Labrador, African Cichlid Dinner

[LethalResistanz]

I noticed my dog had something in his mouth. He refused to drop it when I asked even though he is normally good at listening to commands. So I went over to get it out of his mouth. Grabbed the unknown object, feel it is pretty slimy but I don't get a good enough grip to pull it out. At this point I'm worried about what he has so I pry his jaws open. Take a glance, I see that the object I lost my grip on was actually the head of one of my African cichlids. Surprise and a bit grossed out I let go of him and in a second he swallowed it whole.

The fish was fresh because I remember seeing it earlier when I was feeding and there is zero fish smell.

It went down fine. I let him out 10 minutes after and he was doing his usually night time bark pissing off all the neighbors. He ate it at about 7:00. It's 8:30 and he's taking his normal beauty sleep until he wakes me up at 4:00 am. I'll keep an eye on him tomorrow morning but I think he is just happy he got a second dinner.

This ever happen to anyone else?

[Lab_Rat]

I would be concerned with how he got it out of the tank...

[Strider199]

A kennal owner once told me that fish are not to be fed to dogs. I never thought about my fish tank being the "fish" he was talking about but that seems to be the case here. Your Lab should be fine since it's not something he/she has in it's diet on a daily basis.
But like Lab Rat asked, how did the Lab get the cichlid? Is there a canopy on the tank?

[LethalResistanz]

I would be concerned with how he got it out of the tank...

Used tank so the hoods been cut out a bunch for filters. I think he got out through the back.

[LethalResistanz]

A kennal owner once told me that fish are not to be fed to dogs. I never thought about my fish tank being the "fish" he was talking about but that seems to be the case here. Your Lab should be fine since it's not something he/she has in it's diet on a daily basis.
But like Lab Rat asked, how did the Lab get the cichlid? Is there a canopy on the tank?

I've heard the same thing but not sure I buy it. There is a lot of dog food that is fish based. I tried feeding him Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon but he didn't eat it. He's on Wellness Core now.

[Brhino]

I imagine the long, thin fish ribs are a choking hazard.

[Lab_Rat]

Used tank so the hoods been cut out a bunch for filters. I think he got out through the back.

Is this tank not on a stand out of the dog's reach? I'd be worried about him tipping it over while fishing.

[LethalResistanz]

Is this tank not on a stand out of the dog's reach? I'd be worried about him tipping it over while fishing.

He wasn't fishing. The fish jumped out of the tank. There a 6 in of so gab between a wall and the left side of the tank. The fish must of flopped of landed over there.

[fishmasterflash]

He wasn't fishing. The fish jumped out of the tank. There a 6 in of so gab between a wall and the left side of the tank. The fish must of flopped of landed over there.
in that case you might want to think about refitting your tank with a new lid...

[Trillianne]

I imagine the long, thin fish ribs are a choking hazard.

I agree with Brhino on this one.

[Honey Badger 1]

there is no reason you can't feed your dog fish. raw salmon may have a parasite that is poison to dogs, but cooking it will kill the parasite and remove the danger. i have fed my dogs fish for years and they are quite healthy. like fish, dogs do need a varied diet to remain healthy. and i wouldn't want them to eat my fish. your dog should be fine.
fish don't usually just jump out of their water for no reason. it's usually from poor water conditions, cramped space, over vigorous at feeding or they get startled at something. if the dog learns they jump out when he goes near the tank, he may just get more fish to eat. you may want to address this issue.

[tanksalot707]

If you've ever gutted a fish, you will notice a thick layer of blood encased in a thin membrane.....that blood is supposedly quite toxic to dogs due to the particular type of bacteria that thrive there.

[lotus flower]

I agree with Brhino on this one.

Thirded. Also, the kennel owner may have been referring to cooked bones of any type--you never want to give any dog a cooked bone, as they are prone to splintering and can perforate the esophagus. Small fish bones can do this, as well, if they are chewed up and split in half. Choking is kind of the immediate "Oh no!" concern, but you may want to watch for signs of a bowel obstruction or any kind of perforation in the esophagus or digestive tract. Look for changes in stool color or blood coming out of...anywhere, really. Maybe call your vet and ask what else to be on the lookout for.

Having a beagle/rottweiler mix that used to be a stray, I am well used to finding strange and often living things wedged in my dog's mouth/throat and having to pry them out...and she is always leashed! I can sympathize.

