If you have multiple pets in your house, the cost to care for them may burn a hole in your pocket. Therefore, you might look for different ways to save on costs for your pets. One common way to save money on multiple pets is to share their food.
While this method can save you time and money, it is important to ensure you are giving your pet food that they can naturally digest. In today’s article, we are going to discuss whether or not you can give dog food to guinea pigs.
Can guinea pigs eat dog food?
No, guinea pigs cannot eat dog food. You should not even give them one kibble. While it might be tempting, guinea pigs are herbivores and can’t digest many of the ingredients found in dog foods.
Dog’s are omnivores, which means most of their food is derived from both animal and food sources. Since a guinea pig’s digestive system is only capable of processing plant sources, eating any dog food can cause a wide range of digestion problems.
Additionally, dog food tends to come in hard kibble, which can cause damage to your guinea pig’s teeth and gums.
Can you feed your guinea pig vegetarian dog food?
Now you might have heard about vegetarian dog food and wondered if you can feed it to your guinea pig. Unfortunately, most vegetarian dog food still is not safe for guinea pigs. This is because vegetarian dog food usually contains some plant ingredients that are not recommend for guinea pigs.
For example, dog food usually has a high concentration of grain products such as rice, wheat, oats, and barley. These grains can also cause digestion problems if consumed by a guinea pig.
Therefore, you should only feed your guinea pig vegetarian dog food if you are certain there are no grain products.
What happens if you feed your guinea pig dog food?
Your guinea pig’s reaction to eating dog food is dependent on the amount they consumed. If they eat a lot of dog food, they will certainly experience digestion problems.
Your Guinea pig will most likely throw up the dog food within 15 minutes after consuming it. While this can be a mess to clean up this is better than if the dog food reaches your guinea pig’s digestive tract.
If your guinea pig digests the dog food, it will likely experience diarrhea. In some extreme cases, in may cause tears in their small intestine. This usually happens when your guinea pig isn’t able to chew down on the kibble and swallows it whole. There is also the possibility that your guinea pig will start choking if they eat the kibble whole.
I just fed my guinea pig dog food. What to do?
If your guinea pig ate dog food, there is no need to panic. If they only consumed a couple kibbles, they will almost certainly be fine. They will probably vomit the food back up.
If your guinea pig ate a lot of dog food, there is a chance it has already reached their digestive tract. If this is the case, you should try to give your guinea pig as much water as possible. This will help pass the dog food through their digestive tract quicker. It also helps soften the dog kibble in their stomach. You can also trying giving your guinea pig food that is high in fiber.
Keep a close eye on your guinea pig over the next day or two, and be prepared to clean up either vomit or diarrhea.