What To Do If Your Dog Ate Chicken Bones
What should you do if your dog eats chicken bones?!
My dog did it.
Lots of other dogs have too.
Here's what you need to know and what you should do if your dog eats chicken bones...
Back in the days when I was single, I took my dog with me on vacation everywhere I went.
This frequently included long-distance road trips... say, from Texas to Florida or Florida to Indiana.
He loved it.
Jersey's always been a great car-dog. He sits still. He doesn't get antsy. He just looks out the window or sleeps -- right there on the front seat next to me.
Dogs & Chicken Bones Don't Mix!
On one trip, I stopped at a Kentucky Fried Chicken and purchased a boxed chicken dinner for myself. I ate it in the car, while Jersey ate some of his dogfood. When I was done, I put the box on the floor in the backseat -- fully intending to throw it away once we got to the next stopping place. Only I forgot...
Unfortunately, when I stopped at the convenience store to get gas and use the restroom, I returned to find the entire box of chicken contents on my front seat. There were pieces everywhere -- pieces of chicken... pieces of chicken bones... pieces of box... pieces of napkins.
I panicked. Knowing that my dog had obviously ingested a number of chicken bones (thigh and breast), I feared he would puncture his innards or not be able to pass the bones at all.
Everyone knows that chicken bones are dangerous for dogs to eat -- especially cooked chicken bones -- because they're dry & brittle and they splinter into lots of tiny (and sharp!) pieces inside your puppy's tummy after they've been chewed & swallowed.
Fortunately, the bones that Jersey ingested on this day passed just fine -- but it took a couple of days. I was completely on edge for that part of the vacation. Thankfully, he didn't seem to suffer at all from this little incident.
What To Do If Your Dog Eats Chicken Bones
Since there isn't much that you can do after the chicken bones have been ingested by your dog, you simply need to monitor him closely for the next few days.
Keep checking his stools to see if the bones pass. Watch for blood in the stool, or any signs that he's straining to defecate.
You should also keep an eye on your dog's temperament. If he becomes moody or listless, take him to a vet immediately.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is try to "cushion" the tiny bones inside your dog's tummy by overfeeding him a little more over the next couple of days. Cooked rice (that's completely cooled first) is ideal, because it is gentle on a dog's stomach and digestive tract. You could serve up a small helping of plain white rice alone, or mix some cooked rice in with your dog's normal dog food.
Then, you just wait and see.
Chances are, everything will come out fine in the end.
That said, a dog swallowing chicken bones is not something that should be taken lightly. In some cases, the bones can get caught in the stomach or intestines and wreak havoc on your dog's insides.
If your dog's behavior changes in any way after eating chicken bones, it is important to contact your vet, because x-rays may be necessary.
Some Precautions You Can Take
After something similar happened another time with a different dog (black lab snatched the plate of leftover turkey from the dining room table), I learned that most dogs will adapt and recover just fine after eating chicken or turkey bones.
The biggest lesson I've learned:
NEVER leave food in places where my dogs could get it -- now or later!
So, if you've got large dogs in your home (or maybe even small or medium sized dogs who just happen to be good jumpers!), you'll want to remember to push plates, dishes, and leftovers up high enough and back far enough out of the reach of your dog.
And maybe your dog won't poke his head in the trash can when you're around, but the minute you're not within sight, chances are, he'll sniff out anything smells good & tasty in there. So, be sure to keep your garbage pail behind a door or cabinet that latches securely shut. Or, purchase a heavy-duty, stable garbage can for the kitchen that has a lid your dog couldn't possibly open.
Here are the best dog-proof trash cans, plus tips for keeping your dog out of the garbage.
Alright, so im 15, i accidentally gave my dog shibby a dry, recently cooked chicken bone off my plate, i totally wasn't thinking and by the time i turned around to grab it out of her mouth it was chomped and swallowed, so we were all very worried about her that night. that night, she was barking and ended up going diareaha on my floor, we were very scared that this point, was it the oil from the bone, or was it because it couldn't pass? this is the first night after last nights dinner where this happened, we gave her a lot of rice, food and bread to help it pass. we defiantly can't afford to get surgery, so what should i do? will she be okay? im defiantly going to wait another night, and if anything weird happens, im going straight to the vet. its to late now to go to the vet so im pretty concerned. should i try the cotton ball remedy just in case? please respond quickly
my 5 month old poodle named Linda was chewing on a chicken bone... she didnt swallow it all or swallow anything but it was in her mouth. This is my first puppy and i wanna give her the best family she would have and i dont wanna lose her quickly. I dont know what to do i called my mom and asked her what would happen and she said that it would go to her stomach and she would poop like diahrea(not sure for spelling) and i want some advice some one please give some advice and what i can do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont wanna lose my one and only baby....
Eating chicken bones and other bones is totally fine for a dog as long as they're RAW and fresh. No dog should eat cooked or old, dry bones.
Today at the dinner table my dog got into a chicken bone, and down it went. I don't have money for the vet...If i did i wouldn't even be on here. About 15 min's after she sat by the door to go out, I opened it and she was running around and was acting just fine. But i'm still worryed Cause she is a 5 month old pup and still a little small, I don't think that bone can fit out her little but just yet. I need help, I'm scared to death that something might happen to her. Shes my baby.
totally the same thing...
Missy - get your dog to a vet for XRAYs... that could be serious.
My dog ate a chicken bone. But i don't think she''l have trouble digesting it. She has a super good digestive system. She poops out my
hair rubber bands.
my ausstrailian sheperd ate 5 big chicken leg bones the other day,took them right out the garbage,i havent seen him actually passs them and no blood in the stool,but he is acting really weird.... whinning for no reason and breathing really heavy,should we be worried about this?
i have a one year old half american bulldog half cane corso and the other day my daughter left her kfc meal on the table and when we went outside and came back in it was gone..about 6 pieces of chicken bone and all gone..the first night he had runny poo..then he has been off and on constiated..i have seen blood drops when he try's to poo this morning and last night. i am gonna try feeding him some rice and stuff right now but if that doesn't work does anyone have any other tricks i can try..i would hate to see anything happen to my adorable dog :-( any help is appriciated
thanks
My dog Nina just ate a chicken bone on July 2, 2009, and we are very worried about her. She had a small piece of the bone that was a sample chicken that I got at the festival of summer in my town. She was caught chewing on it by my mom, and she found it in my garbage can. I have been monitering her closely, and slightly overfeeding her, but I don't think it's come out yet. I also have to poke through her poop in order to see if she will have let it out of her system. She is also getting a lot of walks, so that she will be able to get it out of her system. I really don't want her to die, so please pray with me that she will make it thriugh this. She is a medium sized dog, and has survived eating some oreos that she found in the park, and has survived a dog attack, so I think she will make it. She is strong, brave, and won't give up until everyone is satisfied with her. Again,I ask you to pray with me that Nina will make it through this. Thanks!
I have a Boston Terrier, I had cooked a turkey for dinner and i de boned it all and put the fat and scraps in a bowl for me to treat my dogs with, i also had the whole carcas in a doubled ziplock bag and layin on my table.then I stepped outside and when i came back in the sack was off my table and ripped open, i dont know how many bones he ingested and he does have the diarhea and just don't feel good, any tips for me I am terriefied this baby will get really sick because of my stupidity, any help for me
1. strokes in dogs is a RARE occurence. While they can occur...you are much more likely to have something else going on.
2. if the chicken bones were to perforate the intestinal tract...then the resulting peritonitis and abdominal sepsis could cause seizures. Same thing if the bones were to cause an obstruction.
that being said, many other things can cause seizures...i would HIGHLY recommend having your dog seen if it is having seizures, definetly if more than one has occured. Seizures, like vomiting and diarrhea, are symptoms and if something is experiencing multiple seizures...then the cause needs to be investigated.
good luck
can yuor dog have sezires or strokes from chicken bones
I also thought about switching his feeding times. If he eats early in the day, He will at least have cushion for anything bad he eats later :)
UPDATE
HOW BIG WAS THE PIECE?
This is the first thing to ask yourself.
Was it from last nights dinner or do you REALLY have NO IDEA? Base your choices from there.
I would have to guess ollie ate a thin colinder shaped piece from a wing about 1.5 inches long. He is a 13 lb Miniature Doxie.
Well folks, Its been months:) Ollie is perfectly fine. We made it through the great chicken bone scare of '09. One vet had suggested inducing vomiting (which can do more bad then good) and another said to wait and it will pass. We bagged and mashed countless piles off poop and found a piece or two, but not really enough to feel comfortable that he totally passed it.
He is eating fine (better then before actually), drinking fine, and sleeping soundly (unless he wants O-U-T of the C-R-A-T-E).
I wanted to update again because not enough people do. This is a great page but often the story ends with panic and we never know what happened.
We have even decided to skip the bully sticks for now and give him a shot at a real, RAW, ok for dogs bone. He LOVES them. If your dog chunks off pieces of the OK FOR DOGS bones, they are not safe for him to have. For the most part, a dog should be gnawing and breaking off small shreds or pieces. A dog could still have complications from eating "safe chews" if he swallows a large piece. A dog should always be supervised during ANY type of chew time.
Remember people,
Inducing vomiting can not only burn an esophagus but can also result in puncturing, tearing or further obstruction for your pet. Depending on the SIZE of the piece of bone, I would suggest doing what we did.
What I did when my dog ate a bone: (qty based on size of dog. Ollie= 13lb doxie. 1 Soggy slice and 1 spoonful for him.)
1. feed 1 to 3 slices of soggy bread. This (at least in my mind) Helps "cushion" the bone and is completely edible. Though you can feed cotton balls to your dog for a similar result, we felt alot safer sticking to foods.
2. Feed 1 or 2 spoonfuls of mineral oil. This helps add lubrication to the stomach and its contents. We added ours to a small amount of wet food but feel free to just stick the spoon in his mouth.
3. Monitor Poops. This isnt nearly as exciting as feeding people food or a slimy oil to your dog but its SORTA necessary. How else will you know if he MAYBE is passing bone. We found a few VERY small broken up pieces in his stool. Hopefully, the tummy is doing its job and is able to break down the bone a bit. If it is, you may not see anything at all. I suggest using a ziplock bag and squish around feeling for a hard piece, even when you find it, you may not be able to SEE it. (after all, its in poop.)
4. AND MOST IMPORTANT: Moniter your dog!!! If he is acting sleepy, uncomfterable, restless, not eating, not drinking, throwing up.... and all of this is a change from normal behavior, I would suggest calling a vet and considering surgery. I would rather have a vet carefully remove the bone then having to go back and fix his punctured tummy AND throat because now he's throwing up shards of bone.
::::::PLEASE READ FINAL NOTE:::::
All of the decisions I made that day were panicked and influenced. We spoke to 3 vets and read every comment on this page and a few others. The bread and mineral oil were suggestions we came across that felt right. You will be in the same boat if you aren't already, Reading this and still panicking. I think the key here is to
1. keep your dog away from trash and table food.
2. Stop eating/bringing home food with the bones still attached.
3. Keep a close, close eye on your best friend. I was right outside with the dog and I was able to see how big I thought the piece was... sorta.... If it was a larger piece of bone, we would have brought him in for surgery.
4. DISPOSE OF TRASH PROPERLY!!! I would hate to find the site that says, "Help! My dog ate a whole stash of old thrown out candy from Christmas" or "Help! My dog ransacked the trash and ate a nail and some insulation!". The dog could easily die from either of those things! There are loads of things your dog shouldnt have access to that will be in a garbage. I promise you its like a gourmet dinner for ANY DOG. Their taste buds are vivid compared to humans so your bit of added salt tastes like a salt lick for them... so your BBQ chicken wings will be like a saucey, meaty, boney feast for a king. AND since you could come around the corner any minute, they are shoveling in whatever they can grab.
4. Try and remember exactly what happened, the type of bone (Pork? Chicken? wing? thigh? Nobby piece? [ollies choice]) This will make the vets job at reccomending something to you even easier.
5. Call more then one vet. Everyone is capable of offering free advice. If they wont help you just because your not a regular patient then I would not recommend that vet. But please remember, when a vet goes to school, last I checked, there are little nutrition classes, training classes, behavior classes.... so consult a few to get a solid opinion. You cant go to a Massage Therapist for a root canal... ya know! A vet probably gets 5 of these calls a day and wants you all to come in so he can charge you. You USUALLY arent special, though we want to feel that way. Its up to us to find the right answer for our circumstances through facts and professional opinion.
This is likely to be our last update... (god, I hope so... no more bones please!) Thank you all for all the great help and support you have offered here. I wish you all the luck in the world.
Im no vet but I am a certified trainer and pet care specialist! If anyone is interested in getting into the training field or just has a question about dogs, food or small animals, feel free to email me! Kebenevides@gmail.com or IM me on AIM kate0830 or yahoo burgermepink. Im sure I have experienced alot that you have and if not, Im sure I will :)
Cheers All! Good Luck!
Forgot to say that my vet said dogs eat Scott towels, cotton balls etc .. all the time and have no problems. He also said not worry as dogs can eat just about anything without problems. I did not ask him about chicken bones though .. he seems to be more dog friendly and less money hungry so he may have a more objective opinion.
From what I'm reading, my retriever is not the only to like chicken ! They are some active dogs and are to intelligent to let chicken pass .. now I know this and prayers for those who don't have the cash to bring their dogs to a vet ... maybe those know it all's would be willing to help out.
My 46 lb border collie mix jumped up on the counter and grabbed a drumstick bone leftover from our BBQ last night. Before we could do anything, it was gone so I googled. Found the cotton ball remedy and as horrible as it sounds (why would a dog eat cotton?) I used leftover BBQ/meat juices from the plate to flavor the cotton and he ate it like it was a delicacy. I then gave him a can of lamb/rice soft science diet food (he normally eats dry.) I've been watching him and he's showing no sign of discomfort or change in personality. This happened last night, more than 12 hours ago and he's just his normal self and even ate breakfast normally this morning. Fingers crossed this will pass through with no issue.
What do you do if your 14 month old 65+ black lab eats a rotisserie chicken leaving not a scrap to find?
Just after her ears are down, but I think its her "I'm sorry" and not more. The ears are up as they should be when she doesn't think someone is looking. Right now she is at my feet sleeping. No straining, hacking, vomiting, etc.
Should I push more food? I don't like the thought of cotton balls or vaseline as other posts mentioned, but would do the brown rice (only kind I have) Clearly I misjudged my 14 yr olds abilities to follow directions.
