Bread Dough Danger…Important
ATTENTION PET OWNERS–BREAD DOUGH A NO-NO
As the holidays descend upon us, there’ll be many cooks in the
kitchen–but don’t spoil your pet by giving him bread dough. According to
Jill A. Richardson, DVM, of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC),
when bread dough is ingested, an animal’s body heat causes the dough to rise
in the stomach. As alcohol is produced during the rising process, the dough
expands. Pet’s who’ve eaten bread dough may experience abdominal pain,
bloat, vomiting, disorientation and depression.
"We once had a case in which a Labrador retriever ate several rolls that the
owner had placed on the oven to rise. The owner didn’t think much of this,
and was just upset that the dog ate part of the holiday feast," Richardson
recalls. "A few hours later, the owner noticed the dog looked very
lethargic. He was resistant to move, incoordinated and was retching." As the
symptoms increased, the owner brought him to an emergency clinic, which
contacted the APCC. Unfortunately, the dog’s stomach was so severely
distended that the only option at the time was to surgically remove the
dough; he was also treated for alcohol toxicosis, caused by the
fermentation of the dough. The Labrador was kept at the clinic for the
weekend and recovered completely. Although he had ingested quite a bit of
dough, an animal needs to eat only a small amount to cause a problem,
because bread dough can rise many times its size. Please take care not to
let Fluffy or Fido in the kitchen unsupervised when you’re baking this
holiday season–especially if you’ve got a professional chowhound who’s
always on the lookout for food.
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