Zoey (9 weeks old) Chewed up part of a dead squirrel!

[Zoey's Mom, Lynn]

Hello!  I just found out that  our 9 week old slipped her collar and found a dead squirrel in the yard and ate part of it.  How concerned should I be?  I believe one of our cats had killed it and didn't realize it was in the yard until Zoey got a hold of it in the bushes and my wife could reach her to stop her.  She finally got Zoey and the puppy seems ok.  She drank some water but doesn't seem to have any ill effects so far.

Puppies are Hard!!

Thanks

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You are going to want to watch Zoey very carefully over the next week or two. Squirrels and other backyard critters carry all kinds of parasites and diseases, and some of them don't show up right away. It's important that you look at every stool, that you check her for fleas and ticks, and that you watch for any sign of illness. Hopefully she will be fine, but at such a young age, you don't want to take any chances.

[ginny]

I would call my veterinarian just to be safe.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think that would be premature at this point. The puppy isn;t showing any symptoms of anything, and most of the parasites or diseases that could be transmitted would not yet show up in any tests either.

[Zoey's Mom, Lynn]

We have a vet appointment next Friday for her 2nd shots, and a fecal test.  If she starts showing any effects, we’ll take her in before that.  We will definitely let the vet know what happened and make sure they check her out real good.  So far, no bad signs.  She’s peeing and pooping as normal.  

Thanks for the responses.  I haven’t had a puppy to deal with in over 10 years and I want to make sure I do right by her!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I'd get a martingale collar - the dog can't slip out of it.  I use them on two of my doodles who can slip a collar lickety split.  Among other breeds, martingales are used for whippets and greyhounds  who can never be let off leash in public.