Argh my dog just ate a whole chicken carcass
the "flap" is about the dogs who have not had the same luck as your golden retriever. Using the "it didn't happen to me so it can't happen to you" line of reasoning is a little careless. Those of us who work in veterniary medicine, and especially EMERGENCY vet medicine, have seen more than our share of cases that didn't turn out so well. Once, in surgery, we removed the cap of a shampoo bottle out of a dog's intestine! I'm sure I used this example before...but I once knew a counselor how tried to shoot himself in the face in a suicide attempt...he lost the bottom half of his face...but lived...now he lives with the bottom half of his face made out of warped scar tissue and a weird looking hole for a mouth...my point is...he shot himself in the face...but HE'S FINE NOW. Hardly means I would recommend someone else try it...
SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO LET YOU KNOW MY DOG TIA THE PAPILLION IS FIND AND HER BEAUTIFUL TAIL IS BACK UP OVER HER BACK WHERE IT BELONGS . THANK
I DON'T SEE WHAT ALL THE FLAP IS ABOUT CHICKEN BONES FOR A DAWGIE. I HAVE A 10 YEAR OLD GOLDEN RETRIEVER AND HE HAS BEEN EATING CHICKEN BONES EVER SINCE I GOT HIM. HE'S HAD NO ILL AFFECTS FROM THEM. HE GETS THEM STILL KINDA WARM AND RIGHT OFF THE PLATE. THEY ARE STILL MOIST FROM COOKING. HE GETS RIB BONES, BACKS, THIGH BONES AND DRUMSTICKS AND WINGS. IN 10 YEARS HE'S SHOW NO PROBLEM WITH THEM. OF COURSE, I WOULD NEVER GIVE HIM DRY CHICKEN BONES. THEY DO SPLINTER AND CAN HURT HIM. IF IT'S GONNA BE AWHILE BEFORE HE GETS THEM, I PUT THEM IN THE REFER IN WATER, BROTH OR CHICKEN GRAVY. HE LOVES THEM. ESPECIALLY K.F.C. BONES.
was he ok? my 3 month old boxer puppy just ate a whole wing, and im freaking out! can you please email me wth how your puppy was?
My dog ate chicken bones today. I am reading
your follow up and what do you mean by
cotton balls?
thanks for your responce
Beth
My 1 year old Wheaten terrier ate a small chicken wing bone tonight. We had wings for dinner and my brother threw his bones away, but our sly pup still got to them. He swallowed one that was about 2 inches long and very narrow. Is he going to be OK?? He is my baby and I have already lost one dog to a car accident and I can't bear to lose him too. He has been running around the house and playing with his sister so, I am hoping everything comes out OK. My aunt told me to keep an eye on him and watch his stools. Hopefully, he'll be fine. He has eaten plastic before so, a small chicken bone shouldnt be much different, right?? I will try to update on his condition.
MY DOG TIA A PAPILLON HAS EAT SOME CHICKEN BONES PIECES THAT WERE LEFT ON THE LAWN AFTER SOMETHING KOOVER OUR GARBAGE CAN, I WAS THERE AND STOP HER FROM EATING EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE IS ON A REAL FOOD POTATOES ,RICE,GREEN BEANS ,STRING BEANS CARROTS APPLES,TOFU,CHICKEN ,BEEF ,TKY SHE WAS DOING GREAT TILL THIS .HER TAIL HAS BEEN DOWN FOR A WEEK ,SHE WAS EATING GRASS AND SPIT UP A CLEAR FLEM WITH GRASS IN IT ,SHE IS EATING LIKE ALLWAYS ,SHE WAS STRAINING TWO TIMES SHE DID PASS SOME SOFT WHITE BONES,NO BLOOD THANK GOD, THE VET SAID SHE HAS A NORMAL TEMP THIS WAS ONE WEEK AGO WHEN THIS ALL STARTED TODAY L FEED HER RICE AND TOFU WITH OLIVE OIL SO FAR SHE WENT OUT SIDE TODAY AS NORMAL NO STRAINING GREAT ,BUT HER BEAUTYFULL TAIL IS STILL DOWN ,SHE WAS ALL SO ATTACK BY TWO JACK RUSSEL OFF LEASE ALL IN THE SAME WEEK . OTHER THEN HER TAIL STILL DOWN SHE IS FINE ,PLEASE LET ME KNOW, IF ANYONE HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM ,YOU CAN EMAIL ME A GEOLIZ@SHAW.CA THANK YOU
PLEASE HELP!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!
PLEASE HELP!!!
Today me and my girlfriend was in our living room with our 3 months old terrier. We just finished dinner (roasted chicken) and decided to let our dog nibble on the remaining flavors. Before we knew it, he accidentaly chewed off half a drumstick and swallowed it. We immediately ran to GOOGLE...
After hearing all these stories about dogs eating chicken bones and were not able to digest the bones, it made us worry. I mean, the dog's only 3 months and he basically only ate half a drumstick so it shouldn't be much of a problem right??
heya RLM:
of course, chicken bones are no match for a GSD...you might try a larger, more durable bone that your GSD can chew on...then remove the pieces that break off that are small enough to swallow. good luck.
I have a 3 year old German Shepard that we found outside door about a year ago. I didn't know anything about not giving chicken bones. That's basically all we eat. Someone mention not giving her chicken bones again yesterday and I googled and found this site. I have seen blood in her stool in the past but she has always been fine. I watch her stool and she has been constipated here and there but has always ended up fine. She was under weight when we took her in and you could see her ribs. We give her puppy food and she's free to eat all day. I found some raw hide bones w/ chicken on the end for dogs in Walgreen’s and occasionally a friend will bring our dog rib bones. After reading most of these posts, I will not give her anymore chicken bones. Can we give her other types of bones instead?
I was mortified when i woke up this morning to find that the dog had somehow to get out the kitchen and into the livingroom where i had stupidly left a chicken.
There was no leg or thigh bones on it to start with, but i'm so ridiculously on edge right now...
Today is the second occasion where my dog has out-smarted our garbage can and obtained the chicken bones inside. The first time we did the cotton ball thing - I believe I soaked them in chicken broth - and everything came out the other end just fine. This time I'm also using cooked rice, mixing in chicken broth, and some cotton balls thrown in for good measure. I guess in future no chicken bones will be allowed in the kitchen trash - must go directly to the outdoor container. I hope we'll be as lucky as last time so we can avoid the expensive trip to the vet.
My dog ate a small chicken wing bone, the flipper part, at around 8:30 on a Wednesday night. Almost immediately she started cough and hack as if the chicken got caught in her throat. This continued this on and off for a few hours. At around 11:30 she now had worked herself into a pant and was having labored breathing. She really started to look bad, her eyes became slits and she was kind of listless. At this point we decided to go to the 24 hour Pet ER.
At the Pet ER the vet began to ask all the normal questions about health history, vaccinations, etc. Then said she did a neck and chess X-ray to look for the obstruction. She also wanted to do a blood test for heartworm and a white blood cell count test. When the X-rays came back she could not see any bone particles, and although the dog continued to cough and hack every few minutes, she continued to talk about the lung blood vessels showing signs of being an older dog. The she let us know that she was not equipped to look down the dogs throat with a scope and that would have to be done by a specialist and he would not get to her until a day or two. If we left her there she would need a $1,000 deposit that did not include the procedure to be done. We decided to wait until the next day and go to our current vet instead of having her sitting in a cage at the ER for who knows how long. The Pet ER vet gave us pills that are used for asthma to help with the labored breathing, an antibiotic, and a pill to reduce inflammation and a copy of our two X-rays. Total bill $502.
The next morning, Thursday, we were off to see our family vet. Armed with our X-rays and info from the ER, the vet reviewed them, ordered a full blood test and looked over the history and our X-rays. The blood test was normal except for high Calcium. The vet on staff was not able to do a scope down the throat because he had not received the training needed to do that and told us we needed to come back and see another vet in the office if things did not clear up on their own tomorrow. Total bill $315
The dogs condition now was that the heavy and labored breathing had stopped, but the gag and cough occurred every time she stood up from laying down and every hour or so she would hack every hard. She did not ever vomit. She continued to eat and drink normally. But she could not bring up whatever was in her throat.
Friday morning now, a call to our vet revealed that she could be seen Saturday morning at 8:30 for consultation with the vet who was trained on the scope tool. But because of his schedule she most likely will have to wait for the operation and extraction another day.
We decided again to look around for another vet who could do it sooner because of the obvious discomfort in her and now we were worried about infection. At 3:00 Friday afternoon we saw another vet at a different ER and he went over all the paper work and X-rays and then said that after seeing the results of the blood test with the high Calcium that he was more concerned about the Calcium level than the object in the dog’s throat. He talked about cancer and other bad things that cause high Calcium and was afraid to sedate her with the high Calcium count. So he ordered another blood test to check the Calcium. Sure enough the test came back negative and after testing it again on another machine, it turned up normal. At this point I was really to ring his neck for scaring us badly about cancer and other bad things. Next he did three of his own x-rays and remarked that he could not see anything better than the earlier X-rays. One of the X-rays was a big blur that showed nothing. He than said he want to start intravenous fluids and that he decided in a few hours if he could complete scooping for the object. At this point I called my own vet who said I could bring her in Saturday morning and maybe he could do a light sedation and reach in to see if he could find anything. So we left with the dog from this ER with no more understanding of the problem and another bill for $315. And he forgot to give us back our meditation that the dog was taking.
So it is Friday night , we have spent $1,132. We no longer have our medication, We still do not know if tomorrow the vet is going to operate or just consult with us. The poor dog is now hacking and gagging harder and louder now than ever.
Saturday, we are off for our 8:30 appointment armed with 5 X-rays, four blood test, all the records. This time we found a vet who listened. He put her to sleep, scope down her throat all the way to her stomach. Whatever was in her throat was now gone. But her throat was swollen, one vocal chord was swollen so bad it was out of its slot. He gave us Hydrocodone to suppress her coughing and hacking and antibiotic. It stopped the hacking immediately and the dog could finally relax and sleep after three days of hacking. She will be on the Hydrocodone for five days and the antibiotic for ten days. This will give the swelling time to go down. Hopefully after that, the incident will be over. Cost for the scoping and drugs - $750 and worth every penny. I wish they had done this at the first three vet visits!
My border collie/golden retriever, one year old pup just injested about 10 chicken backs that I had boiling for soup. I put them in a strainer on the counter after boiling them for two hours. They were getting soft, but there were some firm bones still. I went downstairs to talk to my hubby, and she got them! I gave her a heaping teaspoon of vaseline and a slice of bread a half hour after she injested the bones, and I'm keeping a watchful eye on her. I probably won't sleep all night. Praying everything will pass through her with no problems. But I will keep a close eye on her moods, stools and if she begins to vomit. If any problems, I will definitely take my girl to the vet. She is my love and my life.
My 13 year old lab inhaled a whole chicken bone tonight (drumstick). I took him to the emergency vet and they sedated him with gas and removed the bone using a scope. It is not worth the risk that the bone will not pass through the small intestine - so if this happens to you, the vet is the best solution.
My 2 year old german shepherd is usually pretty good about not getting into things while i am away but the other day my husband and i left for the evening and forgot that there was a chicken carcus on the counter in the kitchen. my husband had ment to take it out to the green bin before we left. anyway we came home to an empty bag where the whole chicken carcus used to be licked clean! she ate the whole thing i was horrified.... scared me to death.... she seemed to be acting fine so we just kept an eye on her...she threw up bones three times durung the night and that was it...she has been fine ever since...but it still scared the crap out of us. Millie is our baby and i can't imagine living without her... it is sooo important that poeple don't give bones or leave them where they can get them. our situaton could have been much worse and we definately learned our lesson :)
Well two months ago we left a left over chicken (whole) on the counter to go out, we were gone 15mins and came back.... no chicken in site, its as if it never existed O.o and our dog is sitting there licking her chops, we were so scared but she turned out fine.... and we learned NEVER to leave anything on the counter again (she has never in her 5 years of life stolen something from the counter that was the first - shes a boxer) now i had chicken wings two nights ago (they were still in the garbage) a few minutes ago my mom was in the other room and i was at work (just got home) were in the other room, she manage to open the cubbord door, take out the garbage and ate all 20 of them O.o now we are woried, so once again im making her sit still all night and gave her some rice/dog food... im keeping my fingers cross because we cannot afford a vet bill O.o
and common sense prevails...
I cannot imagine either of my dogs being prepared to eat cotton wool, no matter what it is soaked in. If they found it out in the street, yeah, probably, but if I fed it to them, no way. I asked a vet, once, how about wild dogs, foxes, wolves, etc, they eat birds they catch, many of whom are smaller than the chooks that we eat, so they would have finer, more brittle bones, he said (apart from the fact that the birds would not be cooked) that the dog would also be consuming the feathers, as well as fur from other animals, and that would wrap around the bones to a certain extent, and protect the dog's gastric system.
I have a great dane and two rottweilers, they are 6 years old. I give them bones daily. Sometimes chicken, mutton or beef depending on whats available. They are scavengers they can eat and digest tougher things then we can. Vets are thre to mint money. But one thing is I dont know how the smaller dogs like Lhasas and pugs would do with bones.
Ollie seems fine. I think its safe to say were in the clear.
So today I got up as normal and started to get ready, when it came time for hair and make-up I let my almost 3 year old (100LB) black lab Coby out to do his morning business. As I sat down I heard crunching coming from outside and when I walked out there I saw Coby licking the pavement. Today is garbage day so my dad had carelessly just thrown the garbage bag by the trash so I could deal with it in the morning. Without knowing this, I of course left it there as well. (I didn't know there was a bag on the driveway!) Well something got into the bag last night and Coby decided to help himself to at least 2 half bones. My dog has a stomach of steel I know this much, however he's been sick the past few days (prior to the chicken wing incident) so he hasn't been eating normal and there has already been white vomit.
Now I sit here at work and just pray that he is okay. I informed my dad to watch him through the day to mach sure everything is alright but I myself and ready to throw up after this. I am VERY careful with my dog. After anything containing bones has been eaten, it's discarded into a plastic bag, placed into a garbage bag and then out of reach. I take zero chances. Of course Dad coming home from Florida has to ruin everything. Coby has eaten his bread with oil and from what I've been told he is acting normal, but it hasn't even been two hours yet.
