Can Your Dog Eat Chicken Bones? Beware of the Dangers!

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(Last Updated On: April 17, 2021)

Hopefully, you’re on this post just because you are interested in learning more about this issue and not because your dog has actually just had some chicken bones and you’re searching for an urgent answer! Remember, if your pet is experiencing any emergencies, you need to go to a vet (get off google!!) Unfortunately, there are many problems that can come from one little bone if you’re not watching closely.

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Can Canines Eat Chicken Bones?

We already kind of ruined it for you by telling you about our panic, but it’s best if canines do not consume chicken bones. It seems like something natural they’d do, and if they didn’t chow down on those bones to break them into tons of tiny pieces, then everything might be fine! Most canines either swallow them whole though, or crunch them beyond recognition.

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The bones can splinter in the mouth, throat, or stomach, and can cause serious injury or death. They can also become lodged in the throat, choking your pet, or stuck in the stomach or intestines, causing constipation. It’s strange that something as simple as a bone can cause so much trouble, but it can get really serious very quickly.

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Alright, so there’s a loophole for everything. While it’s best if your canine does not consume any, we mean mostly cooked chicken bones. When bones are cooked, they are more likely to splinter and shatter, whereas uncooked bones bend rather than break. That’s why you can buy an uncooked bone for your petto chew on and they’ll be fine. If you do give your canine a bone though, always supervise them. Otherwise they might think any bone is fair game, leading to the inevitable garbage looting or counter diving.

What to do?

Now that it’s happened, we need to figure out what to do if we want to prevent unnecessary pain to our pets. After the bones have been consumed, take a second to calm down. Panic helps no one. Get rid of any extra bones and don’t make your pet throw up or else there might be extra damage. The very first thing you should do is to make sure your pet is in no immediate danger. This means that your canine shouldn’t be choking from bones lodged in the throat. If this is the case, you’ll see your canine gagging, vomiting, drinking a lot, pacing anxiously, or sitting down awkwardly.

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If your pet isn’t choking, you can calm down a little, but there are a few things you can do to try and cushion the inside of it to stop internal issues. Try and feed them a little more for the next few days. Pieces of bread and completely cooled and cooked rice can help prevent the bones from penetrating the stomach and intestines, along with plain canned pumpkin. Just mix a little in with their food to allay any damage from the bones.

If Your Dog Is Obstructed, Here Are Some Symptoms

Sadly, you’re not out of the woods yet. Even adding softer foods to its diet might not always work, so there are some symptoms you need to look out for over the few days after they’ve swallowed a bone. Looking for signs of internal bleeding, like bloody stool, constipation, stomach swelling, vomiting, nervous behavior, or any stomach pain should be your top priority. The 12 to 48 hours after swallowing a chicken bone are crucial, and even though it’s not good for your nerves, you’ll just have to wait and see.

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Thankfully it usually works out well after swallowing, but go to the vet immediately if you see any of the possible symptoms. Be forewarned that you also might see pieces of bone in the stool. Even if it’s 72 hours after eating the bones and you still see nothing, go to the vet anyway. The bones not reappearing again can be an issue even if your pet doesn’t display any other symptoms.

Prevention

After going through something as scary as waiting three days to see if your pet is alright, you no doubt never want to experience that type of fear again. While we’d like to give you more advice, the best way to actually help your pet is to make sure you keep an eye on your surroundings. If you’re consuming chicken wings, throw them out immediately. Make sure it knows counters are off-limits and the garbage isn’t a place for food. Of course accidents happen though, but when they do, take a breath and look for the symptoms. It doesn’t have to be the end of the world if you catch any problems early enough.

Conclusion

Many people want to know the answer to the all-important question. As we’ve said, it’s usually a bad idea, and with all the possible issues a tiny chicken bone can cause, you probably agree with us too. If your canine does ingest some bones however, don’t panic. Panicking won’t solve anything, so instead take a breath and look for those symptoms. Most of the time dogs are fine, but run them to the vet if you see anything. Those little chicken bones don’t need to ruin everything!

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