Dead matter

My five-year-old Labrador found a dead bird in the garden full of maggots and ate some of it before I could get it off her. She thought it would be a great game if I chased her round the garden with it dangling from her mouth!
However, I am now concerned that comsuming some of the maggots may cause her harm. Should I take her to the vet?
Vicky Harris, by email

Richard Allport, alternative vet, advises:
Yes, this has happened to me too. One of my Bedlingtons once found a decaying blackbird corpse dripping with juicy maggots and insisted on swallowing the entire carcass, maggots and all. She was fine, it’s the natural instinct of a scavenging species like canines, and it was a free meal after all! No reason why dead birds, or maggots, are particularly likely to cause any problems apart from a mildly upset stomach at the worst. This sort of behaviour might upset our human sensibilities but is no cause for alarm as far as our dogs are concerned.