Dog ATE the entire chicken leg - bone and all! Should I be worried?!
 

Me again with yet another question!

So I decided to give my dogs bones tonight... little guy got bison marrow (which he is still happily munching away on :D). I gave my little gal and my boxer each a chicken leg... well they were both happily chewing away when all of a sudden I noticed that Brynn's bone was GONE! As in she ATE it! Should I be worried?! :shrug: I am probably being over-paranoid but sheesh! I didn't think she would eat it bone and all!!! :sad: Do I need to worry about it getting caught in her intestines?? :sick:

Obviously from this experience I have learned that chicken legs are far too small for her, and we need to go for something bigger she can't swallow whole! :wall:

She should be fine as the acid in her stomach will dissolve the bones. Just make sure to watch her closely for the next couple of days.

Check all her poop and watch for blood in the stool or any signs that she's straining to go. Also watch for any changes in temperament or being listless. If any of those things happen take her to the vet immediately.

Thanks rainbow! You helped put my mind at ease... I did some more reading through this forum as well, and have read it really shouldn't be a big deal but CRAP does it ever scare you when it first happens! You go into panic overdrive! :laughing: :wall:

If it was a raw bone you also might notice a slimmy residue with the stool.it's to help protect the bowl from sharp objects as they pass through.i would get it when i was raw feeding and would find pieces of bone in jags stool that didn't get digested.

[QUOTE=cassiek;859129]Thanks rainbow! You helped put my mind at ease... I did some more reading through this forum as well, and have read it really shouldn't be a big deal but CRAP does it ever scare you when it first happens! You go into panic overdrive! :laughing: :wall:[/QUOTE]

LOL, yes, I remember the time Logan ate half a raw onion and I freaked. :D

Well, I am happy to report that Brynn has had two poops today and both looked normal... neitheir had any blood! :thumbs up And she is acting like her usual goofy, clown-ish boxer self! :clown: And I have learned my lesson... bigger bones for my girl from here on in!

I will say this raw diet has really made me quite the poop watcher... I am sure my neighbours are amused!! :laughing:

CassieK, the dogs are [I]supposed[/I] to chew and swallow the bones :shrug:. Larger bones than that most likely will be too hard to chew and digest.

I have a bully (sensative intestines) that got a chicken wing once. We were at the lake playing and I looked over to see Mansa rummaging through the garbage! :eek:

What you are worried about with chicken bones is if it splinters.

Equla, Cassie is feeding her dogs raw. Cooked bones [I]are[/I] dangerous but a chicken leg, if chewed properly should cause no problems.

[QUOTE=luckypenny;859486]Equla, Cassie is feeding her dogs raw. Cooked bones [I]are[/I] dangerous but a chicken leg, if chewed properly should cause no problems.[/QUOTE]

Thank you. I had no idea that ANY chicken bones were ok. I'm looking into raw for our babies, but after hearing horror stories it never crossed my mind to consider chicken with bones still in it.

Chicken bones in the raw form are some of the softest bones for the dogs to chew.

[QUOTE=luckypenny;859434]CassieK, the dogs are [I]supposed[/I] to chew and swallow the bones :shrug:. Larger bones than that most likely will be too hard to chew and digest.[/QUOTE]

Yeah that. Chicken thighs with bones in are a staple of our dogs' diets.

If you're feeding raw, you HAVE to have bone that they can fully consume, somewhere in the range of 15% of the diet should be bone. Chicken and turkey are wonderful soft bones. Heavier ones (like the marrow bones you're talking about) actually make me nervous as our oldest dog has chipped some teeth on the hard bones. We don't do anything harder than the very occasional pork rib.

Same here regarding chicken bones - it's Bodhi's love and joy to get a thigh or a leg and back... she really enjoys the chew that the chicken bones provide.
I wouldn't worry about raw chicken bones cassiek, your dog is very like a very much happier dog for getting bones to crunch. Just don't give them kibble or cooked foods within four hours of giving them raw.

Thanks for all the awesome advice, everyone! I feel so much better... and here I was worried for nothing! :D

Despite my little scare I will stick with the chicken legs! Its good to know that some bones are meant to be consumed, and that poultry bones are great for this! :thumbs up I have to say the girls defaintly loved it (and I have been really lucky picking up chicken legs that are a few days close to expiring at the store for CHEAP!!) :cloud9:

As for the marrow, I have also read in a few other places they may not be ideal? :shrug: I have only been giving them to my little guy since he has poultry allergies... he's not a hard chewer and I usually take it away after 40 minutes or so... any thoughts on this?? :confused:

Marrow bones are sometimes not recommended for a couple of reasons. One is because of the density of the bone, some dogs have been known to wind up with chipped or broken teeth.

Second- some dogs will get the runs from the marrow since it's very rich and high in fat (certainly not fatal, but something to keep in mind in terms of quantity)

Third- if a dog tends to be on the heftier side, it's a good idea to avoid it because of the high fat content.

Fourth- some dogs have managed to get their lower jaw caught in larger size bones and getting them out sometimes requires a vet.

Having said that, many people do give them to their dogs without a problem. Like any bone, just don't leave your dog alone with one for any extended period.

Some dogs that have poultry allergies in kibble don't have them same allergies to poultry when it comes to a raw form.