All of us have been used since childhood that a dog eats a bone and nothing else, so it was shown in cartoons, but this is just a children’s cartoon.
In real life, a diet containing bones can cause huge harm to the animal’s health. Dogs are capable of swallowing a bone whole, splitting a tubular bone into small fragments and swallowing, just popping any bones to the dump, which sooner or later will lead to problems.
Sharp pieces of bone are dangerous because they can get stuck in the mouth, in the larynx, cut or pierce through the walls of the esophagus, stomach, intestines, can cause not only inflammation of the digestive organs, but also problems in the thoracic or abdominal cavity. Even dogs who have been fed bones all their lives sooner or later get to the veterinarian with intestinal perforation or coprostasis. One small soft bone can really be digested in the stomach of an adult dog, but one sharp fragment is enough to cause trouble.
Unfortunately, not all people understand what harm they can do to animals, they scatter chicken bones on the street for stray animals, and both street and domestic dogs who can pick up a bone during a walk are at risk.
If you notice that your dog has managed to eat a suspicious bone – carefully monitor its condition and contact a veterinary specialist if symptoms of malaise occur.
The first signs will be lethargy, loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation. There may be blood in the feces or vomit.
It is not always possible to fix the problem at home – in addition to the examination, an X-ray, blood test, endoscopy or surgery may be required.