#STUFFEMMETTEATS

Emmett is a 2 year old Great Pyrenees, and he is tall enough to get to anything unattended.  This can be a pet owner’s worse nightmare.  When you have a curious puppy or young dog, there are all kinds of household hazards you need to constantly be aware of, so we are going to use Emmett’s constant escapades to help our pet owner’s navigate through the tricky health concerns of all puppies and young dogs.

Episode #5 Bones, rawhides, and deer antlers, and even sticks; oh my!

Bones and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly, cookies, and milk, or ham and cheese?? But do they?? Actually, no, bones in most cases are not ideal to give your dog, as they can causes several concerns that you may not be aware of.

The encounter

Scenario:   You finish your buffalo chicken wings, and toss your dog the bones to chew on, you pick up your favorite pooch a large rawhide at the petstore, your pet goes dumpster diving, and picks out some choice rib bones from the garbage; the scenarios are endless.

The scoop:

There are several main concerns with feeding these types of items to your loving canine friend.  The most common concern is that if your bet is eating chicken or rib bones, these “real” bones can splinter and cause punctures or abrasions to your pet’s stomach and intestines.  This could lead to bleeding in the Gastrointestinal tract, and also be quite painful. 

The next main concern is that if there is some meat left on the bones, or flavoring, this can cause upset stomach, and cause your pet to break out with vomiting, diarrhea or both.  Sometimes, your pet can even fracture a tooth chewing on bones, antlers or rawhides.

Dogs that eat the rawhide type bones too fast, before they really get softened up with saliva, could swallow a chunk that is just too big to pass through there digestive tract causing a life-threatening obstruction, needing emergency surgery.  This can happen with squares, but is more common with the round ends of the dog rawhide “bones”.

Pets often present urgently to the veterinary clinic after chewing on sticks with owner’s complaining of pawing at the mouth, crying/vocalizing, chewing motions, or even breathing issues.  Often, the doctor finds a stick lodge somewhere in between the teeth, or stuck on the roof of the mouth, and potentially even puncturing the tissues in the roof of the mouth or cheeks.

The plan:

Obviously all of these circumstances can require different medical plans to manage.  Teeth fractures caused by chewing hard bones and antlers almost always will require the tooth be extracted.  The tooth is painful to your pet, and is very likely to get a dental infection if left in too long.  Upset tummy can require diet changes, medications, or sometimes a hospital stay depending on how sensitive your pet’s digestive system is.  Obstructions and GI bleeds are rare from obstructing or splintering bones, but often this will require a surgery where your veterinarian can go in and remove these pieces to prevent further harm happening to your pet’s stomach.   

Alternatives for chewing include kong or other rubber toys, rope toys, and stuffed animals depending on the size of your pet.  

Join us for the next episode of #stuffemmetteats