PetScoop: FDA Says Bones are Unsafe for Your Dog
What could be more "natural" than giving your dog a bone? For a brief while we gave our Golden Retrievers large bones to gnaw on during that pesky and seemingly eternal chewing stage. A few bouts with middle-of-the-night tummy upsets quickly led us to abandon bones in favor of safer chewy toys.
Apparently the FDA agrees. In No Bones About It: Bones are Unsafe for Your Dog they list 10 reasons why it's a "bad idea to give your dog a bone". You probably will agree it isn't worth it.
- Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
- Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
- Bone gets looped around your dog's lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
- Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
- Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
- Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone's size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
- Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
- Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they're very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.
- Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It's time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
- Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog's stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.
Read More in: Dogs | Food, Feeders and Waterers | Health and Safety | Pet News
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Posted by Molly & Jessie at April 22, 2010 8:50 AM
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