Is it Harmful for a Dog to Eat Rabbit Poop? (Read This First!)

Your dog has probably eaten many things in its life, with rabbit poop being one of them. Dogs may ingest it without you noticing and it happens more frequently than you think.

Eating small amounts of rabbit poop might not harm your dog, but it still poses a health risk. Watch your dog closely if it eats rabbit poop. If your dog shows signs of illness or unusual behavior after eating rabbit poop, take it to the vet immediately.

If you’ve experienced this, join me and learn more about the connection between rabbit poop and your dog eating it.

Is Rabbit Poop Bad For My Dog?

Generally speaking, rabbit poop is not bad for your dog. You may find it hard to believe, but dogs have specialized saliva and enzymes that kill most bacteria before they reach its stomach.

Additionally, because of the vegetarian diet of rabbits, their poop is not necessarily toxic to dogs, but the smell can get a bit strong after a while.

Although rabbit poop is not the most formidable and nutritious meal for your dog, if you catch them eating it, know that you don’t have to worry much about illness or infections because the type of bacteria that lives in can be killed by your dog’s enzymes.

Will My Dog Get Sick From Eating Rabbit Poop?

If your dog is eating dog poop or have eaten it in the past, there is a likely chance that they will not get sick from ingesting it.

Rabbit droppings are not as toxic as other animal feces and can be commonly found in the backyard of many homes, which is how dogs find it. If your dog is eating it in massive loads, they could experience an upset stomach, which will only make them pass through what they just ate.

Worst case scenario is that your dog is constantly eating rabbit poop and starts showing serious symptoms, in which case you should visit your veterinarian for more information.

Can a Dog Get Worms From Eating Rabbit Poop?

Typically, your dog has a very small chance of getting worms from eating rabbit poop.

Although many veterinarians can find parasites that come from rabbit stool in your dog’s poop, such as coccidia, the parasites are specific to rabbits only and can simply be digested and pass through your dog’s intestines with ease.

Rabbit poop doesn’t cause much harm to your dog, yet, if your dog does obtain any worms from their stool it would be the most common dog worm, roundworms. This isn’t a common situation and in the end, the worms can be  treated with antibiotics prescribed by your veterinarian.

Can a Dog Get Diarrhea From Eating Rabbit Poop?

In frequent and high amounts, a dog could get diarrhea from eating rabbit poop because although it’s generally harmless, rabbit poop is not a natural and healthy part of your dog’s diet.

The rabbit poop will make it through your dog’s digestive tract and make it to the stomach where your dog’s gut bacteria will notice the rabbit’s enzymes. At this point, your dog’s stomach will break down the rabbit feces in order to push it out of their system as efficiently as possible, which is when the diarrhea will begin.

If diarrhea occurs, it will last just long enough to push out the foreign invaders, which is typically a day or two.

Can a Dog Get Rabies From Eating Rabbit Poop?

Contrary to the popular belief that a dog can get rabies from eating rabbit poop, dogs are unlikely to get rabies from eating bunny feces because of how the rabies virus works.

Rabies is not transmitted through feces, it is delivered through saliva and the animal would have to be infected as well. Therefore, your dog would have to be bitten by a rabbit in order to receive rabies from them, which doesn’t happen often.

Also, since saliva is not found in feces, rest assured that your dog will not get rabies from eating rabbit droppings.

Can My Dog Be Allergic to Rabbit Poop?

Based on my research, in typical circumstances, most dogs are not allergic to rabbit poop.

Outside of the potential parasites that may lurk in it, rabbit poop does not have any olfactory disturbing components for the dog and can be digested efficiently by your dog’s body.

Therefore, there isn’t much for your dog to be allergic to. You most likely will not see coughing, sneezing, dry eyes, or a runny nose from your dog after it ingests the poop.

In isolated cases, a dog may have a genetic allele that makes them allergic to animal fluids, but in most cases, your dog will not have a reaction from eating dog poop.

Can a Dog Get Leptospirosis From Eating Dog Poop?

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that can infect the skin and muscles of a dog.

A dog can obtain this animal-specific disease by eating an infected animal or coming into contact with the infected animal’s urine, blood, or contaminated water, soil, bedding or food.

Luckily, a dog cannot get leptospirosis from eating dog poop. This is because the feces does not carry the same bacteria and viruses that cause the disease to spread and grow. So when your dog is feasting on bunny excrement, just know that they are generally safe from contracting this disease.

Can My Dog Get Parasites From Eating Rabbit Poop?

Yes, your dog can get parasites from eating rabbit poop in significant amounts. You should know that the parasites that develop in your dog are not grown in the rabbits’ poop, but develop inside of your dog’s stomach based on the type of bacteria the rabbit poop brings along with it.

In addition to parasites, if your dog eats the rabbit feces and the rabbit, it could be much worse. By even eating a piece of an infected rabbit and its excrement, your dog could get cyst in their muscles that can develop tapeworms in their stomach and digestive tract.

Can Rabbit Poop Kill a Dog?

In large doses, it is possible for your dog to die from ingesting too much rabbit poop. The pellets from the rabbit are not a natural or healthy part of your dog’s diet and gastrointestinal distress could be a likely symptom that leads to death.

Another way for a dog to die from eating rabbit poop is tularemia. Tularemia is the technical term for the infamous “rabbit fever” which causes symptoms such as pink eyes, abscesses, and enlarged lymph nodes.

These symptoms indicate an infection within your dog, which could kill your dog if the core of the issue is not taken care of quick enough.

Is it Normal For My Dog to Eat Rabbit Poop?

It is not unusual for dogs to eat rabbit poop and is seen as normal according to many dog parents. It is normal for your dog to become curious about the scent that it is experiencing, which may drive it to try a sample.

Rabbit feces is only one of the many different smells and taste that your dog would enjoy, which is why when many dog caretakers witness their dog sniffing around, they allow it for a small period of time.

Dogs have many different ways of expressing their curiosity, with tasting and ingesting being one of their normal traits.

What Can I Do to Stop My Dog From Eating Rabbit Poop?

For starters, you can start by walking your dog on the sidewalk. Rabbits typically relieve themselves in fields of grass and if you’re walking your dog in them, they are bound to sniff, find, and eat their excrements.

Another way to stop your dog from eating rabbit poop is by keeping an eye on them while they’re sniffing around so that you can see where they stop. If you see poop, a few gentle tugs on their leash will signal them to not eat it.

Also, apply restrictive measures to your property that will keep rabbits out of your yard. This will reduce the likelihood of your dog finding and eating the rabbit and anything that comes with it.

Why Does My Dog Like to Eat Rabbit Poop?

Your dog has extremely sensitive senses that allow it to smell various types of scents that are noticeable to humans. With that being said, if you can smell rabbit poop, so can your dog.

The strong scent that comes from the rabbit’s feces is filled with micro-bacteria that creates other types of scents that may entice your dog to take a closer look. Other reasons as to why your dog likes to eat rabbit poop are lack of nutrition from their diet and outright curiosity.

In essence, your dog is going to have dog behavior, which includes eating a random substance if they like the smell of it.

My Dog Ate Rabbit Poop and is Throwing Up

Rabbit poop is not a healthy part of your dog’s diet and is also considered a foreign substance by the standards of their body.

So when another animal’s feces lands in their digestive tract, their body recognizes it as a threat and does what it must to push it out to keep itself safe, including throwing up.

Vomiting is a normal process if your dog is ingesting a lot of rabbit poop and should be treated as such. Simply allow your dog to relieve itself of the fecal matter that it ate and it will most likely be just fine in a matter of seconds.

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