Despite our best efforts, accidents happen, and our dogs are likely to eat something they shouldn’t at some point in their lives. Usually, our dogs will steal a yummy piece of people food off the counter or off of the plate of an unsuspecting guest, even if we’re doing the best we can to prevent it. Many people foods are particularly dangerous for dogs, however. This includes cooked chicken bones, which is something that’s within reach of our pups on a somewhat regular basis. Cooked chicken bones can break and splinter, which can cause your dog to choke and can also puncture the gastrointestinal tract, or get caught in his throat. This is extremely painful to your dog and can potentially lead to death. So what exactly should you do if you find your dog has eaten chicken bones?
Remember, panicking isn’t going to help our dogs in any way. If you catch your dog in the act, try to calmly take the rest of the bones from him. Dogs can be possessive over food, so even if your pup isn’t aggressive, he’s likely to try and gobble everything down before you take it away. If your dog has already ingested all of the bones, panicking will only confuse him and possibly lead you to take drastic, unnecessary, and potentially dangerous action. Simply make sure your dog isn’t choking, and give your veterinarian a call to help you figure out how to handle the situation. Your veterinarian may offer a simple solution, like giving your dog some pieces of white bread to help cushion the bone fragments, but every veterinarian and situation can be different, so make sure to get in touch with yours.
Prevention is always the best medicine, but we’re all human, and we make mistakes. Try to find out how your dog got ahold of the chicken bones and be sure to take extra precautions to avoid this circumstance in the future. Keep food out of reach, trash lids securely closed, and train your dog not to steal food from the counter or dining table. Although chicken bones might not be the absolute worst thing your dog could ingest, it’s certainly not considered safe, by any means. Take note of your dog’s habits, keep a close eye on where your family and guests leave their food, and make sure to prevent the incident from being repeated. https://www.akc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php Get Your Free AKC eBook
AKC is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to akc.org. If you purchase a product through this article, we may receive a portion of the sale.
Although chicken bones can splinter and puncture internal organs, it doesn’t mean that they will do so every time. It’s certainly a risk we’d like to avoid at all costs, but if your dog has already ingested the bones, all you can do now is watch him carefully. Ask your veterinarian about the signs and symptoms of internal bleeding or blockages. If you notice your dog is lethargic, constipated, straining to defecate, or has bloody stool, is vomiting, appears bloated in the abdomen, is not eating or is generally uncomfortable, you’re going to want to seek veterinary attention right away. Check your dog’s stool daily to see if you can see the bone fragments passing through. If you do not see them within 72 hours after ingestion (or whatever time frame is recommended by your veterinarian), it’s a good idea to visit the vet to make sure the bones aren’t stuck in your dog’s intestine, esophagus or throat.
What are the dangers of a foreign body in a dog’s stomach?
Foreign objects can cause a physical obstruction due to their size and shape, normally at the outflow of the stomach or in the small intestine. If the foreign object is chewed up, the sharp edges of plastic or bone can pierce the intestine, causing peritonitis (an infection in the abdomen).
Socks, pants, needles and thread and other materials can cause a physical obstruction if they ball up, or can unravel and cause a linear foreign body that can lead to the small intestine bunching up and being cut through like cheese wire.
Blood meal is dried, ground, and flash-frozen blood and contains 12% nitrogen. While it’s a great organic fertilizer, if ingested, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and severe pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Some types of blood meal are also fortified with iron, resulting in iron toxicity.
Many pet owners often attempt to be more “organic” in an attempt to keep their dogs and cats safe. However, certain types of organic products can be just as poisonous. Gardeners using bone meal, blood meal, or fish meal should be aware of the dangers of these soil amendment products. These meals are designed to naturally increase nitrogen content; unfortunately, they are quite palatable to both dogs and cats when accidentally ingested from the garden or yard.
Bone meal is made up of defatted, dried, and flash-frozen animal bones that are ground to a powder. Gardeners often use bone meal to dust spring bulbs (to prevent squirrels from ingesting the bulbs). This “bone” is also what makes it so palatable to your dog so make sure to keep your pet from digging in it and ingesting the soil. While this also makes a great organic fertilizer, it can become a problem when consumed in large amounts as the bone meal forms a large cement-like bowling ball foreign body in the stomach – which can cause an obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract – resulting in possible surgery to remove it.
The content of this page is not veterinary advice. A number of factors (amount of substance ingested, size of the animal, allergies, etc.) determine what is toxic to a particular pet. If you think your pet has eaten something potentially toxic, call Pet Poison Helpline or seek immediate veterinary treatment.