sponges

[cardiogirl]

Hi , I hope someone can help me. My dog, a Golden Retriever, loves to romp along the beach, but it will eat sponges when she finds them, even eats seaweed. Are the sponges potentially harmful.. I don't particularly want to muzzle her because she's such a gentle dog and it might give
people, especially children, the impression : that she is dangerous.

 

[CAYLA]

Post deleted by CALA

 

[piebaldsparkle]

CALA I think she may mean the natural ones.

You know that live in the sea and get washed up on the beach.

ETA link to sponges - Sponges

 

[CAYLA]

[ QUOTE ]
CALA I think she may mean the natural ones.

You know that live in the sea and get washed up on the beach.

ETA link to sponges - Sponges

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok

.. was wondering what the correlation with the sea was

have deleted show me a pic, there is none in that link

 

[piebaldsparkle]

 

[CAYLA]

Ah right....now I get ya, like a fossil of an animal or summit

........well I would say, NO, don't let her eat them if u can help it.

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Skeleton of an animal I think.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Okay, for what its worth - I can't imagine that the natural sponges would be terribly harmful. Seaweed is not by the way - my holistic dog food boasts kelp (however, it may be desalniated somewhat - the salt on eitehr the sponge or the kelp may not be so good overall).

The reason I think that the sponges aren't hugely harmful - I used to live next to a lady that had a large collie x lab. This dog used to pinch the kitchen sponges from the work top and then leave rainbow colored poos all over the garden.

I would be more worried about the dog trying to swallow any large object (ie socks, tennis balls etc) and then having them stuck. I don't know that a sponge will get stuck. Does your dog chew them?

 

[k9h]

Yes sponges can get stuck. My friends giant dog had to operated on to have one removed that he had eaten. They swell up when wet!

Also natural sponges are living, they are not fossils. If you were to put that mixed lot in the picture above in a blender, then pour the gooey mess in a bath tub full of salt water they wold over time rejoin back up to their naturalselves.

Seaweed is good BUT it depends where from. I add seaweed to my dogs diets yet it is from the Atlantic sea so the least polluted.
As seaweed can take up alot of polllutantes from the soil/seabed that their roots are in.
I would think your dog would be ok eating the seaweed & his body may be telling him he needs the nutrients from them but I would limit the intake!