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My Dog Eats Snow: Is It Harmful?

Many dogs find snow extremely fascinating. Some four-legged friends not only limit themselves to licking and smelling it when exploring, but they even eat the snow. In the following, we will explain whether this can cause the animals problems and whether it can possibly be harmful to their health.

Dogs eating snow – the main points at a glance

  • If a dog eats small amounts of clean snow, this is usually not a problem.
  • If the animal has a sensitive stomach, eating snow can lead to acute gastritis.
  • The so-called snow gastritis can manifest itself with symptoms including diarrhoea, vomiting and salivation.
  • Depending on the severity of the symptoms, it may be necessary to have your dog's gastritis treated by a veterinarian.

Snow can irritate the dog's stomach lining

In principle you can assume that it will not harm your dog if they eat a little snow every now and then. This applies at least if the snow is clean and is not on the edge of a busy road.

For four-legged friends whose stomach is very sensitive, this can be different. Large amounts of snow, perhaps even contaminated with substances such as road salt, can irritate the stomach lining and cause inflammation.

This type of acute gastritis in dogs is also referred to as snow gastritis.

Symptoms of snow-induced gastritis in dogs

If your dog has contracted gastritis due to eating snow, this is noticeable through the following symptoms:

  • The dog coughs and chokes.
  • The four-legged friend salivates heavily.
  • The animal seems exhausted.
  • The dog vomits and has diarrhoea.
  • Diarrhoea and vomit can contain blood.

Treating snow gastritis in dogs

If your dog has eaten snow and develops symptoms consistent with snow gastritis, a visit to the veterinarian may be advisable if the symptoms are severe.

If your four-legged friend only seems a little unwell, it is usually sufficient to feed them a bland diet for a couple of days to alleviate the acute inflammation of the stomach lining. If this does not improve the animal's condition, you should of course see your veterinarian.

This also applies if your dog vomits repeatedly after eating snow or suffers from severe diarrhoea. The veterinarian can examine the dog and determine the appropriate treatment measures based on their findings.

Bellfor expert tips for dogs with diarrhoea

If your dog suffers from diarrhoea due to snow gastritis, it can make sense to supplement their food with Bellfor Gastro Relax. With the special composition of selected ingredients, the wholesome preparation can support the vet's treatment and  help to alleviate the dog's diarrhoea.

Get to know Gastro Relax.

How can I prevent snow gastritis in dogs?

You can prevent snow gastritis simply by stopping your dog from eating snow. Ideally, you should have taught this to your four-legged friend from an early age. As you probably know, it is much harder to break the a habit that has already become established in an adult dog.

Also, refrain from letting your dog catch snowballs if they already have a weakness for eating snow. Depending on how well the animal has internalised the ban, it can also make sense to avoid activities such as search games in the snow.

Many dogs can only be stopped from eating the snow by being leashed while walking.

Dogs eating snow – our conclusion

As you can see, dogs eating snow can cause health problems under certain circumstances. At least in the case of sensitive four-legged friends, the combination of cold and potential contamination of the snow can occasionally lead to snow gastritis. For this reason, it is advisable to stop the animal from eating large amounts of snow and to not actively encourage your dog to ingest the white splendour in winter.

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