What to Do if Dog Eats a Chicken Bone?

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Living with a dog will inevitably lead to accidents. Despite our best efforts, dogs can get into trouble, and trouble usually happens because our dog ate something they weren’t supposed to. Your dog can snatch a piece of human food that is not safe for them. They can get their paws onto cleaning chemicals or alcohol, which are all toxic for dogs. One of these dog health hazards is cooked chicken bones. They are usually close to our dogs because chicken is one of America’s favorite meats.

Most dog owners are aware of the potential health problems chicken bones can cause; they are soft and splinter easily. If that happens, chicken bones can cause perforations and punctures of the gastrointestinal tract. That can be extremely painful for dogs and could potentially lead to death. Even if you are the most careful and responsible dog owner, your dog can get ahold of chicken bones, and if that happens, here is what you should do.

Don’t panic

We know this is easier said than done, but panicking won’t help you or your dog in any way. Yes, your dog might be in danger, but chances are they aren’t yet. Calmly take the rest of the chicken bones and prevent any further ingestion.

Panicking can cause otherwise rational owners to make irrational decisions. It can confuse the dog and cause the dog to start panicking. You should never try to make your dog throw up because if your dog ate chicken bones and passed them without any harm, chicken bones can damage the way back.

The best thing you could do is to keep a close eye on your dog. Make sure they are not choking or showing any other symptoms associated with gastrointestinal trauma. You can give your dog a slice of white bread to help chicken bones pass safely. After that, call your vet and ask for advice.

Here are some other human foods that can be dangerous for dogs - Human foods that can kill your dog.

Monitoring

Chicken bones are soft, and they can puncture the GI tract or internal organs; that doesn’t mean it will happen. If your dog ate chicken bones, there is nothing more you can do than to keep a close eye on them. Giving your dog chicken bones is undoubtedly a thing that should be avoided at all costs, but just because it happened once doesn’t mean your dog will get hurt.

When you contact your vet, ask them about symptoms associated with gastrointestinal trauma caused by a dog eating chicken bones. Some of the symptoms can include;

• Vomiting
• Bloody stool
• Constipation
• Straining to defecate
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Bloated abdomen
• Generally unusual behavior

These symptoms mean you have a medical emergency on your hands, and you should seek veterinary help immediately.

Prevention

The best way to keep your dog safe and not affected by chicken bones is to prevent them from eating them in the first place. If your dog ate chicken bones and got out of the situation intact, you can consider yourself lucky. You should learn from the experience and prevent your dog from eating chicken bones the same way in the future. We are all human, and humans make mistakes. There is no point in kicking yourself over the head for it. Make sure you learn from it and adapt in the future.

Here is some general advice that might not cross every dog owners mind, especially if they are new and inexperienced;

• Make sure human food is out of the dog’s reach.
• Trash lids should be securely sealed and tucked away where the dog can’t get ahold of it.
• Training your dog and teaching them not to steal food is essential.

Chicken bones might not be the worst thing your dog can eat, but they are certainly a risk you shouldn’t be willing to take. Make sure something like that never happens again, and we are sure your dog will live a healthy and happy life.

If your dog gets into your trash often, here are some amazing trash cans that will help you prevent your dog from getting their nose into the can - Dog-proof trash cans.

World Dog Finder team