These types of bones aren’t safe for your pup:
As previously mentioned, if you are feeding your dog an animal bone, its important that theyre raw as opposed to cooked. According to American Kennel Club, cooked bones are softer than raw ones, and can more easily break into small shards. They can become a choking hazard, or injure the dogs mouth, throat, or even their intestines. Cooking the bone removes nutrients, anyway, so theyre better off chewing something raw, regardless. Article continues below advertisement
Pet MD heavily advises against giving your dog pork or rib bones, because theyre more dangerous than other types of bones. They are more susceptible to splintering than other types of bones, which can lead to choking or injury.
Although it doesnt happen often, chicken bones can kill your dog, according to Love Your Dog. They can pierce your dogs esophagus, and damage their chest cavity, lungs, and heart. If your pup happens to scoop a chicken bone up off the street, vets advise against making your dog vomit, as that can cause a blockage. Instead, observe your dog for the next 24 hours. Most breeds — especially larger ones — can easily pass them, but stay away from giving them chicken bones, anyway. Article continues below advertisement
Step 4: Watch For Signs
Whether you have chosen to feed your dog a bone, or they have managed to get hold of one themselves, it is best to monitor their behavior closely. You’ll likely be looking for warning signs that can appear anywhere from 24-48 hours after foreign body ingestion.
You should call your veterinarian immediately if:
Now that you know what to do if your canine companion ingested a steak bone, you may still have some questions that we haven’t answered yet. Below are some commonly asked questions when it comes to steak bone ingestion in canines. If you feel that we’ve missed something, drop us a line in the comments!
Raw vs. Cooked Steak Bones
How you treat your dog after bone ingestion may differ depending on the type of bones they’ve eaten. Raw and cooked steak bones come with different health risks. When dogs eat a raw bone, there’s less risk of abdominal perforation as raw bones are more flexible and less likely to splinter. If you are new to feeding raw, bones are always recommended to be ground up before feeding them to your pup.
If it was a leftover bone from a cooked steak that was consumed, this is cause for concern and requires you to take certain steps, including contacting your veterinarian. While eating a raw bone isn’t without risk, it may not require a trip to the veterinarian, especially if the bone is fresh.
Many people feed their canines raw food. It’s seen a surge in popularity in recent years. Raw steak bones are said to be less likely to splinter than cooked bones and are therefore considered safer to eat. They are also recommended to be ground up, and included in their normal food. If your pup does eat a raw bone, there is a risk of contamination with food-poisoning bacteria.
Salmonella and Campylobacter are two bacteria that can be found on raw meat and cause vomiting and diarrhea in our dogs. It can cause the same in humans handling the bones or in contact with the dog. This is on top of the usual risks to the dog of eating bones such as blockages and perforations. So if your dog consumed a raw steak bone, there’s still some risk. But because raw bones are tender and have some flexibility, you are less likely to end up with a perforation in their abdomen.
It may be tempting to give your pup the leftover ribeye steak bone after a juicy meal. After all, they probably spent the whole time watching you cook and eat it! Let’s just start off by saying that as tempting as it is to feed your dog a cooked bone, you shouldn’t. Consumption of cooked bones carries a high-risk level and can be potentially fatal.
On top of the usual foodborne illness risks of eating raw bones, cooked bones have greater risks because they can more easily shatter, fragment, or break off into sharp pieces when consumed. This can cause serious problems including choking, tears in your dog’s intestines, and bowel blockages. Cooked bones are never a good idea to feed to dogs.
CAN DOGS EAT BONES? (Do’s & Don’ts of giving dogs a bone)
Like carrots and hummus or Oreos and almond milk, countless cartoons have led us to believe that dogs and bones are a perfect match — though it turns out that isnt necessarily the case. Although chewing provides mental stimulation and cleans your pups chompers, giving your dog real animal bones can seriously endanger their well-being. So, if youre nervous about your dog eating bones, its up to you as their pet parent to find out which ones are actually safe for them to chew. Article continues below advertisement