about, Do as you wish too but never take Mice lightly for they carry things that you would not like to contract Including Salmonella
Steve1

I do not doubt that mice are full of diseases.

What I find curious is that cats don't get sick from it.

I had a pair of cats that hunted in the fields all the time.  They had a litter and they would take the three babies out with them into the fields and teach them how to hunt.  My neighbors also had cats and none of them got sick.  I lived on that property for 9 years.

Is there something that makes them immune?  Is their stomach so much acid stronger?

I understand a raw fed dog's stomach acid gets much stronger.

Michele

Make sure you have your dog and cats for that matter wormed regular for tapeworms.
Always,
Cee

Pharaoh,

The acidic environment of the stomach is probably very similar in cats, dogs and humans. So I don't think this will play any role in why cats can eat mice and not become ill. The truth is probably that many cats do become ill, but it goes unnoticed. 

However, You ask a very good question. I think that probably a part of the answer is that cats ARE more often exposed, from early on, to these diseases mice carry. While some of the pathogens are probably specific to dogs, some are not. Why cats may do better in general is that they have, in fact, a better natural immunity to certain diseases from prior exposure. That might be the case, for instance, with leptospirosis which can affect both cats and dogs, but is not seen frequently in cats. It is a great question and one worthy of some research.........

We have a 100 acres of land that is all grass. We don't have mice in or around our house they are field mice that  she runs around and finds. Not all of us are pigs Steve. We don't have dropping or urine or anything else around. Don't any of you have fields why do I have to have waste and trash around to have field mice. The only question I asked was if eating them  would make her sick.

I FEED THE MICE I CATCH IN MY TRAP TO MY ROOSTER.  HE GOES CRAZY OVER THEM. ITS HIS FAVORITE FOOD.

Leptospirosis.
You can immunize against leptospirosis. Cat may be infected but rarely shows symptoms. There are many strains of Lepto. Unfortunatel vaccination against one strain does not protect against the other strains. Shots are against  canicola and icterohaemorrhagiae strains. Fort Dodge now also protects against the L. grippotyphosa and L. pomona. Unfortunately other strains may infect a dog.  Vaccination should not be considered effective for more then 6 month.
Salmonela
Healthy dog normally can digest their food quickly without allowing bacteria to settle, they usually do not get salmonella poisoning however they may be salmonela carriers. 
 In my experience with dogs eating wild animals including mice, the only negative effect would be that the dog will end up sooner or later with tape worm. But anything is possible.
Prager Hans