[Honey Badger 1]

fish bones are soft and quite brittle. dogs don't generally chew, they tear chunks off and "wolf" down their food. i doubt the soft and brittle bones covered by the flesh of the fish would be much of threat to a dog.

this seems like a more plausible explanation why a vet or kennel owner would warn you against feeding fish to your dog.

If you've ever gutted a fish, you will notice a thick layer of blood encased in a thin membrane.....that blood is supposedly quite toxic to dogs due to the particular type of bacteria that thrive there.

[~Col~]

Wild dogs, dingoes and wolves eat fish in the wild. I've seen documentaries of wolves/wild dogs fishing, like bears do on a salmon run.

I'd be more worried about other fish jumping out of the tank. Can you put some glass lids on top? or cover the "holes" with something else?

[CassieLEO]

Growing up my cat ate agoldfish that jumped out of the tank. It happens, dont beat yourself up. Its not like you threw the fish on the floor for him!! I use alluminum foil and double it up and, dont laugh, duck tape to hold it in place so the fishies dont jump out. I also had a used cover with lots of filter holes in it.

[kaybee]

Years ago I walked past one of my aquariums and found what appeared to be fish scales at the base of the tank stand and the smell of fresh fish. My english bulldog later came up to me and he had 'fish breath'.

I did a 'head count' on the fish in that tank and was one pseudotropheus acei short. It must have jumped out from a small gap in the back.

[skullduggery1]

You might have read on a post weeks ago.that I at age 12, liked spiney eels.Well one went down a drain and another snaked it's way from the tank.Month later my schnauzer"Muffin" walked out from behind the tank chewing on dehydrated eel "jerky".

[LethalResistanz]

I called a vet last night just in case. They said he should be fine if it went down and it should digest and If I was worried feed him a lot of bread. I guess that would be to help it pass if it wasn't completely digested.

I passed on the bread and this morning he was fine. Not sure how long it takes for a dog's digestion cycle.

Anyway just to be clear, this was just a bit of comic relief on a bad situation. I'm not happy my dog got a $10 dinner. The fish wasn't a hap or a peacock. It was a decent sized mbuna. I care about my dog. I'm 17, my last year in high school, work whenever I can getting paid 7 change an hour so I can keep a couple fish tanks and feed my dog a good $60 bag of dog food instead of some cheap crap made of 90% corn. I'm glad a lot of you never had a fish jump of its tank, and hope for that continued success. Accidents happen and now I'm going to try and patch it up.

[CrazedMichael]

I don't see how escalating the problem is going to make the OP feel any better. He's obviously worried about his dog and stories of bones ripping stomachs and having bacteria in fish is not going to instil confidence is it? Lol

[Cascade]

For what it's worth, my dog has eaten a LOT of crazy things. She would love a fish if given the opportunity. My first frantic call to the vet's 24 hr hotline was when she ate a dead rat that was in the ripe stages of decay (she was 9 or 10 weeks old at the time, and our eating adventures have continued from there). The vet's advice is always, keep an eye on her, call if there's anything unusual. We haven't had any issues yet (though a recent x-ray revealed she has a golf ball sized rock in her stomach, sigh...).

Dogs will be dogs, despite our best efforts to protect them from themselves. If your dog is acting fine, then I'm sure he is!

[Scrup]

IIRC a dogs digestive cycle is anywhere from 8-12 hours. I think it depends on the size of the dog and the metabolism, but that is about average.

That stuff happens. I've had to force my dog to puke more than once, its not a fun experience for all parties involved. Hydrogen peroxide or spoonfulls of salt usually work pretty good. I usually use a syringe to give him the peroxide, takes a few doses, then when he starts heaving I put a spoonfull of salt in his mouth. that usually works really well. I suggest doing this in a small tiled room. they don't enjoy it and it can be a huge mess.

My dog is also very stubborn when it comes to food and vomiting, so it could be much easier for some people. Glad to hear it worked out OK.

[jwstewart]

I don't see how escalating the problem is going to make the OP feel any better. He's obviously worried about his dog and stories of bones ripping stomachs and having bacteria in fish is not going to instil confidence is it? Lol

If the OP continues to allow the dog to annoy neighbors, something bad is bound to happen.:torch: