ACK! Bella just ate a mouse!

[Pam]

I just had the dogs out for their first potty of the morning. I noticed Bella back by the shed sort of pawing at something and then biting at it. I sneakily went down to where she was and she was very busy with what she was doing and didn't notice me coming. When she moved her head away I could see the small body of what I think was a mouse. It didn't have any hair so maybe it could have been a chipmunk. The minute she saw me she picked it up and ran. Here I am racing around the yard in my bathrobe yelling "drop it!" She vanished out of my sight around the back of the shed and began running up to the house. I thought 'good, I will get it out of her mouth by offering her a treat.' That worked before when she had caught a very large bird. Well, by the time she got up on the deck the mouse was gone ... in her tummy! ACK!

My question is, can this make her sick? Especially since it is a rodent? She did eat a baby bird once and was none the worst for it. GAG! It will be a long time before I enjoy her kisses again. Maybe I can teach her to gargle with mouthwash! :p :eek:

[dreamparkingspace]

If it makes you feel better, my dog Tatum assassinated a muskrat about 2 months ago. She was running around the yard with it in her mouth while chewing on it, and I eventually got her to let it go by yelling, "leave it!" The point of the story is that Tatum is healthy and never even got sick or anything like that. And oh yea, Shawnee picked up a dead bird in her mouth once too and started running around with it. She too never got sick. And finally, my first dog named Jackson would eat dead birds routinely and never get sick.

[Pam]

She must have dropped it when I told her to, probably behind the shed, (Good Girl!) because she was just outside again and pawing at something closer up to the house but was only partially interested at it at this point. I let her in and went back outside and there it was! It is very limp so I am sure she was responsible for its death :( but I still cannot identify what it is. I scooped it into the lid of a trashcan and took a picture. It has no tail unless it did and she ate it. :eek: I am thinking now that it might be a mole. What do you think?

[Pam]

Forgot the picture! :o:o

[Cookiebaker]

Oh Bella, silly baby....Your poor Mom! :eek: :eek:

[Cinder & Smoke]

I scooped it into the lid of a trashcan and took a picture.

I am thinking now that it might be a mole.
What do you think?

:eek:
>gasp<

I didn't *look* ...

I'll wait for the Coroner's Report.

:p

[4 Dog Mother]

I think you might be right - it might be a mole. I think a baby mouse would be even smaller - at least the ones I have seen and with no fur, I think a mole.

Bella no matter what it is, stay away from wild things! They might make you sick and we sure don't want a sick Bella. AND most importantly Mommy might not let you give her kisses!!!!

[Ginger's Mom]

Hmm...I don't think I have ever seen anything that looks like that before, fortunately. ;) But I just had to say, GOOD GIRL, BELLA!!! You have a very good drop it response sweetie. I hope you got an extra special treatsie for that one.

[Pam]

:eek:
>gasp<

I didn't *look* ...

I'll wait for the Coroner's Report.

:p

AWWW Phred! I probably should have posted a warning - "graphic picture attached for those weak in the tummy." :p

[pitc9]

O...M....G.... that was NASTY!!!:eek:

By the feet, I think it's a mole also.

I worry about rodents all the time because if someone in the neighborhood were to put out rat poison to kills any rodents, they may make their way into my yard to die! I always worry about that!

Good girl Bella for not eating it sweetie!!
Next time, just leave it alone!!

[Daisy and Delilah]

It looks kinda like a baby squirrel to me but I'm not good at this guessing what animals are.

I can't help but smile Pam. Most people think Poodles are such delicate creatures that would never do such things. If they only knew!! Bella is one of the biggest reasons I love Poodles. She's such a well rounded girl!!:)

[Taz_Zoee]

I think it's a mole too. By the looks of the feet and the face.
Thank goodness Bella didn't eat it afterall.

[lizbud]

Oh my. It kinda looks like a baby opossum. Never saw a mole up close,
so I'm not sure what a small one whould look like.

[Rachel]

Ick, Ick, Ick

I looked!!! Knew I shouldn't, but I did. Pam, you get atta girl points for picking it up. Wonder if there are more where that one came from?

[MoonandBean]

Ick! whatever it is; it is very young...probably right out of a nest so she may end up with another one soon if she knows where the nest is.

[Freedom]

Smiling here; the things our pets put us through, usually when they act like what they ARE by nature, not the furkids we consider them to be!

Bella, sounds like you had FUN with your treasure, but really dear, Momma gives you loads of GOOD stuff. I know, not as smelly and stinky but next time just roll in it OK? Mom can cope with that a whole lot better than worrying about your tummy!

Bless you Pam, I think I'd have had to close my eyes to remove it, would NEVER have been able to get a photo.

Mole, vole, mouse, possum, squirrel, what ever it is / was, Yuck, yuck, YUCK!

[cassiesmom]

I can't help but smile Pam. Most people think Poodles are such delicate creatures that would never do such things. If they only knew!! Bella is one of the biggest reasons I love Poodles. She's such a well rounded girl!!:)
^^That could be me. I didn't know a poodle would do something like that.^^

Bella, YAY for you for obeying your mom's instruction to drop it! Were you following a poodle instinct to catch the critter?