Another thing about Coby is he HATES the vet. He is the most loveable dog in the world but when it comes time for the vet we actually have to muzzle the poor pup. He doesn't try to attack anyone, aside from the vet. I dread having to bring him there but the second he starts acting funny, I can promise you that's what I'll be doing.
So the not eating and white flem like vomiting aside; I just need to watch for weird behavior (but when you own a lab, what is weird about them? haha), blood in the stools and anything else? I just want to stay on top of everything.
I don't need the "speech" about how stupid I am and I need to get my dog to the vet ASAP. That may be what your company tells your clients but I've called 3 emergency clinics, my house vet and his regular vet and they've all said to just watch him and get him in the second anything starts happening. So apparently it's a he said, she said battle and I don't need to hear that I'm a bad dog owner; I just need to know what other signs to look for.
Thanks for any help.
Well put Jeremy!
Updating like a good pup :)
So far he seems ok. Last night he passed some of the bone, surprisingly sooner then I would have though. It was a thinner piece about an inch long. It was sharp enough to do some damage but it seemed to be pretty compacted within the rest of his movement. I am yet to see any more but he seems to be acting and pooping the same as always... though last nights dinner didnt digest as well as it usually does (I could still see bits of carrot) todays meal came out just fine.
I will continue to update for a few days.
On another note, we had to fly to the vet today (and pay the emergency visit) for another pet in our family. We though he had ringworm. The last thing I wanted was ringworm spreading to every pet and person in the house. Fortunately, the bill was not my responsibility. :)
...Pets... Sheesh!
I let the dogs out this afternoon. I failed to notice the 2 stray chicken bones that an animal had tossed on the ground from our garbage. My Doxie managed to get a hold and ingest some of the chicken bone. I have no idea exactly how much.
I called the vet, panicking of course. One vet told me to induce vomiting right away. I have never done this before and couldnt afford to pay the $85.00 to bring her in for them to do it for me. I decided to get another opinion as I read this site. I called the vet we used prior to our current vet and they said that we should just let it pass.
My dog ate a smaller piece of bone that was made up more of cartridge then anything else. The vet said that since he seems normal that making him throw up could do more damage then good. He also advised that I not feed him any differently so I can be sure he is eating normal. He is acting fine now but im still really nervous.
I did decide to feed him some bread soaked in water. He doesnt have anything in his stomach aside from bone yet today so I do want to help cushion it a bit. We are also going to feed him a spoonful of mineral oil with a spoonful of his food before dinner tonight.
I wish you all luck. I will try and update in a few days. The vet said that the bone will take around a day or two to pass. Im a little worried about him acting lethargic. He is normally a very lazy dog so I am afraid I wont be able to tell the difference between our lazy doxie and a lethargic doxie.
I'm extrememly worried, My small bichon frise ate a chicken bone, a boccochini size.
What should I do?
You must be trying to push everyone's buttons, because noone could be as ignorant as you proclaim to be in your post. I've had a pet die from a chicken bone obstruction and I'm sure every vet has seen dozens of dogs suffer from it. I hope you don't own any pets.
I have a 10 year old, 78lb Weimaraner that LOVES to get into the trash. My husband forgot to lock the trash can, was gone 10 minutes and when he got back, my dog had gotten into the trash. She ate the bones from 2 chicken breasts from KFC. I called the vet this morning and they said to "watch" her. I also found on a different site online http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/DogAteChickenBone.htm, that says if you soak 100% cotton balls in half and half and feed them to your dog like a treat, that it will help to collect any pieces of bone and wrap around them to protect your dog’s intestinal wall. I don't know if this works, but it sounds interesting. I know that my dog has eaten toilet paper, paper towels and tissues before, with no ill effect, so I imagine this might actually work. I’m planning on keeping my eye on her closely. I swear, these animals of ours can cause us an awful lot of worry….
Of course, sometimes even raw bones cause obstructions...cooked bones just run a higher risk of breaking into sharp shards in the digestive tract.
my dog did the exact same thing and no body in my house told me until 5 days later . He wasn't himself and i wondered what was wrong with him so off to the vets .I don't no if the bone 5 days later was the problem but he started to become lethargic won't eat or drink his gums went white; developed a temperature: his eyes were yellow and the vet said he for some reason he has IMHA google it
That is true but they are not getting fully cooked chicken in the wild. Raw is fine, it is when the bones have been cooked that they splinter and shatter.
Do your own personal survey directly with pet owners not with vets doctors with a story on line of their so called dr. experiences and online fear mongering to get you to pay them or their fellow vets and dr. counter parts that they don't even know personally. be warned in doing a survey on this matter of bones vs dogs, If you google it you will pay out the pocket, taken under by the spell of money munch'n fear mongerers look'n to take advantage of you and your pet. Of course too much of anything could make anyone or anything sick, all pets and humans should have a balanced meal and not over do it.
Meanwile, not even a week ago at the emergency clinic I work at, we had to operate on a dog that had eaten...*drumroll, please*...a bone chunk. Result..perforation of the intestine and 95% necrosis of what was below the perforation. Result...the dog was euthanized.
What do we think dogs ate in the wild...well, first we think dogs are DOMESTICATED..as in not wild. According to people who work to rehabilitate WOLVES and introduce those "dogs" back into the wild...they usually either break the bones open to get to the marrow...or the bones that are ingested tend to be wrapped up in some carcass and FUR. I'm not sure how many dogs stomachs you've seen...but I can assure you...they are just soft tissue and they dont "digest anything".
But I'm sure the owners of the dog we had to euthanize do to losing it's intestine will be glad to know that its all just a bunch of "quackery". Inside information provided by RC Push. ;)
By the way...wolves are hunters...not scavangers.
I cannot believe all this hype about dogs eating chicken bones. What the hell do you think they ate in the wild? It wasn't dog food! Dogs are scavengers. They can eat near anything! I have never seen a dog debone a bird or small rodent. Of course your vet will never tell you that, just keep bringing fido in for more needless check ups and quackery. A dogs stomach can digest nearly anything!
Lisa:
Since you already have the call into your vet...I won't start with "call your vet!!" jeje
That being said...I would definetly recommend feeding a nice bland 'something' to help pad whatever pieces of bone are in your dog's stomach. Even if your vet recommends it coming in to induce vomiting (which would be the recommendation from our emergency clinic), it will also pad the bone pieces that come back up...or go down...whichever way they decide to go.
That being said...if your dogs starts vomiting...do NOT give anything else by mouth. The last thing you want is for it to inhale any of that emesis and develop a raging case of aspiration pneumonia.
Hope that helps...and good luck.
Jeremy
I forgot to add, that I do have a call into my vet, but they were at lunch, so I left a message. I just want to say that before everyone started to tell me to call my vet for the answer to the question I asked, about over-feeding or lightly-feeding! Just wanted to make that clear!
My neighbor is a complete idiot! My husband heard them call my dog over to the fence...and when my husband went to see what was going on, he witnessed them giving my 60lb. Great Dane/Lab mix chicken bones through the fence! He immediately told them "NEVER FEED OUR DOGS ANYTHING, you (expletive) MORON". Now we just have to wait and see, I guess. I do have one question, on this site, some say to over-feed when others say to lightly-feed. Which is the best plan of action? I'm confused!!!
http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/DogAteChickenBone.htm
This works, try it, and keep an eye on the animal, watching for mood changes.
our 3 old month golden retriever, ate a chicken bone 2 days ago. im really worried, but he has no problems. Im just little bit scared because the bone was 3 centimeters long. can somebody reply to this please!?
on Friday night 03/08/2009 my dog ate a discarded chicken from the previous Saturday 03/02/2009 the Chicken had been out of the fridge for about a day although it was almost stll cold as the AC was on (I live in Florida). That night the dog had no ill effects the next day he had vomitted and for the first time almost ever he had diarrhea in my house (first time in the house) as well as outside. He also refused water that day. He had an upset stomach for most of the week. Tuesday night he seemed ok just a little lethargic. Today (Wed) I come home and he had gone to the bathroom 4 times in the house but oddly enough it was almost totally solid not all diarrhea. He also appeared to vomit white (mucus)several times. I would love to know if this is Food poisoning, an intestinal blockage or none of the above. He is eating for the most part normally
I hope your dog is doing better, I have a beagle and he ate some bones yesterday and I am freaking out so far he seems ok he ate two thighs, I hope he has no after effects
Hello Lee,
Everything should be okay. Dogs naturally eat bones and carcass which lay on the road. But if you are really concerned you can include scrambled eggs or tofu in with rice or mashed potatoes. Your dog will love it and please compliment your dogs while he/she is eating so the muscles can relax when digesting.
you are a moron. if you wanted to be nice to your dog you should have removed the chicken from the wing and THEN given it to your dog. you can not expect a dog to simply not eat a bone that smells and tastes just like the chicken he has been eating. people like you should not be allowed to own any animals. its one thing for a dog to steal a bone off your plate when you're not looking, or snatch one up when you drop it on accident, but to willingly give your dog an entire chicken wing makes you a complete idiot.
I think they mean immediately after , not when the dog is in distress, just as a precaution......
i thought my golden may have eaten a chicken bone, wasn't sure but i just wanted to let everyone know that if your dog eats something bad and you need to make them throw up right away, give them a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide, they hate it but it works (my vet said to do this after she ate a half bag of pistachios). better than sitting and letting it go farther down their system!
our small teacup ate chicken and has been pooping blood and throwing up, i have given her rice mixed with her food and she wont eat anything, i had to force some pedialyte down her mouth just to keep her hydrated, if anybody could give me any further pointers id greatly appreciate it.. we dont know what to do
My greyhound ate a WHOLE cooked chicken last week.Im extemely lucky in that he showed no after effects at all other than an extremely upset tum for a while!It has been a week now and he seems fine but Im never taking chances again,next time I cook a chicken its going on top of the freezer and not on the worktop!
Okay, now I am freaking out! My beagle just ate a lot of chicken bones. I think my neighbor was trying to kill her because they were scattered all over the yard. Do you know if there is anything I can do before it gets really serious? I really dont want her to end up in the hospital and I dont know what I would do without her. Any suggestions please!
You are an idiot. You think people are over-reacting?? My beagle is in the hospital right now with sepsis and a perforated stomach because he got into the trash and ate some chicken bones. He might not make it. For the sake of your dog, I hope you never have to go through this.
Thanks for clearing that up Jeromy, when you know very little about things it's hard to know what to believe. Anyway, thanks again, Bailey is here with me, driving me crazy as normal wanting to play catch, so I guess he is doing okay. The bone must have broke down abit, since we have been finding bits and pieces. Keeping fingers crossed that it continues to go well.
Laura:
Rice wouldn't be mistaken for bones on an x-ray. In fact, it shouldn't show up at all. We view x-rays in 4 density levels. Air, fluid, fatty-like density, and bone.
I'm glad you mentioned CareCredit. At my emergency clinic, we do offer it...and it's really surprising that many times people that are SURE they won't get approved...later are!
Anyways, I just wanted to clear that point up about the x-rays...and for what it's worth...if, somehow, the rice did show up...bone pieces the size of rice grains are hardly what would worry us. :)
Lee,
Boy, aren't pets something else. I have an 80 lb Golden Retriever who ate a whole drumstick, sucked it up like a vacuum, from what I can tell after speaking to the emergency clinic, I am feeding him lightly and watching for unusual signs. As far as the rice feeding goes, I was reading over some of the notes on the site, and someone mentioned bread instead of rice because rice can sometimes be mistaken for bone in an xray. Don't know about the validity of this. Personally I am going to call the humane society to see what they say. I find that sometimes these vets play it safe and run our bills up. Should your pet need attention that might $$, you might want to check into a company called CareCredit. I used them for my son when he had to have his wisdom teeth pulled but was also surprised that our vet used them. It's like a credit card and sometimes there are delayed interest rates and or discounts. The website is carecredit.com I am a single parent with a special needs child so money is always an issue for me. Hope this helps. Hang in there, it sounds like this is a very common thing to happen to pets and that most just pass it through their system.
Laura
hi=] while my family and i were watching a movie, my 3 year old pitbull mix snuck up stairs and ate a few chicken wings in the garbage! i know he did scince his whole nose smells like chicken...i dont really know what to do and my parents said they dont have money right now to take him to the vet so im a panicking sooo much! i plan to give him some rice with his breakfast tomarrow and take him out on a walk to see if he has trouble goin like alot of you guys said may happen. if u know anything else i can do to make it better for him or make it move faster please tell! i guess ill just wait it out for now...
Well, my 80 lb golden retriever just gulped whole a chicken drumstick from a rotisserie chicken. So confused one vets office said fast him and bring him in for xrays tomorrow while the emergency animal clinic said to feed him lightly and watch him for the next few days. Was so happy to find this website, am going to go with what the emergency clinic said. Will be sure to post any updates on Bailey.
Excuse me, but I think my 11 month pug swallowed a thigh bone, I was just wondering how your pug fared.
This is an update on my black lab. Her issues are NOT from chicken bones. It is pointing more towards tainted food. I will be picking her up today from the Vet, and I have switched now to Buffalo Blue food from the pet store instead of the cheap Walmart brand.
ON FRIDAYY,A WEEK AGO MY ROTWEILER ATE SOME CHICKEN WING BONES OUT OF THE TRASH. MY DOG IS NOW VERY WEAK AND HASN'T MOVED HIS BOWELS. HE ALSO SEEMS SHORT OF BREATH. I AM TAKNG HIM TO THE VET TOMORROW.WHAT CAN THEY DO? HE HAS NOT VOMITED AND ONLY EATS HAMBURGER IN SMALL AMOUNTS.
Im really always surprised when I hear that the an emergency hospital recommends just watching the dog. Unless the owner can't afford...or won't...bring their dog in.
Normally, at the emergency hospital where I work, we would almost ALWAYS recommend that the dog come in so that we could give it an IV injection of Apomorphine and induce vomiting to try to recover whatever bone fragments we could. The more fragments running through the intestines...the higher the risk of a later obstruction or perforation.
should have updated sooner...Charlie had bad diahrea the next day with very small pieces of bone...this may have been because I was a little panicked and my have overfed him with the olive oil a bit :) He never vomited and ate and played as usual. Again, this site was great and I wanted to pass along another happy ending.
My 9 year old 100 lb. black lab ate some small chicken bones 2 days ago. She is now in the Vet's office with severe bloody vomit. It is all just blood. If she drinks it is watery blood. She is dehydrated, and is now on an IV. She will be staying over night too. She also has blood in her stool. I don't know what the outcome will be for her right now. I can't think of her condition being anything else but the chicken bones.
Hi Sandra, go to this web site... http://www.raw-dogs.com/
Let me know what you think...my dog is on this very nutritional meals.
Today i decided to my nice to my 5 month old pug and gave him a chicken wing. i was watching him closely to make sure to take away the bones once he had finished but while throwing out a bone he managed to swallow a bone. he didnt even chew it just simply swallowed the whole thing.Im very worried and dont know what to do. i called my vet and she told me to just wait and watch what he does but im finding it hard that thats the only thing i can do. does anyone have any suggestions to what i can do?
My dog may have eaten a wing bone last week. he's been eating and drinking fine. not listless or vommitting. Goes to the bathroom ok and normally. He is a little bloated though and I trhink his belly hurts a little hes 12 lb toy fox terrier. The vets said last week to wait it out and make sure his bowels are regular but now im not sure. will he digest the bones or maybe pass them?
My 100lb yellow lab, Charlie just ate an entire chicken carcus! I found this site..Thank God...Ive given him some olive oil and moistened bread. I was leary of the rice because I saw one comment that said it may show up in an xray as bone. I call my vet who advised me to call an emergency medical center who in turn said to watch for any changes in him. Asked about the rice, and they said it's the same as bread and not to "overfeed' because in the event surgery is needed, the dog needs to have fasted! Oh, talk about being torn. Im so glad this site exists! I feel better having read that in most cases the outcome is a good one!
Keep you updated..
My Terrior ate one small chicken bone made by KFC the "Hot and spicy chicken" but it didn't taste hot. After she ate it, she pooped about four times. I didn't see it but my mom told me it was four huge poop. Then today, she poop twice. All I've been doing is feeding her some bread and normal dog food. so far, no blood in the stool. any suggestion to help my sweet terrior?
wow. im shocked at bobs response. i cant believe he is doing that to his dog. what an idiot. i totally agree with jeremy...just because you live through suicide, doesnt mean you will the next time. what are you gaining by cheating death?
Ok, it's been three days since my 65lb Shepard/Lab mix ate 12 hot wing chicken bones and things are good. As I mentioned a few posts back, he got into the trash and ate these bones while I was at work. I gave him mineral oil, some white bread and cooked rice mixed with his wet food to make sure the bones would pass without incident.
He's been his happy ol'self and I seemed to have been the only concerned party because he never seemed to be in any discomfort what so ever. I do have to admit that in my desperation to make him better, I gave him too much mineral oil. I realized this the next morning when he had "leaked" oil all over his bed. So just stick to the 2-3 spoonfuls and don't over do it like me :)
He's been his happy ol'self and I seemed to have been the only concerned party because he never seemed to be in any discomfort what so ever. I do have to admit that in my desparation to make him better, I gave him too much mineral oil. I realized this the next morning when he had "leaked" oil all over his bed. So just stick to the 2-3 spoonfuls and don't over do it like me :)
My 35 pound springer just inhaled a well-cooked pork rib bone- crunch crunch, gone! I never had a chance to get it from her. That was a little over an hour ago and I've got rice cooking on the stove now but I am soooo worried. She always strains to poop and I'm so terrified that its going to hurt her. I called the ER vet and they said that unless she starts acting funny, there's nothing they can do. I'm reading what everyone else has said and I'm wondering how everyone else has fared and if there's anything else I can do.
So far so good on basset/Dasch mix BUDDY seems ok and its been 24 hours since eating the chicken.. whew. passing the ol gassers once in a while but appears to be ok. Lesson learned!
Our 45# Basset/Dachund just downed an entire chicken save for 2 drumsticks and the neck.. he's bloated.. burped a bit. Cooking brown rice now. ill let you all know how it goes. I left the bowl of BBQ and forgot.. and poof.. gone!
I can home to find the trash can on its side and the contents everywhere. My Shepard/Lab mix had gotten into it and ate 12 hot wing bones! I panicked. I called the vet's office and the tech informed me that I should get either Vaseline or mineral oil into him as soon as possible to help lubricate the bones and make them easier to pass. I ran to the store, bought some mineral oil and gave him about 2-3 tablespoons of it. Now it's a wait and see game....I'll keep you posted.
I posted a few months about my boxer eating a whole rotisserie chicken carcass. He's fine! Just gave him some bread and pumpkin. I just wanted to reemphasize what others have said-you need to pay attention to your dog and watch for signs of distress. My boy has eaten lots of very bad things in his day-chicken bones, chocolate, gum w/xylitol, pieces of blanket, plastic bags, foil, Barbie legs, etc. He's been OK, but there may come a day when he's not, so I'm prepared to take him whenever he shows distress. (BTW-we do take lots of precautions to keep food and non-food stuff away from him, but he's driven.)
She is wonderful now... whew!!! I admitted her to the hospital this past weekend. They kepted her hydrated and continued to do the enemas and feed her the can food. She finally defecated the remaining of the chicken bones. She is back to the good ole' perky Sammy just like before. I tell you it was not easy on her. She is a 13 year old heeler/austrialian mix. She is a parvo, heartworm, and chicken bone surviver. Definetly, not a quiter. Best thing is to keep your dog hydrated. Most of all keep them away from pork chop & chicken bones. Best of luck with your beagle. You must check your beagles stool to see if she/he is passing it. Lookout for blood. If she/he has blood it means the bones have punctured through the intestines, as per vet. If you see this, immediately take her/him to the hospital.
I gave my dog Maggie bread as suggested by the vet and she ended up being just fine passing regular stools the day after. She sure did scare us but thank God she was ok!
How is he/she, my beagle just did the same thing and I'm really worried about her.
How is your Cairn? I ask because mine did just the same thing, but with a chicken breast.
Hi, my dog did the same thing. She got into the trash bin outside. She has been in and out of the vet all this week. We have done several enemas and she finally ate & pooped after 5 days. After all this the x-rays revealed there are still some left in her intestines. We are giving her some special food (can) that is easy on the intestines. She continues to strain. I am exhausted with this. Is there anything else that we can do after a week of trying to pass the chicken bones? So far there has been no blood, but she has yelped with some of the bones came through.
Amy, you have to take your dog to the vet. Period.
Lisa, you have no choice. You have to take your dog to the vet.
I am having a really bad problem with my dog Maggie. She is a Doxie/lab mix and managed to eat several pieces of chicken last night that were left in a bucket on the kitchen table, while we ran to the store really quick. Last night she was not having any problems and now tonight she has been vomitting repeatedly and has diahrea really bad that now has blood in it. I haven't the money to take her to a vet but don't want her to be miserable and in pain. What can I do for her??
My beagle ate some chicken wing bones left over from our new years party...he seemed ok, but then a few days later he vomited flem white and yellow...then had very loose stools....and this morning he was pooping blood. We love him so very much, but don't know how to help him....Did the chicken bones harm his insides? Will be need to be put to sleep? We can not afford to bring him to the vet- Someone please give me some advise...thanks
Hey, just letting you know that even if your vet is not open you can call the vet's emergency hospital and they are open overnight, usually their number is on the vet's answering machine, hope your doggie is doing good. My dog ate chicken bones today and im nervous about her as well:(
Don't try to give your dog any fluids by mouth if he's vomiting. In the emergency vet hospital where I work, we see aspiration pneumonia doing alot more damage than initial dehydration. If Dinky's actively vomiting, trying to get fluids down his throat will HIGHLY increase the risk of him then vomiting up those liquids and accidently breathing them back into his lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia.
If you can't make it or afford to go to your local emergency vet clinic, then the best thing to do is initally NOT GIVE HIM ANYTHING by mouth until you haven't seen him vomit for several hours. Then slowly start to introduce fluids (water, pedialyte) back to Dinky. Generally this is the protocol that is followed. Good luck.
I take it your dog hasn't had a Parvo vaccination? Whatever the reason for his symptoms, if he's still the same way today I would look for your nearest emergency vet (check in yellow pages). If you can't find/afford one, at least try to get some fluids in him (you can use Pedialyte or water), with a syringe or eye dropper.
I have been looking for any hope I can find for my little guy. He is a 4 month old Dashound/Chihuahua mix. Tonight around 9 pm he started vomiting whitish fluids. I can't get him to eat or drink anything. He ate a chicken bone earlier today and I was so worried. I don't think its parvo, but I really don't know what it is. I called the vet and they aren't going to be in until Monday...please pray for my pup. His name is Dinky.
First, animals in the wild rarely actually heat the bones...people who work rehabilitating wolves tend to notice them, if anything, breaking them and eating the marrow.
Second, while the raw/cooked bone could play some part in it...either could potentially be dangerous. What makes a cooked bone MORE dangerous is that when it splinters, there is a higher risk of it "snagging" in the digestive tract and creating an obstruction...that being said...a raw bone could potentinally cause one too.
What generally protects animals in the wild is the fact that the bones that DO get eaten are usually accompanied by meat and FUR. That's what tends to cushion the bones and allow passage.
I found this site b/c my boxer just ate an entire rotisserie chicken carcass. I'm holding my breath, but he's eaten some pretty awful stuff (including bones) before and made it through. I did read some recommendations on other sites that recommend feeding bread ASAP, also for 'cushioning'.
Also, Bob, I'm not clear on what kind of bones your dog is getting, but there is a big difference between raw and cooked bones. Uncooked bones are fine, indeed the BARF diet is based around them, which is why animals in the wild are OK w/eating bones. Cooked bones are brittle and dangerous.
My pitbull ate half of a chicken wing bone now there is blood in his stool and he is not acting right like he is tired
I read your comment about Rsschal, your dog eating chicken bones. My dog Sammy, 65 pounds ate chicken bones from the trash yesterday monring, she too has the tail and butt thing happening, and I think she isn't passing the bones. I fed her rice and soft dog food with olive oil this morning, hoping to help push it out.
How did Raschal do? Did he have to have surgery?
Thank you,
Kathy Dorman - Queensbury, NY
Ok I am glad I found this site. My 100 lb rottie just ate 2 cooked chicken legs. He put his two front paws on the counter and dug them out of the trash I was getting ready to throw out. I am panicking right now wondering what to do, but after reading all the comments on here I feel a little bit more relieved. He has a appt tomorrow with the vet for something else and I will ask her what to do from there but in the mean time I will check his stool.
It's been 1 week since the boxer dog ate the whole chicken carcass ... boy I was worried, However all turned out fine. Besides a sore butt because she had the runs for 24hrs, she is doing great! I did push more dry food than usual to help cushion and move thing through.
According to Dog Fancy Magazine (March 2008) the top 10 objects removed from the intestinal tract, in order, is:
Socks
Underwear
pantyhose
rocks
balls
chew toys
corn cobs
BONES
Hair ties and ribbons
Sticks
In addition, The Veterinary Surgical Center has this to say:
Esophageal foreign bodies
Common foreign bodies that dogs ingest are bones, rawhides, and toys.
There are 3 main regions that the foreign bodies can get stuck in the esophagus:
lower neck at the inlet to the chest cavity
base of the heart
at the level of the diaphragm
At these locations the esophagus is somewhat narrower than other regions due to structures surrounding the esophagus.
Here's that article:
http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/esophageal_foreignbody.htm
Bob,
I've seen dogs have massive problems from ingesting bones. Either from fragments or more often (in the animal emergency hosptial where i work) from obstructions when the the fragments get stuck in the intestines. Assuming that you can 'try it a few times' and that will set the mold for every other time they ingest bones is ridiculous. People have also tried suicide by gunshot and lived...doesn't mean that it won't be fatal the next time.
Wolves (dogs are domesticated) do eat bones in the wild...these bones are in the carcasses...meaning they also ingest the meat and fur...I assume that your Jack/Chi isn't also ingesting fur with his bones. In addition, the bones can provide calcium and phosphorus, however generally these are also found in your dog's regular food and higher than normal levels of those can result in problems for your dogs. The nutrional benefit of feeding your dogs bones in addition to their regular food is questionable at best. Often times, the bones are actually broke open and the marrow eaten...not fully ingested.
A vet had a similar question and received several comments from people such as specialists, wildlife biologists, people invovled in wolf rescue and rehabilition to be introduced back into the wild. To see their responses to your questions, click this link:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/wolfexrep.html
I hope this will help!
My little Jack-Chi eats chicken bones all the time, he loves them and never has a problem as a result. They turn his poop white but there are never any sharp fragments or blood in his stool. I think this is an over-reaction by most people thinking they will hurt a dog. How do you think dogs manage after eating an entire chicken or other bird in the wild "when we are not watching"??? The nutrients in the bone marrow of the chicken bones provide vitamins and protein that helps his immune system. This dog is the healthiest dog I have ever owned. I say watch your dog the first few times you feed them chicken bones and if no problems with digestion, then let them eat all they want!
My German Shepard mix had chicken leg quarters and he is doing fine, and eating normally. I gave him a ton of bread that same night he ate the stuff so maybe that helped...This was back in September by the way!
My 2+ German Shepard just ate 3 thigh bones from the trash can tonight...grrr! We knew to take the trash out immediately but he beat us to it and eat all 3 bones and what little meat was on them. Did your dog pass the bones or? Any help would be appriciated.
Yes, she is okay. I really think she has guts of steel! I know she did throw up some of it, and I figure by now it has all passed.
is your dog ok?... mine just did this last night.
My 14-year-old cocker spaniel ate the ENTIRE carcass of a rotisserie chicken. We had picked most of the meat off of it, but had yet to remove bones from the platic container it came in. She ate everything - licked it clean. I think she's okay, but sure makes you wonder - especially since she's pretty old.
Our three year old goldendoodle, grabbed a cooked chicken leg bone from my parents counter on Thursday in the afternoon of last week, we have been very careful to check each and every bowel movement, no sign of the bone and it's Sunday evening. Should we be seeing "something", she seems fine and is eating, drinking and going to the potty as normal. Thanks to anyone that can give us some time lines, I was sure we would see something by now.
I go to Virginia Tech, and my hound comes along to tailgate with me before the games. Of course, there is a variety of food that he picks up off the field that people just throw onto the ground! Today, he found some chicken bones from chicken wings and ate them. I am sure he will be fine and pass the bones in a few days.
It's totally likely that your dog could die if the bone became lodged in the intestinal tract causing an obstruction and it was left untreated. What you do really depends on what level of care you want to go to.
You should be watching for signs of GI upset (vomiting, no or abnormal bowel movements), becoming listless or restless, etc. It's possible that he could vomit up some of the bones...and you may even see some blood with this vomit i.e. blood-tinged not gross blood. (Some dogs will vomit with enough force to cause some bleeding.) Also, pay close attention to his stool...looking for the passage of the bones.
That being said...if you do start to see signs of GI upset...I would definetly recommend shooting an x-ray to make sure you're not going to be dealing with an obstruction (which would mean surgery).
In the end, just make sure and de-bone any chicken you're giving Tiny...to him...that bone is just as delicious as the rest of the quarter. hehe
good luck
I had my german shepard mix just eat a whole chicken leg quarter :-( i was like..where is the chicken bone?-completely gone! Well i gave him bread and he ate it fine, its late at night so i guess i have to wait til tomorrow. But my question is, how likely is it a dog could die of this? I don't want anything to happen to Tiny. He is not tiny at all but im still worried that leg quarter didn't go down well...poor Tiny.
This is a hugely helpful website! My trash hound ate 5, count 'em, 5 cooked chicken thigh bones from the trash last weekend. I tried not to panic, because she tends to find trash and chicken bones on our walks at least once a week. I watched her very carefully, and she was totally fine. Never did see any actual bones pass, but my vet said (over the phone) they would have gone through in a few days. I think the important thing to remember is that only YOU know your dog. If the dog is acting totally fine, just watch it carefully. If there is anything at all wrong (vomiting, diarrhea, blood, lethargy, gums don't look nice and pink, ANYTHING at all), run, don't walk, to the vet. Hardly anyone can afford extra vet bills, and nobody wants to pay for an unnecessary visit. But when you get a pet, you take on the responsibility of medical care in sickness and in health. I got lucky this time, and you can bet that all bones will be out of the house immediately after cooking from now on. The kicker is that all of the chicken was for the animals anyway, I'm a vegetarian!
FYI...while cooked bones are dangerous...the comment that some people have made that uncooked bones are "fine" is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy wrong
If a bone...especially a long bone...becomes stuck 'sideways' in the intestinal tract...you'll be looking at an obstruction, which could lead to tearing of the intestinal tract and possible surgery to remove the obstruction. Just something to keep in mind.
My Husky got a chicken leg down last night before I could pry her jaws open. We gave her some hydrogen peroxide and got the bone back after about half an hour. It was messy, but better than a bone going to pieces inside of her.
my lab mix swiped a cooked chicken thigh out of a bowl on the counter, completely not his style and I would like to say thank you for this web site, I just fed him a half slice of bread with chicken broth and I really like the olive oil idea.
The thing about the dogs in the country eating who knows what is the fact that the bones are not cooked and therefore not brittle. Alot of people feed raw diet and uncooked bones are fine, cooked bones however are not,
Thanks for the posts and I will be watching him closely.
My dog ate some chicken bones off of a plate last night. I have checked his stools all day today and not patient in waiting, I just had to check to make sure I was doing what I should. So far, no bones, but I do feel so much better knowing it may take a few days and just pray they pass.
Catherine,
I'm sure half of the people would say to rush your dog to the vet, while half would say there's no need to worry just yet.
I tend to error on the side of caution, so if you're able to get your dog to the vet, I probably would. At the very least, I would call them for advice. That alone can be HUGELY reassuring!
And that way, you've got someone on your side as you get through this first night waiting for the chicken bone to pass :o)
You won't feel so alone and worried. Just my $.02.
My 1-year-old Shih Tzu gobbled up a thin chicken bone from one of those little drumsticks you'd get from a bag of chicken just 15 or so minutes ago. I've fed him bread and water just now. I'm extremely worried but he seems to be okay so far. Should I take him to the vet anyway?
Thanks for the article. We had just cut up a whole chicken and put the bones in a plastic bag.Our 6 month puppy jumped onto the counter and pulled the bag onto the floor.In the 20 seconds it took me to get into the kitchen he had eaten the entire back of the chicken in a big gulp because he saw me coming!Thanks for the tips!
My dog just finished an entire chicken carcus herself! your comment put me at ease that she will be okay....we hope.
Thank you for the advice, My 1 year old Italian Greyhound ate about 9 chicken wings, and i didnt know what to do, so in panic i searched it and found this thanks, i just hope he'll be fine im scared out the ying yang.
Laurie - thanks SO much for sharing those tips from your vet!!!
Yes, I'm sure that advice will help a number of fellow dog owners :o)
My 11 pound Chihuahua mix just ate a chicken leg bone so I called my Vet in a panic. She said it would do no good to take X-rays, but had me give Ricky a "swallow test." She was able to swallow cheese, and that was the main worry, that her throat could be blocked. Then she told me to give 1/4 of a 10mg.Pepcid tablet and watch for bloody stools and vomiting. A little vomiting is ok, but vomiting many times in one day indicates an emergency and she must be seen. She said that chicken bones can be fully digested by dogs, they turn to fat, and this can cause diarrhea. Someone suggested giving cooled cooked white rice, so I'm going to go make some. I never thought Ricky was a trash dog, but I'll be a lot more careful from now on. When she gets better I'm going to do some gentle aversion training, so she'll be less likely to get into the trash again. I hope this helps someone.
my female miniature pincher eat chicken bones and she is pregnant she don't' eat and have diarrhea for 4 days I took her to the vet and she have the same problem PLEASE HELP IF YOU HAVE A REMEDY
We have a little dog, he is about 21 lbs and is a rat terrier pug mix. We just had chiken wings for dinner and our son dropped the wing on the floor. The dog snatched it up--we are pretty sure whole. Should we wait to go to the vet or just go? It seems that everyone here has poted that their little dogs chewed it first and passed it ok. We don't think he even chewed...help??!!
My dog, a seven-year-old Border Collie, has been eating cooked chicken-wing and breast bones nearly all her life -- at least once a week -- and she still chases down and catches a Frisbee at 120 yards from six feet in the air.
That said, I NEVER give her leg or thigh bones as they are too large and a splinter from one could conceivably do some damage.
I posted last week that my Golden ate an entire chicken carcus. Well... we left for camping that next morning. He seemed fine. He had major runny stool that whole day. He probably went to the bathroom at least 10 times. I'm sure he had quite a tummy ache too! He was eating and acting fine so we didn't worry too much. It has been exactly 1 week since he ate the whole chicken and he is fine. He is pooping and eating, playing etc... My dog is a living garbage disposal. He eats everything! Shoes, underware, toliet paper, and whole chickens! Thankfully he's ok.
To the people whose dogs ate the chicken bones...are the dogs ok? My golden just did it yesterday and so far she seems fine, but I haven't seen any bones pass yet.
Well.. My Golden Retriever did it again! He ate an entire chicken, meat and bones. I posted on here July 2007 that my then puppy ate a chicken drumstick. He was fine but we ending up spending alot of money on xrays and we were told the bone would pass. Now I'm worried though, cause this was an ENTIRE rotissarie chicken that I had just picked up from the grocery store. We are leaving for a 3 day camping trip with the dog tomorrow morning. Hopefully he's ok. We are so careful about food out, but I guess I under estimated the height my dog can reach to on the counter.
Our miniature schnauzer ate 8 chicken wing bones yesterday while unattended. Luckily he had gnawed on all the bones before swallowing.
His first few bowel movements were arduous and painful... it broke my heart to watch... and the poops were like little spiky pebbles (very hard and pointy with bones) which freaked us out!
After reading this website, fed him bread moistened with water and heated in the microwave for about 10 seconds. I also mixed the bread/water mixture with some pumpkin puree.
After one full day his bowels are back to normal and he is up and running! Thank you!!!
Ok so my dog ate a whole cooked chicken bones and all ... I came to this site for advice, and immediately fed my dog rice. He continued to wine so I called the animal hospital. They advised that I should bring him in right away for x-rays ... so I did ... what I learned is that if you are at all considering treatment DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG RICE !!! It messes with the x-rays and your vet won't be able to make out whats what in there ...
Bottom line only feed them rice / other foods if you are leaving it to chance.
PS my dog lived ... he is happy and healthy now :D
how long should it take for one small (2 inch) rib bone, mostly chewed, to pass. i have a 13inch beagle.
Our Bichon, Rascal, ate several chicken bones today from the trash while we were out. We are unsure the amount he ate but the evidence was scattered on the floor. Now he is very lathargic and walking with his tail tucked and not playful at all, he is only 3 years old so is normally very excited whenever I come home but not today.
We are trying the metamucil and rice but if he does not improve by tomorrow we are going to bring him in for xrays.
He has not had any bowel movements and it is almost unbearbale to watch him in pain.
The last time he acted like this he got hold of about 5 pork rib bones.
Any additional adivce would be welcome. I will post updates as they come.
Prayers are welcome as we are all very frightened for him right now.
I just arrived home with my Husband and Daughter to find our trash scattered throughout the entire house. We were only gone about an hour and just before leaving, I threw a small chicken carcass in the garbage from dinner. My dog Ace ate the ENTIRE carcass, he left nothing. I'm a little nervous but he is a large black lab and i'm hoping that since it was such a small chicken maybe it won't do any harm. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
FYI - RICE OR BREAD WILL NOT "CURE" YOUR DOG. There are two things rice/bread will do - first, it may help provide a cushion around the shards to help them pass safely, but only if fed shortly after (less than an hour or so) the dog gets into the bones (after that, the bones will be on their way); second - if the dog has gotten into the carcass or garbage in general, a mild diet of rice mixed with small amounts of boiled chicken or lean ground beef is easy for the dog to digest, and can help prevent severe indigestion. However - ONCE A BONE GETS STUCK, OR PUNCTURES THE INTESTINAL LINING, THE SITUATION IS LIFE-THREATENING AND THE DOG MUST GO TO THE VET IMMEDIATELY. FOOD AT THIS POINT WILL MAKE IT WORSE. If you see severe diarrhea, straining, bloody stool, painful abdomen, vomiting, or if the dog hasn't pooped all day - the dog likely has intestinal tearing or a full or partial obstruction, and will likely die without IMMEDIATE MEDICAL INTERVENTION. Please read Barb's comment from Jan. 20, 2007. So - if you're going to wait it out for these symptoms after the dog ingests bone, someone needs to be able to check on the dog every two hours or so - if you leave the dog to go to work, or go to sleep all night, all of this could happen in the span of a few hours to half a day and get to a point where veterinary care will not save your dog.
We had company over and with children running wildly around the house, nobody noticed the unattended plate sitting alone on the table. No one that is, but Willow! A few hours ago I rounded the corner just in time to witness my 75lb Goldren retriever wolfing down a drumstick (whole I believe) off of my daughters unattended plate...The emergency vet said to feed her bread and to bring her in if she has vomit, diarrhea or bleeding or loses her appetite. So far she is doing ok, enjoying her special food and loving the extra attention she is getting. Thanks for all the postings,I feel a lot better now that I have read so many other stories about the same thing happening to other dogs. Willow is old friends with her vet-- this dog has eaten an entire box of ant bait before-- $????$$.00 later I was glad to have bought a brand name ant bait that was non-toxic! So, prayers tonight that our silly girl will be ok this time too and we will update later.
My daughter left a turkey bone in her room and my chow and dachshund each got some and ate it. My dogs are on totally raw meat and bones diet so I hope there is no ill effects from this but I will watch them closely. The people who say "cooked" chicken bones are OK have just been lucky. When dogs are in the wild the bones are "raw" they don't splinter like a cooked bone. I have gave my dogs bread and I am cooking them some rice but any signs that something is not right they will go to the vet.
Cooked bones can kill a dog, I've seen it when I worked as a vet tech.
I just wanted to follow up to my post a few weeks ago. My 2 Papillons had eaten a whole chicken carcass and luckily they came out of the ordeal just fine. I fed them bread and buns and it seemed to help them vomit up the remains of the chicken. I was so glad to have the advice from this site to help me out!
If your dog has BLOODY STOOLS *AND* IS VOMITING -- then WHY, for the love of God -- are some of you people fooling around with bread & rice, and not taking your loving friend to THE VET?????? Those are major signs of INTERNAL INJURY--do you think bread and rice constitute some kind of "cure" for lacerated intestines............??????
Are you really that STUPID (and you may be!) -- or just that CHEAP!!!!!!!!!! And LAZY.
I sure as heck wouldn't want to be a dog and have YOU for a Guardian.
Our 10 mo old Lab puppy got into the kitchen trash (that was on the counter!) and ate 3 sets of chicken leg/thigh bones. He hasn't pooped in two days, but he's still eating/drinking/peeing/playing normally. We also gave him some milk, an egg, some bacon (3 pieces) and a little bacon grease as well as some bread to cushion any pieces as they try to pass. I'm hoping he poops soon.
ok so I posted on the 9th and today is the 12th, she was fine all weekend, I never actually saw her poop the bones out because she goes outside pretty far by herself to do her business, but she never seemed to be in any pain or have any side effects.. she is still eating just fine, and playing and running around and being rambunctious as usual. I am still keeping an eye on her and may post back in another week or so if I remember to let you know what happens...
My 6-yr old shih-tzu ate a piece of chicken (about 3 inches in diameter) that I accidentally dropped on the floor last night around 6.. she was fine until couple hours ago, and now she has started vomiting. I felt her stomach and its tight.. is that a good sign?
coincidently, I purchased insurance for her over the weekend. However, there is a waiting period of 14 days, unless it is ruled an accident. Does this fit the criteria? I am going to the vet this morning. I was crying all night and finally went to sleep because she seemed fine. And I woke up to her vomiting...
Will my insurance cover her trip to vet and possibly medications?
after having friends over and eating about 30 chicken wings from Pizza Hut we threw them back in the box and threw the boxes away... woke up this morning and the boxes were on the floor, all 30 wings gone. My dog, Zoe, is about 55 pounds, almost 4 years old, shes a pitbull mix, and she does regulary crunch up steak bones or store bought bones.. so Im hoping she has a hardy stomach and can handle them. But I am still freakin out, this dog is like my child. I pressed on her stomach and tried to feel around, other than feeling very full I didnt feel anything abnormal, and she has been acting fine and playing all day. Everyone else has written about their dogs eating a few bones, but she literally ate 30 of them... after reading this site, I called my boyfriend and he is feeding her some bread pieces soaked in wet cat food. (she loves the wet cat food and it usually makes her poop pretty quickly so Im hoping that helps.) I will keep an eye on her AND I will post back in about a week or so, and let everyone know how it turns out... good luck to everyone else :)
Hi! We rescued an old dog almost a year ago and right now is quite ill. He started straining bowel movements and is lethargic since the night we fed him bones. The next morning he had been vomitting and had a bloody stool. I thought it was just his old age or some kind of disease until I came accross the bone issue. Right now.. I am worried sick of him that he might not survive. I will try the metamucil and cotton ball remedy and hope will pull through.
We have one private vet on island and we cannot afford to pay him. We have a public vet but has no medical equipment in his clinic.
Please pray for our beloved Res-C. Thanks.
My german Shep 12 yrs old killed a wild rabbit and ate the whole thing. I felt so bad for the rabbit, but now my concern of my dog KENO he's gagging everyday 2 , 3 thimes a day. I give him rice he stops but repeats again. Its been 5 days. Please help !!! Thanks so much Yvonne D
My eating machine Weimaraner stole a whole chicken carcass out of the trash in the middle of the night. She totally approves of the idea of being 'over-fed' for the next few days. She's already had a serving of rice for her lunch today. We'll be keeping a close watch on her for the rest of the week. Her vet is used to calls about her undiscerning palate - once she ate 6 huge bran muffins and a loaf of spinach/cheese bread. I think she has a pretty good digestive system. Hopefully it can deal with this chicken carcass without any ill effects.
During the Superbowl yesterday just before half time my 14 yr old Yorkie/poo cross got ahold of a chicken bone. He started choking on it but luckily a friend was able to help him get it out of his throat. Unfortunately, Rascal swallowed the bone, and when we took him to the vet immediately after, it showed the bone in his stomach. The vet said to watch him for about 24 hours and to take him in if he has bloody diarrhea or vomiting. Keeping my fingers crossed, i haven't slept much at all this past night!! any suggestions about how much time should pass before I should stop worrying?
This was a lot of help! After I had purchased a bag of spicy hot wings, I ran into another store for approximately fifteen minutes. In my absence, my 70 pound yellow lab managed to leap over the back seat, gracefully open the sealed bag and devour approximately 10 wings. I have the rice cooling right now and I'm feeling pretty optimistic. Thus far he is showing no signs of abnormality; however, I am a little scared for him about how the "spicy" wings and shards of bone are going to feel coming out. Keep your fingers crossed for Scout!
Thank you for having this article because my 2 year old sassy an maltese ate a chicken bone last night. I did not know what to do, should I take her to the vet or what.I am going to watch her poop to see if there is any blood hopefully not and give her some rice and bread tonight.
I have a 4 year old lurcher called lady who is terrible at stealing food. On Saturday she took a whole chicken carcuss out of the bin(my husband was emptying the bin and got side tracked). When we looked for the chicken we could find no sign of it and felt that we were going quite mad. It was as if it had never existed at all. But Lady was licking her lips an awful lot! I looked on this site as I was rather scared at what might happen to her. I then made some rice with a little gravy thinking because she must have been so full she would need tempting to eat it. She devoured it as normal. I kept a close eye on her as advised by other postings on here. Her poos were normal looking but very hard on Sunday. Then yesterday the true evidence arrived. She actually pood the chicken string! I just want to say thankyou for being there when I was so worried (can't afford for expensive x rays and operations, although I know if it were absolutely neccessary we would find it )She appears to be fine now and we are trying to be much more careful in the future!
Rock on David! You're a hoot! These trailer trash losers who are feeding their dogs bones on purpose should be arrested. A human can slowly become accustomed to syanide also but does that mean a dose given suddenly is harmless? Someone should feed these losers some rat poisoning and tell them not to worry about it. My Westie got into our garbage and ate some chicken bones 3 nights ago. He has been farting to kill and his diarreah will not stop. No blood yet. The stomach grinding noises have stopped. I will do the rice in the a.m. because he has eaten very little since. Maybe I'll mix in some vegetable oil (I don't have olive but I'm sure this will do the same) and chicken broth (for flavor) since he likes chicken so well. I will post back.
Please for god's sake take your dog to the vet if you suspect any abdominal problems after an accidental chicken bone ingestion.
My pomeranian leaped up and grabbed a chicken wing bone my daughter dropped before we could stop him.
He appeared fine for a day, the following day he began to look a little off, and so I decided after work to take him to the vet. I regret that I waited, he died a horrid death from the bone being stuck. I raced home from work when my daughter called and it was too late. Don't delay!!
I just came home for lunch and found that my husband left the trash out and my 2 Papillons (7 and 15 pounds) ate a whole chicken carcass. Trash is everywhere, along with a few shards of chicken bone they didn't eat (must have gotten full) and a poop/vomit substance. Definitely not a good sign so I called into work for the afternoon to keep an eye on them. This site has been really helpful to easy my worries. Please send us some good vibes cause they dogs are my babies!
Our nine year old golden retriever,Madaline got into the trash as we slept last night and ate a whole chicken carcass. This site has been very helpful. We will watch her closely and pray.
Cocer Spaniel swallowed a whole chicken drumstick bone. What should I do?
i thought our worries were over until i read the comments. About a couple of weeks ago our pregnant jack russell wolfed down a chicken bone when out on a walk, a few days after she had slight loose stooles but soon returned to normal, and no signs of discomfort since and babies are moving about just fine. To have a scan now so far into the pregnancy would cause distress as shes only a few days away! any advice? is it too late or bad for the babies to give her rice?
Chiz -
I'm sure the bread would be enough of a "cushion" (...small pieces, broken up, rather than full slices one-at-a-time though, I think would be best.)
My guess is the rice probably has its advantages over bread, but they're probably so minor that it doesn't matter that much. ANYthing along these lines would help the situation!
P.S. I really like the idea that "Roxie's mom" mentioned above, too. She said: "I also gave her a teaspoonful of light olive oil last night, which was recommended to me previously by a vet to help lubricate the digestive tract." I'll be trying that next time my dog has digestion issues.
Hey guys, my german shepherd pepsi just ate a chicken bone. I've been giving her hamburger buns as a cushion, will this work or do I need to go out and buy some rice?
First, I'd like to offer sincere, sad condolences to Tommie in the loss of her dog Bailey. My prayers go out to her. That is every devoted dog owner's worst nightmare.
Early on New Years Eve while we were out, our Brittany spaniel ate 18 leftover Pizza Hut buffalo wings drumstick & wing bones (with a little skin & hot sauce!) out of the trash (the door latch to the trash cupboard didn't catch properly - THAT will never happen again!!!). It appears she crunched them up very small, as we found a few fragments on the floor. After reading this site, I have been watching her like a hawk, following her around to watch her do her 'duties', and feeding her small amounts of boiled rice (2 big tablespoons with a little warm water, once last night and this morning for breakfast - she seems to like it) plus one of her healthy dog biscuits. I also checked her teeth and didn't see any leftover bone pieces. She's so far been acting like herself, altho' she drank quite a bit of water last night due to the hot sauce! As suggested, I am watching for differences in behavior, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, blood, liquid leaking from the rectum, and bone fragments. So far, nothing other than I've seen only one small bone fragment. I also felt around her stomach, and she doesn't seem to have any discomfort. I called the emergency vet hospital last night, and they said the same thing as this site, altho' they didn't mention the rice or bread diet, which sounds like a good idea. I also gave her a teaspoonful of light olive oil last night, which was recommended to me previously by a vet to help lubricate the digestive tract. I will probably take her to her regular vet tomorrow for x-rays just to be safe (I am afraid I can't go weeks or months wondering if it's all over and she's 100% fine from this, since one of the postings mentions perforations long after the incident). I know this will cost $$ but we could never let her be in discomfort or worse. Will keep posting... Good luck to everyone in this predicament!
Thanks for the advice! My golden retriever went counter surfing and swallowed a cooked chicken bone so i'll follow your suggestions.
My three month old lab puppie just helped himself to 4 chicken wings. I have absorbed the info on this site. I gave him some bread, but had to add a little peanut butter to get him to take it. I am going to watch him like a hawk and hope and pray for the best!
My 1 yr old JR just ate a chicken bone and i'm not sure if I should start to panick or just wait and see what happens. Are small dogs more likely to be affected by eating a chicken bone than big dogs are?
Dec 2nd 2007, our border collie "Stitches" ate the bones from a KFC chicken breast ... He is doing fine. Thank you for this site and all the people that wrote in with their information ... helped ease my concerns.
Laurie -
Sure. Half rice and half dry dog food is fine. That's a good idea.
my husband fed our almost 1 year old cockerspaniel several hot wing bones last night. about 5:30 this morning, (he's crate trained) i noticed him scratching and banging the door of his crate. i knew something was wrong because he never does that. i got up and he raced to the front door and didnt take time to sniff out a spot to go. his bowels were real runny like water. and probably an hour or two later, he threw up a BUNCH. i'm really worried. i'm going to try the rice thing. is it ok to mix half a cup of rice with half a cup of his dry dog food? its really snowing outside and i dont think i can get out to get him any wet dog food. i need advice.
I WAS AT A PERFORMANCEE FOR 2 HOURS WITH MY SISTER AND MY MOM CAME AND PICKED US UP MY SISTER LEFT A CHICKEN BONE IN HER ROOM IN A BAG AND WHEN WE CAME HOME MY DOG ATE IT AND SHE ATE 2 BARS OF SOAP WE THINK SO I WENT ON GOOGLE AND LOOKED UP DOGS EATING CHICKEN BONES AND I CAME ACROSS THIS AND IT WAS VERY USEFUL! THANKS -LULU-AGE 11
My Jack Russell with the sniffer that never misses a smell tore through a bag off trash and took a breast of chicken and its no where insite i will monitor his B.M.'s the next few days and follow him around to see his yard duties and hope he passes it fine or buried it 4 later as he has habit of burying bones i will keep u posted on his days ahead and thanks for the insite as myself, wife and kids r worried sick
Todd
i have a 1 yr old purebread toy poodle and he ate a couple chicken bone wings .. i am worrying on what to do, i see the rice trick and bread, is there anything else i can, should i keep him settled down or get him all wired up ... aanyhting???
Jordan
Our 8 year old border collie "Stitches" at my KFC breast bone last night...I've read the information on this web site and also called the afterhours emergency vet line. By popular demand, the cooked rice and wet food (boiled ground beef) is the popular bland diet to help ease the digestive tract of the dog. Like everyone else, I'll be watching for change in mood, bloody stools, diarrhea, pain, constipation and vomiting. Thank you for all your comments, the web site and information. I'll post an update in a few days.
I have a 36 pound Boykin Spaniel who 12 hours ago ate 2 turkey wings, 1 turkey leg and a whole chicken breast(minus bone in breast) He seems to be doing okay but I am going to make some rice for him right now. Thank you
my 3 year old boxer got a hold of a turkey leg this evening and my daughter work me up aroud 3 and told me gracie had thrown up a couple of times. i checked out the throw up and found a couple of sharp bones . i called the vet and he said to give her about 5 or 6 peices of bread which she ate with reckless abondon and keep an eye on her. here I am unable to sleep due to worry and reading all your coments which I find some what comforting because there are more positive recoveries. Needless to say i will be staying home tomorrow to observe . I just wish I could be more sure of when the coast is clear and I can stop worring.She means the world to us.
Natasha,
You need to take your dog to the vet or after-hours clinic. Don't wait.
what do you do if it is stuck in the dogs throat and he wont eat?
My fox terrier has been eating raw meat and bones since weaning and at age 5 she couldn't be healthier. Her regular diet is raw, chopped chicken leg quarters, including the bones, blood and marrow, along with raw beef or raw lamb rib bones. She gets her routine shots but has never required teeth cleaning of tartar because her teeth stay very clean by gnawing on cow femur bones or rib bones. All dog owners should educate themselves about raw diets for dogs. You'll have a healther dog and be able to stop making contributions to veterinarian bank accounts.
good grief....Carol,is Bubba doing ok now? if the wishbone wasn't too dried out, then i would say it should digest and pass ok.white rice and some canned pumpkin mixed in his food for a few days will help. This is NOT to be confused with canned pumpkin pie FILLING.keep watch on Bubba.
Lisa,im sure a Vet would somehow remove the contents of a dogs stomach before an operation,either before or during.
I just found out that you can use bread with Vasaline and give to your dog to help with this also, but i have no idea how your going to get your dog to eat that.
Dogs are like kids, you've got to watch them all the time and keep things out of reach.Things do happen,i know first hand. But now i have everything pretty much Harley proof so i can leave and not come home to find out he's been in something.
I am waiting now and reading this, my dog ate a bunch of turkey bones last night, i came home and liquid bm all over the floor, brand new carpet, cream colored.Brand new home. But any way he hs lots of gas and now blood is in his stools, which is liquid coming out like mucas. I am waiting for the vet. Last time this happened with chicken bones and they told me make a piece of butter bread with vasaline instead of butter a couple times and it helped slide the bones out this time is different. This has me in a panic
Diane
If your dog has to have surgery, do you want to have filled his stomach with rice, etc.?
Carol -
I think your dog's behavior in the morning will most likely dictate whether or not you should leave him OR whether a visit to the vet might be in order.
If he acts any differently than normal, or his stool isn't solid in the morning, then I'd at least CALL the vet first thing -- if it were me.
The vet may simply tell you to watch him for the next 24 hours. And if there are any signs of something strange going on, THEN to bring him in. But that's just a hunch.
If it were me, I'd still feed some plain white rice tonight & in the morning (mixed with his dog food if you wish). Or plain baked potato or bread -- something cushy. That might be overkill for such a large dog and such a small bone... but why take a chance?
And... if everything seemed normal in the morning, I'd have no problem leaving my dog while I worked. (But I'd try to make a visit home over my lunch hour if I could.)
Hope that helps some.
My dog Bubba is an 85 pound 4-year old lab mix mutt. About two hours ago he got a turkey wish bone off the table when no one was looking. I was able to pull half of it out of his mouth but he ate the other half. I don't know how much it was chewed. He has had one pretty normal poop and is sleeping now, but I have to work tomorrow. Is it okay to leave him?
every Vet I've talked to says that its not good for a dog to eat chicken bones. if a dog gets into them by mistake, then i would be concerned and keep an eye on him. if it is a case of knowingly feeding your dog chicken bones, then thats borderline animal abuse in my book. 'bout time to move out of that trailer park dont you think?
My family has fed our golden retrievers chicken bones every week for 15 years and they've never had a problem. Though, they never swallow them whole. They always seem to do a really good job of crunching them down really well before they swallow. I guess if your dog isn't used to eating bones it could cause problems, but I don't think eating chicken bones will hurt most dogs. Especially big dogs who know how to deal with bones.
happy to report that Harley is doing fine. he had his "w" today and seems regular. i've been on edge since last thursday when he got into the chicken wing bones but now everything is fine. i have now installed those child-proof latch catchers on the cabinet doors so he cant get to the trash again. and also, i will throw any bones away in a seperate bag and put in the shed.
Harley ate 4 chicken wings bones. i called the Vet today after reading this page and they told me that canned pumpkin is also good to mix in the dogs food. So, Harley had his normal wet food with lots of rice and 1 spoonful of canned pumpkin in it and he ate the whole thing. I also have the phone number of the E.R vet if i notice any problems this weekend.
Matilda is doing fine. The day after she ate the bones she had kind of funny poohs, and threw up some bones, but there wasn't blood in either of them. After that she's been perking up more and more. Today she's her old self again and I'm hoping thing will continue this well.
My 5 year old dog matilda just got into the trash and ate 1/2 a chicken worth of chicken bones. she's only 10 lbs. I'm really worried. Wild dogs eat birds and their bones. Right??? Somebody please reply and give me some reasurrance... :-( She's sleeping right now. I took a look at her belly, since there was a lot of chicken still on the bones it's quite round and, hopefully, well cushioned. ... Well. I'll come back soon to tell everyone how she is, and check for a responce.
It has been a week, and my chunky chihuahua is fine. She ate 9 chicken wing bones and hasn't had any problems this week at all. She is her usual rambunctious self, I'm glad I didn't freak and take her to the emergency vet clinic, there's no telling how much I could've had to pay for them to tell me everything would be fine.
my 100+ pound boxer/rott mix just ate a carcass that I left out for the chickens. (I enjoy the irony) Totally my fault. I was just saying today that I think our dog's iron stomach could handle chicken bones. I just didn't expect to eat my words so soon and with a whole damned chicken carcass! Tonight he feasts on bread and white rice.
i have 3 little dogs...a 4 month old( 2lbs) and a 1 1/2yr old(6lbs) chihuahua and a Pomeranian. they just got into the trash where there were 2 chicken wings ...needless to say i found the pom chown' down with no sight of my other dogs...i didnt see the chihuahuas with the bones but if anybody knows chihuahuas then you know they too had some of the bones! im so worried b/c of how small they all are...oh and i found sharp pieces of the bone stuck in my poms teeth.... they seem to be acting ok now but im still worried! i dont have rice so i gave them noodles? is that ok?
philip....i am begining to wonder as i had dogs growing up who roamed the great country side at thier leisure and came in to sleep. Who knew what they ate and they didn't know who the vet was. So you may have a point but i guess i have been brainwashed and i still worry. Mak is doing good, just extremely gassy..phew
This is a great wed site i have to say. Thanks to all.
I'm sorry, I'm laughing so hard at some these posts where people are digging through their dog's poop worried about this. Folks this was started by the dog food companies. Every Dog I've ever had eats and enjoys my left over chicken bones without ill effect. Also I've never heard a story even 3rd hand where a dog had any ill effects from eating chicken bones and would challenge you to find someone (even third hand) that has such a story. By the way Dogs lived several 100 hundred years (if not thousands) eating birds and other small game before we started taking them in and feeding them our processed stuff. Folks, they are carnivores and their tummies are geared to take it.
Day 2 and my lab (Mak) seems to be doing good. Diarrhea last night and again in the morning but no blood and really not that bad. He was playful and his usual energetic self but i still need to monitor him. I gave him alot of bread yesterday also. I will keep you posted on his recovery....Are kids more of a worry!
My Lab has just eaten an entire chicken (carcus) and i am so nervous. I called my vet and he said just to monitor him at all times. The postings have been great help. A little confused about the rice? I know it is for cushioning but doesn't that bind them.......i use this when he has loose stool. Please help as i am so worried.
My 10 lb. chihuahua got into my husband's left over chicken wing bones last night. She could have possibly eaten up to 9 of them (but probably stashed a couple knowing her). Right now (~12 hours later) she is acting totally normal, has a normal appetite, is playing, and has had normal bowel movements so far. I called one vet and they said to bring her in immediately. Then I called the emergency vet clinic and they said to wait and watch for signs of discomfort/bloody stool. I am scared because she is so little, but she has eaten a whole Q-tip before and passed it just fine. I think I am going to wait and watch her, I will give an update on her if anything changes.
My standard Poodle Pup (8 months old) ate an entire chicken last night, minus one drumstick and part of the white meat. He was so fast, nobody noticed, until I returned to the kitchen to put away the chicken for another meal. It was gone, all of it. I am sure he will probably be fine, but he had to have swallowed the bones whole to eat all the meat and bones that fast. I searched the house to see if he could have stashed anything, but the other smaller dogs would have seen him, and lead me to it. There was no sign of any of this chicken left. With more then 3/4ths of a chicken in his tummy, I think he will get diarrhea no matter if the bones cause problems or not. Anyone want a silver Standard poodle pup? Ha!
On Monday, my dog got a hold of a cooked chicken wing. She was fine until today. She has been throwing up and having diarrhea. I am not seeing any blood though. My vet told me to just keep an eye on her for now. Any sugestions?
Sorry...forgot to update yesterday. Maui is fine now. He only had one stool of diarrhea the other day and was back to normal.
my greyhound ate a cooked chicken carcass out of the bin 42 hours ago, yesterday she didnt seem to eat or drink at all and her stomach was gurgling, however she was not in any discomfort and her tummy was soft and she didnt mind me touching it, she was active and lively, havent seen any bone pass yet but shes eating well this morning and seems back to normal, tummy no longer gurgling
Update: It has been 24 hours since my dog Maui (104lb 4.5 year old german shephard mix) at the 7 chicken thigh and breast bones. Last night his stool was slightly softer than normal, but nothing alarming, did that twice last night. This morning he had diarrhea, it was greyish white with no shards or traces of blood. So far all is good. You guys need to keep in that the stomach acid of a dog, especially a large dog, is super strong. So if the bones do not get stuck in the throat, half the battle is over. Case in point, my dog Maui once ate the round bone from a thick sliced ham steak hole. Was concerned, watched his stool, I could barely see bone fragments that were the size of a grain of sand.
Hope all this helps a bit, will update you tomorrow on how Maui is doing
My 104lb 4.5 year old german shephard mix ate 15 chicken leg bones, as well as everything else in the trash and he did just fine. I was nervous and ran to the internet just as all of you did. I did infact feed him some bread slices to help cushion the bones. Checked his stool dailey....didn't even see any bone fragments. His stool was a greyish white for a few days then he was back to normal.
Today he got in the trash again (thought my wife took out the trash with the chicken bones) he ate 7 chicken breast and thigh bones. I am at work right now, wife said he is doing fine...nothing out of the ordinary. So hopefully eveything will be fine just like before
Our Maltese ate the bones of a chicken breast earlier in the evening. I am so worried. It's 2:40 in the morning and I woke up hearing him hacking a bit so I got on the internet right away to see what to do. This site eased my mind a bit. My husband is feeding him bread at the moment. Hopefully it will help to cushion the bones on the way out. I'll keep an eye on him and post again the results in a few days.
I just wanted to let you know that Arty is OK. When I told my husband to give him bread he fed him about 5 pieces. LOL...then that night I gave him some of my daughters rice cereal to eat. He's still been acting normal, and no problems eating or with his stool.
Thanks so much for this site!
Sandy -
It can't hurt...
I always error on the side of caution.
My 8 y/o JR terrier swallowed an unbroken small bone from chicken wing last night. No jagged edges, should I still feed rice? She show no signs of distress yet, 12 hours later...
My dog Arty, a 2 1/2 year old Boxer Lab Mix ate a piece of a chicken wing this morning. I was so upset, I pulled a part of it out of his mouth. That piece wasn't sharp, so I'm hoping the piece that went down wasn't. I am going to try the bread and perhaps the rice....this site made me feel better reading some of what the other posters have said. I'll keep you updated....
Greg -
Not to sound overly paranoid, but this is really something you should check out right away -- not Tuesday.
Is there an emergency vet center near you? I would try to find a place in your area via the Internet. Many vets & animal hospitals have after-hours recordings on their voicemail stating the number for the local emergency center.
If it were me... and I saw blood... I don't think I could wait until Tuesday. No way.
Let us know how it goes...
Hi, I have a dog which snatched a WHOLE chicken off the dinning table which was fully cooked for dinner. I went out today to get some groceries, and found blood and bowl? on the carpet. My geuss he was vomitting, could the chicken bones be the cause? do you think it punctured his stomach? hes a large dog btw. Hope to hear back soon, in the mean time its off to the vet on tuesday cause they are all closed...
About 3 months ago my golden retriever/shepherd mix got hold of a whole rotiserrie chicken that I put on the counter and then had to answer the door. I called my vet immediately. She said to cook off white rice and about every 2 hours, give him a small amount of rice mixed with a small amount of his kibble. He got through it with no problems. Now, just tonight, he got hold of drumsticks my son had left on his plate and left it where Jake could get hold of it. So, needless to say, I cooked off some rice (I put it in the refrig to cool faster) and just gave him the rice and kibble. Hopefully, since he's been through this before, this too shall pass. I'll let you know how everything comes out.
Unfortunately, my dear Bailey 5 month pom pasted on saturday morning around 5 a.m. She had gotten in the trash and shalowed the end of a bone drum stick. She seems find but in the middle of the night she cried and gasp for air. I tried to rush her to the vet but she died in my arms. I miss her dearly and will never forget the incident. I am so hurt and hope that someday I can get past this awful feeling.
My girlfriend's dog ate a chicken bone (I think) while I was having a party...a party goer thought the recycling bin was the garbage and the dog snatched it up before I could get it away from him.
I gave him some cooked rice (brown rice though because it is all I had). I'm going to try the pumpkin pie filling next.
I was so thankful for this site, because when my 3 months old puppy ate chicken wing with pointed edge I was so afraid that it might damage her intestine because as far as I know that chicken bones are dangerous and it splinter to the dog's intestine. that's why i let her ate plenty of rice and bread, then everytime she poops I look for her stool just to make sure that the bones was past. I didn't see any bones in her stool, thats why for about a week i overfed her Im so glad that she's okey, asual she love to play and very much active. Then I brought her to the vet for check up, then the vet told me that the bones already digested. thank you so much for this site!
Thanks so much! My dog just ate the bone from a chicken wing and I was nearly in tears because I thought he was going to die. This was extremely comforting.
So glad I found this site! Tonight my 9 month old shih tzu found a KFC chicken drumstick in the van that my son had dropped. He managed to get half of it down before my hubby got the other part out. I'm going to keep and eye on him and see how he does. I'll probably give him some bread since it's late. What concerns me is that the half that my hubby got from him had a sharp end on it and we're hoping that the other part isn't the same way. I'll keep you posted!
My 3 mos old puppy swallowed a half chicken wing. plss help me wat I gonna do? it happen 5 days ago, i keep on watching for her poop its just the normal thing. she stil eat well, drink, play and very much alive... but still I'm still worried if she really okey... plssss give some comment. thnx!
Nina,
I have read that dogs can be conditioned to handle bones, so it sounds like your dogs are used to it. But dogs that haven't ever had them before, it's a shock to their system. And it's not the bones, it's the marrow that's good for them. Ground up of course. :)
My 7 pound mini dachshund just ate a bunch of chicken bones. I haven't heard of rice helping to cushion the intestines, so she's gonna love being able to pig out on rice. She must think she's won the lottery... chicken bones AND rice!
I've had bigger dogs get into bones in the past, but this is the first one that's been so small. Hope she does okay. Cross your fingers AND intestines!
This is rubbish. My dogs have been eating cooked and uncooked chicken bones for years (breasts, thighs, drumsticks, whatever). The people who started the rumor that dogs can't eat chicken bones because they'll perforate the intestines are the PET FOOD MAKERS!. Chicken bones are very good for dogs.
its me again with my shiz tzu he all right!
after all this time i watched him eat as much as he always does! thnx again 4 the help although he ate a lil bit of lidl chocolate ( even worste! ) he seems alrght he is a solitary dog
My 11 year old daughter was eating app. 4 to 5 chiken wings, left the room and well our 21/2 year old chocolate lab helped her self and I am a mess!
This website has helped but I will not feel better until I see some bones in her poop! This happened last night and she seems fine! But for my sanity I Think I will take her for some x-rays! And it will help my daughter feel better also! For now did anyone's dog ever poop the bones whole? Our lab is such a big she barely even chews her food up!
hi my dog shih tzu ate my chicken bone off my plate by the time we found out it was too late right now im pressing on his round tummy to find no growns at all.this site helped so much,im still scared but im a bit more comforted after seeing him swallow a big steaming plate of rice.my mum is an expert at dogs and how they eat. fingers crossed 4 me plz!after all he is only 1 and a half years old and expecting pups
Rae -
It could still be the bones, but maybe not. Either way, vomiting is generally a sign of something serious going on.
I agree with you -- she should definitely see a vet right away.
My 4yo weim ate 1 chicken wing about a week and a half ago. We monitored her, and she was eating, peeing and pooping normally. My husband thinks he saw some bones in one of her poops. BUT, yesterday she started acting sick, would't eat and is very lazy. She has been eating grass and vomiting. Tonight she even threw up the water she just drank. Is is too long ago to attribute the bones to her being sick? Tomorrow is Saturday, I may take her in to be checked, just in case... poor girl.
Dana, sounds like your dog is as much fun as mine. Here's an u[date on Samantha: Last night she pooped some soft stool, and strained at the end. I thought there was someting hard and sharp, but didn't check further (it was dark and starting to thunder and lightening). Today she pooped twice (that I know of) and there were no signs of bones. Should I be concerned if they don't pass?
Well, my 6 month old Westie grabbed a partially eaten chicken wing that was dropped during dinner tonight and swallowed it whole before we could get to him. He is wearing me out, yesterday he jumped out of a partially open car window while the car was moving and we were at the emergency vet to make sure he was ok. Luckily he was not hurt, hopefully this too will "pass" without any trouble.
Well, so far my Yellow Lab (Samantha) is doing OK, eating, playing, and pooping normally, but it's probably too early to pass the bones.
Last night, I kept reading on the internet, and found another site similar to this one. One post did say that a vet suggested cushioning the bones w/bread, so the cooked white rice treatment is probably a good idea too. I did give Samantha some bread (quicker than waiting for rice to cook), took her for a walk, and tried to get some worried sleep.
So far she's just fine and behaving normally. I'll tell you one thing from reading different dog-owner comments though: I'll definitely not leave food unattended (she pulled the carcass off a 3-ft counter!!), and will think twice about giving her anything other than dog food. I'll keep you posted.
I too would wish most posters would follow up with the outcome of these incidents after a few days passed. My 60-lb 8 yr old yellow lab just ate a whole chicken carcass. I went on the internet 1st and found this site, then called the vet. They confirmed that I should monitor her, but suggested I not feed her the rice, to not add anything to her already full stomach in case the bones don't pass. I'll keep my fingers crossed and say my prayers. And I promise to post the results.
My husky mix, Max, ate a partial chicken bone off of the street yesterday. He vomitted up the bone and has been vomiting water evr since; he won't eat anything but grass. He had diahreha immediately before eating the bone (he has a sensitive stomach and often has loose stool) but that evening (after we discovered the comited bone) the stool darkenbed and became liquid. I have him scheduled for the vet at 11:30 and I'm so scared! Does anyone have any idea how much the surgery might cost?
Our 8 year old Cairn Terrier just swallowed a chicken leg bone that he had chewed in half. The second half was swallowed in haste as he ran away from my 14 year old son. So glad to read comments on this web site. I am cooking white rice as I write and will go to the store for the metamucil.
This is the same dog we had to feed hydrogen peroxide, warm water and physically jump up and down with, to get him to toss up the bag of chocolate chips he had eaten. Everything came up as expected within 15 minutes.
Hopefully we will be as lucky with this chicken bone incident. Not the throwing up part, but the going all the way through part.
Yay! All good here! She's running, jumping and playing today. Gotta love the hardiness of a mixed breed (mutt)!
Thank goodness I found this site! It's 11:48 PM and I was in a panic. My 9 1/2 yo, 80 lb Shepherd/Chow mix ate an entire chicken carcass (seems like alot of dogs find them irresistable). I do feel better after reading all the other posts. She still wants to play, although a little sluggishly, is panting a bit with a v. full tummy. She's stretched out sleeping now, but I can hear her stomach making noises so I'll take that as a good sign! Fingers crossed! Will post results as they come. Thank you for the website!
Hi,
My dog seems to have ate a turkey leg bone. This week has been a terrible week for her. She got x-rays on Tuesday, diagnosing her with hip dysplasia. Thursday, she ate some chocolate chip cookies left out, and threw up a few times. With regard to her poo, today, I did notice it to be a bit runny on her walk, which I attributed to the cookies/change in diet (vitamins for her hips). And now tonight, the turkey leg bone.
I come home, and the trash is turned over, she has pood all over the house (no blood)... now, I follow her outside, and she has pood what looks to be a little bloody. I am planning on getting her checked by a vet tomorrow.
I'm glad I'm not the only one!
I came home yesterday afternoon to find a very sheepish ("I've done something wrong") looking boxer. I couldn't find the hole in the yard or anything until I saw a BBQ bag that had had a whole chicken carcass in it on the back lawn. Apparently my husband was trying to help out by cleaning the refrigerator but then forgot to throw the garbage out and left it in the kitchen. I could not find one scrap of that chicken - I looked everywhere for any bones or scraps - I refused to believe my dog had eaten the whole thing.
After fretting and re-checking the house and yard for another 3 hours I finally took him to the vet for confirmation. Sure enough, after 3 x-rays, the vet showed me a stomach FULL of tiny pieces of bones and a swollen lower intestine filled with air and stool (diarrhea). She said that the good thing was that there were no bones in the esophagus (so nothing got stuck on the way down).
As soon as we got back from the vet he had severe diarrhea (and it went on all night - I let my hubby take him out :)). My vet said to look for decreased appetite and vomiting and blood in the stool (not a good sign) and she also said that he would likely get pancreatitis because of the high fat content.
All-in-all she thought he'd be OK. I am really glad I took him in - just for my peace of mind.
Good luck to you all - if it happens to you don't panic just get your dog checked (especially if s/he ate an entire cooked chicken!)
Kari -
Without a doubt, for your dog's health and well-being (and your own peace of mind), you HAVE to take your dog to the vet. Right away.
At the very least, you should call a few vets and ask for their advice over the phone. (If you already have a regular vet, they will almost certainly offer helpful guidance over the phone -- for free.)
The bones could be causing pain in your dog, and the fact that he is "doing his business" in the house is a sign that something's just not right -- especially when he's never done that before. Blood is never a good sign.
I understand what you're saying about not being able to afford to take your dog to the vet, but please don't let that determine your dog's fate. Chances are, you would be able to make payments to your veterinarian, or use a credit card.
Perhaps if you phone a few different vets, you may get some recommendations over the phone. Most will be hesitant to "diagnose" over the phone (which is understandable), but some may be more understanding of your situation than others and offer up some (free) advice.
You could also phone a pet emergency center in your area -- after hours. They are often "experts" in animal trauma and they may be able to point you in the right direction.
At this point, you definitely need the advice of an expert.
...Anyone else have any recommendations for Keri???
my 125lb German Shepard Hanz Wolfgang snuck into the trash and ate two rotten chicken breasts and bones included. I threw away and didn't cook because they had a weird smell... The past two days he has passed bones and blood lining the waste. Now I found his waste everywhere in the house. He never does his business in the house...what is even worse is it is very running and liquid like with bones in it. I can't afford to take him to the vet but I can not afford to lose him...does anyone have any feed back or suggestions?
Thank you so much for this information, I used the liverwaust and cotton balls on my husky and he was better right away. He had been coughing and gagging for about 8 hours. Worked like a charm
Hey..I can't believe all this info about dogs and chicken bones. My 2 yr. old golden retriever helped himself to 2 fully cooked thighs tonight. He gulped 'em down in seconds. I'll try the rice thing and keep an eye on his stool as you all have suggested.
He has such a sensitive stomach. I'll let you all know how it turns out. I'll call our vet tomorrow just to let her know what has been happening.
my dog just ate half a chicken bone and i dont have any rice so i gave her a peanut butter sandwhich. she is a mini poodle. i hope she is okay!!!
Kathleen -
I don't think I would take any chances with a dog that's already got some "issues".
And "watery diarrhea" is never a good sign. It's worse than just a "loose stool".
If it were me, I'd have my dog at the vet right away.
I realize today is Sunday -- in which case I probably would go to the Pet Emergency Treatment center which is open evenings and weekends when the vets are closed.
There's one in my town, I presume they're in other towns too. If not, first thing Monday, I'd be paying a visit to my regular vet.
Hi, my Weimaraner ate a few pieces of chicken, bones and all, possibly 4 pieces...that was 5 days ago, I havent really witnessed the crushed bones in her stool, but this morning she has a ton of watery diarrhea and she hestiated to eat!!! She did eat and I am so nervous....she has eaten bones in the past....but she is now 12yrs old, on severe medication for Cushings....she started as a pup eating socks, pantyhose, kitchen rags, raw filet mignons, and oh, chocolate which resulted in Pancreatitis...and almost lost her....I pray she will be okay....my husband is in Korea, and I am shaking .....
Hello...thank you for such an awsome little informative site. My dog Wolfie took a half of a kfc chicken breast right off my moms plate in the livin' room on the coffee table. I will defintely watch to see what happens to her stool an mood. What a relief to know that breast bones fully cooked are a bit easier for my girl to digest them. She's 42#'s an a medium size. TY
Hi Nicole -
Thanks for posting an update for all of us!!!
So glad to hear everything turned out okay with your Golden Retriever.
The info about the x-rays and the chewed up bones will be helpful to a lot of other people as well.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I posted a few days ago about my golden retriever pup swallowing a chicken drumstick. I have been waiting for almost 4 days for it to pass and I decided today I would take him in for xrays. To my suprise the drumstick was in a bunch of tiny pieces in his tummy. I could of swore he swallowed it whole. The vet said he either crunched it before he swallowed it or it could have broken down in his system too. Either way, he'll be ok, and the pieces will pass in time. No surgery is needed!!! It cost $100 for the xrays, but we will sleep a little better tonight knowing he's ok! Thank you for this great site.
My 140 pound rottweiler just inhaled a drumstick off of the stovetop before anyone could stop him. He swallowed it whole and after reading everyones posts I'm hoping he passes it without any problems. I was ready to rush him to the vet but now I will watch and wait. I feel a little better now. What a great website!
Nicole -
I completely agree with you! I would like to know how the dogs who got ahold of chicken bones (mentioned in Comments above) have fared.
As I said, my dog passed the chicken bones just fine a couple days later. I trust that's what happened in the cases above, but have no way to know.
Hopefully, others whose dogs have eaten chicken bones will share their outcomes here soon...
And we look forward to hearing how things go with your Golden Retriever, Nicole. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your story!
We have a 5 month old golden retreiver that snuck the chicken drumstick bone off of my sons plate and swallowed it whole (as my husband reached in to grab it out of his mouth, we saw it go down.)It has been over 2 days and it still hasn't passed. The vet wants him in ASAP for xrays and surgery, however I am reluctant because he is acting fine. He is eating, pooping,playing just like normal. If we hadn't seen him swallow it, I wouldn't suspect anything. I want to give it another day or two cause the quote from the vet to xray and remove it was more than our house payment. I feel more at ease reading about others, however, I am curious out of all of these cases how many dogs passed the bones without any problems? I'll post how everything turns out in a few days. I have my fingers crossed every time he goes out to poop that it will be there.
My Bullmastiff Karma just wolfed down half a rotissarie chiken and though I found the wish bone perfectly cleaned and dry, most of the other bones were injested. I'm glad I found your information! I will be watching her for the next couple of days, as well as in the future!!! I too will never leave food out again even for a second! Thanks again Zubie
Hi i left the room for ten minutes (BATHROOM)when i returned to the kitchen my dog (BLACK LAB) was wagging his tail and licking his lipps ughhh i just cooked a baby chicken for supper and its no where in site.. i panicked and ran to the internet to see what to do ...your web sigth puts me a little at ease and im watchng him like a hawk..please pray for him my five kids cant loose a friend....ill never leave food out again in reach ughhhh
My husband insisted on letting our three dogs have his steak bones, which I told him were not good for the dogs. Sure enough, our tiny little Lilly, a mini Daschund, now has an obstruction. We kept her at the vet's all day yesterday on IV and x-rays showed the bone fragments lodged in her small intestines. NEVER give your dogs any bones, except the veterinarian-approved ones you get at the pet store! I pray my precious little Lilly survives this ordeal. We'll find out today if she has to have surgery to remove the obstruction. Any prayers for her would be appreciated!
My 12 year old Cocker Spaniel just polished off the bones from 16 chicken wings. The rice is now cooling and I will be watching her closely. Thanks so much for making this information so easy to find.
Thank you soooo much for this article, I was panicking because my 3 pound chihuahua just got into a trash bag and gnawed off the ends of a drumstick bone, just leaving a small portion of the middle... I feel sooo much at ease after giving her a big bowl of rice. I'll be watching her closely for the next few days. Thank you, and this was very helpful!
Thank you so much for the information! My dog just ate some chicken wing bones out of the trash and I rushed to the internet to find out what to do. You put me and my entire family more at ease. We'll be sure to watch him closely. Thanks again.
I returned home from a ten minute trip to pick up my husband, to find the trash completely strewn about the dining room floor. The Wegman's chicken roast that I had cut up the night before was no where to be seen. I panicked, as I heard that chicken bones can kill a dog. These are like my children. Reading your notes made me feel a little more at ease. Another trick I learned from the vet is that giving your dog metameucil will help aid in him going to the bathroom. One tablet for a 30 lb dog mixed in with the rice.. I am still waiting to see... but thanks for the info..
My ten year old son has just cried himself to sleep because his beloved 'Candy' pinched the chicken bone off his dinner plate and swallowed it before he could stop her. I think it went down whole but she is a Mini Pincher (Toy size dog). He will no doubt be very relieved to learn that he didn't kill his dog. Thanks from Narre Warren, Victoria, Australia.
Just discovered that the funny crunching noise coming from the back porch was Daisy polishing off a drumstick. This was exactly the information I needed, since my first instinct was to rush to the emergency after-hours (expensive) vet and get her furry little tummy pumped. Instead, we'll be keeping an eye on Daisy and putting the garbage in maximum security. A BIG thank you!
This was very informative for me! My dog tipped over our garbage can to get at some left over KFC and ate all but one small bone. Hopefully she'll be able to pass them, but I do feel some comfort in knowing what signs to look for. Thank you!
There are cases where humans have perforated their intestines and died SIX MONTHS after eating a chicken bone. They can even have the bone lodged there for YEARS! While a dog's intestinal tract differs from a human's, vigilantly observing them for a few days might not be addequate as the danger period may be a lot longer.
From: http://www.michiganhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=vetcare_chocolateBones
When a dog is chewing a bone, he may break off small pieces and swallow them. Often, especially with chicken and pork bones, they will splinter and the dog will swallow the razor sharp splinters. The splinters may pierce the intestinal wall and pass into the abdominal cavity, which in turn causes hemorrhaging of the intestinal wall and peritonitis (infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity). This situation would very likely kill your dog.
It is also possible for a portion of the undigested bone to become impacted in the intestines causing a blockage in the dog's digestive system. The blockage prevents gases and other material from escaping and leads to blood toxicity. This is especially prevalent in older dogs since diminished intestinal motility leads to increased digestive complications. A blockage, if not caught in time, may also be fatal to your dog.
Symptoms of possible damage to the intestinal tract include vomiting, rectal bleeding, liquid discharge from the rectum, diarrhea, straining to defecate, and extreme sensitivity to palpation of the abdomen. If your dog has ingested bones recently and shows any of the above symptoms, your dog's veterinarian should be contacted immediately. Some times a dog will get hollow bones caught on his canine teeth or around the lower jaw. These bones have to be removed by a veterinarian, usually under sedation.