16-Month Old Ate Cat Food

Hi,
I just had to respond due to some responses suggesting that petfood factories are dirtier than human food factories. I happen to work at a petfood factory and I have worked at a human food plant in the past and I must say that I found more human food on the floor that was put on a shelf at the store!!! That place was GROSS!! The FDA is all over the pet industry but even before that we were a clean place. As one poster said the food is made out of the same stuff that we eat so there should be no problem. sorry for unloading on you but I had to set the record straight.

My nephew used to munch on dog food like it was a snack. As long as it's not a prescription food, I would not worry.

my son used to eat his own poop and ants and what not, he is fine, your son will be fine ,too.

If he ate Purina One's Senior Protection Formula dry food, he'll be just fine since that's my 12.5-month-old's favorite snack (LOL!), and he's just fine. Anytime that we're in the kitchen, it has become a game on his part to try to crawl across the kitchen to the cat food dish more quickly than I can catch and grab him and pick him up (and usually tickle him too). I can't imagine that he actually likes to eat it, but he's constantly trying and, unfortunately, sometimes succeeds, uggh.

He4 should be fine. People eat a worse things just going through the drive through at your local fast food restaurant.

S.

If it didn't hurt your cat, it won't hurt your son. My brothers would often eat the doggie treats to gross me out when we were growing up. Neither has suffered physically though I think they are both nuts! :)

The only issue with cat or dog food is it's not manufactured in plants that are as clean as places that make human food and it's usually kept on the floor where more dirt and germs can get in it. If he was going to get sick from it he probably would have vomited it up.

He'll be fine, I'm sure almost EVERYONE has eaten cat or dog food when they were little! If we only knew the dirt and stuff we inhale just walking around. LOL!

My daughter is the queen of pet food intake. At my house she tries to eat cat food (and is usually successful at it). At my parent's house, she loves to grab and try to eat the dog food there (again, usually successfulat it). Nothing bad has happened yet. The way my husband and I look at it, at least my daughter will have a nice shiny coat...lol. Your son should be fine!

My son used to do that when he was little (about 1.5-2 years old). He was always fine afterward and it just digested like normal.

Hi Jen,

I'm sure he will be fine! But, to ease your mind, I would suggest calling poison control. I have done this a few times - my daughter once drank curdled milk and another time ate raw cookie dough (fine for adults, but I worried about raw eggs for a 2 year old). They don't mind answering questions like this and each time, it put my mind at great ease. You don't need to give them any personal information, just the baby's name and your zip code. This is so that if you need to call back about the information somebody gave you, they have a way to id you and figure out who you talked to. Their # is 800-222-1222.

Hope this helps! But seriously, try not to worry - kids eat all kinds of crazy things and it turns out fine! : )

While I am sure it is not a big deal since many toddlers do this and no one seems to get harmed, I would call poison control and/or you pediatrician. I did read an article recently linking dry pet food to possible salmonella risk in young children that was posted I think on the greenparentsnetwork.com site.

My nephew ate dog food last week and he is fine now. He actually seemed to like it since my sister found him siting by the bowl the next day, going for another grab:)

As long as he's not meowing and coughing up hairballs, he'll be fine! :) Keep this in the arsenal of blackmail items to tell his future girlfriends if he breaks curfew!

Shouldn't hurt him. Don't they make that stuff out of the same things people eat anyway?
B.

You don't have to worry... He'll be fine. It may not smell or taste the best, but there's nothing in it that will do any damage. If anything, it may give him a little tummy ache, but if he's acting like it didn't bother him, then it shouldn't worry you too much. I would try to stop him from making it a habit though. :)

Ugh! I hated when I would constantly fine my son in the cat food. He'll be fine. You might want to find a new place for the cat food though. :)