[boomersooner]

Yes, Pam, you are a lot braver than I am! In her younger days, Cassie caught a bird in mid air...I went over there, and she started munching on it as fast as she could munch....I just decided I wasn't going to fight her for it!! Needless to say, she didn't get to give me any pupper kisses for a couple of days!!! I agree with everyone else....I looked at the picture, and it didn't look like a mouse, either...my first thought was baby squirrel, but then again, I'm a city girl so I don't know much about moles and such.

[Husky_mom]

Oh Bella!!.... what a scare you gave mommy.... glad you listened....

Pam... I googled and think it is a mole too but perhaps a naked one...

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/PhotoGallery/AfricanSavanna/photos/20020227-4427nmr.jpg

[jazzcat]

What is that?!

[Freedom]

Jazzcat, it is a naked mole; aka a hairless mole.

[K9karen]

You have a Natural Born Killer too, huh?
Gawd, Pam, that was GROSS..but I did have a gaper delay moment 'cause I actually stuck my eyeballs to the screen to try to ID it..YUK... GAG, BLAH.

Mz Klo is proud of her girlfriend....."see? It's NOT just me"

Logan eats outside in nice weather while I sit and read the paper. The other day, I came out with her bowls and she's having a grand old time swatting and pawing and tossing "sumtin" up in the air. However, the "sumtin" was squealing it's head off. Since "Drop It" ain't gonna work when she's in the throes of ecstacy. I called her to eat and :eek:, she dropped her "toy" and ran to the patio to eat.

Clever hooman that I am :rolleyes:, I skiddadle down our slope to the lawn to try to rescue the poor critter. All I hear is squealing. I knew it was a mole. Can't find it and my tummy is turning. The sound was horrific. Logan gulped her food (unusual) ran to me and instantly sniffed and found the mole. It was still alive but in bad shape, so I quickly got a piece of cardboard and a stick, threw Logan a treat (it worked) and carried the gasping, little arms pawing mole to the back fence (where the nasty dogs couldn't get it), but it went to mole heaven before I got there.

So that's Mz princess Mole, Groundhog catcher's story and we're stickin' to it. Ours (I mean HERS) was hairy. Looks like Bella's was a baby. But, what does it matter? YUK YUK YUK.
No kisses for Mz Klo that night! *Shivers at the memory"

:p:D At least I had decent clothes on!!!

[Pam]

Thank you for trying to help me figure out what this critter was! I am thinking probably a mole, especially based on the picture that Husky_Mom posted. We do have opossums back in the woods so I hadn't really ruled that out either. Bella is certainly no angel. :rolleyes: She has gotten into trouble like this before. Here are two pictures that I posted a few years ago when she got a large bird. It sort of looked like a dove. I was able to get it away from her by offering a treat.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/Belrip/Doggies/DSCN0913.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v80/Belrip/Doggies/DSCN0914.jpg
She did eat a very young bird once right in front of me. Not that I like her eating birds, but the thought of her eating a rodent just gags me. Thank goodness she didn't. For those of you who thought I was brave to scoop it up - well, you have to do what you have to do. ;) I couldn't risk her deciding it might be a tasty treat after all. :eek:

[kt_luvs_kitties]

Yup, it is a newborn mole baby:( Rip little guy...

I am glad Bella did not eat it!

Look around your shed when you can, there are more than likely others. Hope she does not get them too.

If Joey did that, I dont know what I would do. Probably faint on the spot.:eek:

[imadognut]

Well, I'm kinda new here but I am a solid country gal with dogs that live the country life and kill and eat things alot worse than that. I could post the photo of my JRT cross killing a 5' black snake but maybe that wouldn't be popular.

I would say it "could" be a newborn mole but not knowing the size of it and I bet you didn't get out a tape measure, LOL it looks more like a newborn squirrel as the moles have very long claws and their legs turn out. I know because I think there is a dead one laying out in one of the yard areas of my place right now.

I can also say that my dogs eat EVERYTHING. The JRT catches mice in grain barrels by the dozens and just swallows them whole (eat your heart out kitties) but I also have fed my dogs raw meat diet for 9 years so they are use to eating raw things. It wouldn't hurt you dog but could have made her tummy upset if she wasn't use to it. I bet there have been a few gross things our dogs have eaten that we weren't aware of and probably wouldn't want to know and it probably didn't make them sick.

Just my 2 cents

Cheers,
Carole & her gang
Truegrit Farm

[scrain2329]

YYYYUUUUCCCCCKKKKK mole for sure. They are NASTY!
Little kaysha thinks they are the coolest things to dig up THE MIDDLE OF THE GRASS!
She is a great mouser, shrewer, and attack barn swallow catcher haha.
Sometimes they jsut cant help it!
At the barn all the aussies get going after one mouse, or shrew, a race who can get there first. usually its just chased away since 5 jaws cant catch a tiny mouse in one :D
Silly babies!
Sorry you had to deal with that though. EEEWWWW

[anna_66]

Ick, Ick, Ick

I looked!!! Knew I shouldn't, but I did.

I'll second that Rachel!
I not only looked, but I made the picture bigger because I couldn't see it very well:o
Gross for sure, but GOOD BELLA! Pam she's much better than Roxey is when she has some type of rodent in her mouth.
Last time I caught here with a mouse I yelled for her to drop it, but she gulped it down right there in front of me:rolleyes: