Dogs and Chicken Bones

[AC7179]

We bought some fried chicken for lunch. When we were done, we left it on the table and went outside to quickly load up a couch in my husband's truck. When we came back in, the last two pieces of chicken were gone. We assumed my older daughter ate them, until about five minutes ago when I find chicken crust underneath one of our chairs, which happens to be my dog's favorite hiding place.

I know chicken bones can hurt dogs. What should I do? Is he okay once he's eaten them? Do we look for them in the poo? Do I call an emergency vet?

 

[AC7179]

anybody?

 

[damo]

The problem with chicken bones is that they are soft and can splinter. That splinter can puncture internally. I would watch carefully for any signs of discomfort.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

My mom grew up on a farm, the family raised hundreds of chickens. So chicken was on the menu a lot. The dogs on farms back then got table scraps. My mom said not one of their dogs ever suffered from eating chicken bones. I wouldn't recommend it, and I would watch your dog, but he will probably be OK..

Darn dogs...my 4 month old puppy has already figured out that she is tall enough to reach up on our kitchen counters and the cafe (think bar stool height) table in our breakfast area. She stole one of DS8's tacos from his plate the other night. Not a good thing for a puppy's digestive system..

Good luck with your doggie.

 

[meliss8599]

All of the dogs I had growing up and now have gotten into the garbage at one time or another and eaten a chicken bone or two (or three, or four). Anyways, I know every vet says they are dangerous and while I would never intentionally feed them to my dogs, not one of them ever had a problem. I wouldn't worry about it too much especially if your dog continues to act normally. I would maybe call your vet in the morning and ask if there are any warning signs you should be on the lookout for. But I really wouldn't be concerned, especially if you have a larger dog.

 

[nskjerven]

Our dog loves to get in the trash and pull out a chicken carcases. (the gardener has a habit of leaving that gate open for her) One time it did give her runny bloody stool. We took her to the vet and xrays ~ $300 later and they told us to feed her wet bread to coat her intestine to help the rest of the bones pass thru without harm to her, she was fine within a day. I would not take the dog to the vet again unless her stool was unimproved over a couple of days.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I almost lost one of my pets many years ago from a chicken bone being lodged in her throat.....so sad & scary!

 

[tonilea]

It can and does happen, though I don't think I would call it common. I worked for a veterinary for ten years.

 

[2x_dis_dad]

Raw chicken is fine for dogs. Cooking cause the bones to become brittle and splinter. I am sure most dogs would be fine but there is always that chance a cooked bone could splinter and cause a lot of problems.