Should I induce vomiting if my dog ate a bone? Let’s Explore

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Has my dog swallowed a chicken bone?

If you are worried that the bone is obstructing the upper airway or upper intestinal tract, this is classified as a veterinary emergency and will need immediate attention.

If you are able to see or grasp the bone to remove it, do so as long as you can do so without distressing or hurting your dog further, or getting bitten or hurt yourself.

If you suspect your dog ate chicken bones and they show any of these symptoms, get them to a veterinarian immediately:

  • Drooling
  • Coughing
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Poor appetite
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Lethargy
  • Retching or gagging

    • The danger zone: when NOT to make your dog throw up

    The stress of realizing your dog has ingested something toxic or dangerous can be overwhelming for pet parents, and they naturally want to immediately remove the danger from their beloved four-legged family member. However, there are several situations when inducing vomiting is dangerous and can be life-threatening for your dog. Never induce vomiting in the following situations:

  • Your dog has ingested a caustic or corrosive object or toxin, including bleach, batteries, cleaning products, or detergents.
  • Your dog has ingested a sharp object(s), including needles, razor blades, knives, or large bones.
  • Your dog has ingested a petroleum or oil-based product, including gasoline, kerosene, or cooking oil.
  • Your dog is a brachycephalic breed including pugs, bulldogs, shih tzus, French bulldogs, and Pekingese. These dog breeds have an increased risk for aspiration pneumonia when vomiting.
  • Your dog has undergone a recent abdominal surgery.
  • Your dog has been diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis or megaesophagus.
  • Your dog is showing signs of toxicity, including seizures, hyperactivity, increased heart rate, lethargy, or collapse.
  • Your dog ingested a dangerous item more than two hours ago.

    • Why are chicken bones bad for dogs in the first place?

    Unlike the large, hard bones many of us buy for our dogs to chew “chicken bones are very soft and often leave very sharp edges when broken,” Dr. Werber says. This is what makes them especially dangerous for dogs. If your dog ate a chicken bone, he “run[s] the risk of tearing the esophagus or tearing somewhere along the intestinal tract, ” Dr. Werber says. This is why it’s so important to make sure dogs don’t have access to chicken bones.

    How to induce vomiting in your dog | Dr Justine Lee

    Dr. Werber advises that you shouldn’t induce vomiting if your dog ate a chicken bone. “Once a bone gets safely down the esophagus and into the stomach, we do not recommend having the dog throw it up because we don’t want to risk a sharp sliver of bone cutting the esophagus on the way up and out,” he explains.