Dogs choking on chicken bones.. ? How many have you actually seen? Not heard of.. But seen or witnessed?

Question

We feed our dogs raw chicken bones all the time. They are on a raw diet. I do not recommend cooked bones ever. They do change density and become brittle but a dog should not suffer any ill effects for an occasional accidental ingestion of a cooked bone. Dogs do NOT choke on chicken bones nearly as much as people think they do. It is a scare that has been around for many many years and the truth is that it is just not happening much. Dogs choke on sticks, socks, rocks, kibble, rawhides, toys FAR more often thean any dog ever choked on cooked bones.
If you look around on the net for dogs choking on bones, you will find a whole slew of people stating the dangers of bones but you will rarely find a vet site or anyone with any credibility making these statements.
It happens on occasion I am sure. But it's not an automatic death sentence by any means. Dogs have survived on bones for thousands of years. If bones were so dangerous, dogs would have been extinct eons ago.

Bonsylar.. Umm, your answer! And you are calling ME the nut job. I have nothing to get over. What has you so upset? You don't like raw feeders or their opinions then don't read them. It's very simple to get a grip on yourself if you put forth effort. I don't really care what you think about raw feeders. That was NOT the question. And I see people talking about crapinabag daily.
With your attitude I would say you are not qualified to work with animals. I sure wouldn't want my dogs life in the hands of someone as bitter-/bitchy as you.

Shouldn't surprise anyone that the worst answer/remarks about Raw feeding came from the Vet Tech Tradgedys Kiss
Dogs did not live long in the wild because of lack of food, not type of food, because of elements, because they were killed by predators etc. Dogs do not need a balanced meal anymore then you do. Dogs were far better off in health before a corn meal and a multitude of drugs to keep them healthy came into the picture. Dogs are NOT living longer now. There is more help for them when they are sickened/weakened by over vaccincation, being poisoned monthly in the name of prevention, and being forced to live on cereal and a diet made of 100% synthetic nutrients. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out many dogs would fail with this lifestyle. You say you have seen plenty of dogs getting ripped up by bones. Well I am here to call you a liar. You are so bitter over this that you are talking BS to argue your position. I can see right through it!

Answer 1

Never.

Been feeding raw for 14 years - currently have a herd of 9.

All my pups are given their first RMBs in the form of chicken necks, then work their way up to wings, then frames. As adults, they get chicken frames, lamb necks, roo tails, ribs, etc. etc.

Only accident has been when a girl put an incisor through some soft bone and then had it wedged there for ??? how long til I came home and liberated it, at which point, she promptly ate it.

Update: RE: Salmonella poisoning - unless the dog is ill or has a compromised immune system, the chances of them getting salmonella from raw chicken is so minute it's not worth trying to calculate. Dogs' intestinal system is completely different to humans' - what goes in comes out in about 12 hours or less. Salmonella needs to linger in a warm moist gut for longer than that.

Answer 2

I have never seen a dog choke on any raw bones and I have been feeding raw for about five years. It is a waste of time to argue about raw verses kibble because dog food feeders know it all and know all the dangers, without ever having done research on the raw diet. I know the benefits of feeding raw and I will not be convinced otherwise.
I always wonder what people that argue and say raw is bad, think dogs were fed a few decades ago. Dog food was only developed 50 or 60 years ago because butchers realized they could make money off the scraps they were giving away for free. When I was a kid there were only two types of dog food and most people did not buy it because they felt it was a waste of money so they fed their dogs table scraps, raw meat scraps and raw bones and I remember dogs had a longer life span than they do today. I wonder why that is, considering a processed food in a bag is so much better for them.

Dog food is all about money and convenience, not the health of dogs.

Bonslayer, you should pay attention because I do see kibble feeders foaming at the mouth and arguing over which brands is best to feed. When kibble feeders mention the wrong brand they get reamed and insulted. I think since these types of questions bother you so much maybe you should avoid answering questions on this subject.

Answer 3

Raw diets are great when done right. Make sure they have their regular parastic exam each year.
As choking on bones, haven't really seen them "choke" on a bone. But have seen bone fragments get stuck in the esophagus, stomach, intestines. It's pretty bad when they do. The esophagus like to form strictures when traumatized. Hard to swallow then. Also if it punctures any of those walls that would be bad. Stomach acid and the abdominal cavity don't mix.
It is rare that any of this happens. But it can so any pet owner feeding anything harder than dog food should keep an eye out for symptoms. Though it usually that rat or chipmunk that the dog decides to eat whole that is what gets stuck.

Answer 4

Freedom I don't think ur nuts for feeding raw. when i first started here just before the whole food recall. I was looking in to feeding raw..and i was called nutty to by the vet techs ect. I'm just glad there are more raw feeders now...lol.

I don't feed all raw. some is a light cook and some is table scrapes.

mine don't get chicken bones but they do get beef ones. I have never seen a dog choke on a bone (grew up where a dog was always given bones he hunted as well and ate rabbits). I did have one who swollowed a flat rawhide chew whole. and choked (he is not bright sometimes)...it was not fun he does not get rawhides now and he doesn't get chicken bone because i figure it will go down whole. so this is why there is no chicken bone in thier diet.

cooked bones will become brittle.
what i don't get if its so bad to raw feed or cook for your dog Why when they are sick you are to give burger and rice? or chicken and rice?

While that should not be fed daily why is it so bad to feed real meat?

I myself have done a ton of research in to raw feeding and cooking for dog. and my one dog who has dry skin this time of year has not had a problem at ALL, like he use to on the past 5 years on kibble. they have lost weight gained musle nothing other then food has changed.

I also have a FAT cat ...he came that way don't yell at me for over feeding him grrrrr..... he lost weight on raw (cats have to lose slow they are not like dogs they have needs a dog does not.)

Oh and Freedom you have some beautiful danes. =)

http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/catsaredif.html

I know that link is for kitties but there is alot of info on this site if u have not seen it. there is a bone question asked buy the vet.

Answer 5

When I began feeding a portion of my dog's diet as raw, my sister who raises/exhibits cavaliers followed suit... one of her cavaliers did get a raw chicken bone lodged in her throat and now my sister will NOT let any raw diet anywhere near her dogs and is seriously against raw bone feeding.

However, I am still not against it and do feed raw to my dogs on occasion though it's not a total raw diet. So many risks that I don't feel comfortable recommending it. You need to do your homework before taking this on. But on the flip side, same goes for kibble. I won't recommend a certain type there either - nothing prejudiced either way.

I have an argument for each side: commercial dog food is well researched and formulated... err... okay... guess the recent DEATHS of all those dogs kinda bursts that one, eh? So that only leaves some commercial dog food as good or even safe...

Now look at raw... takes more research to make sure your feeding proper %'s of this and that, etc but aren't you doing this already when you choose your commercial dog food? Are you looking at those labels and wanting to buy your dog the one with the highest percentage of actual meat? (those which cost more, btw) You know, the meat you'd feed by default in raw?

But I digress... many factors are at play here in this decision and it's one where neither choice is right or wrong. It's in the research the pet owner puts into ensuring their dog has a proper diet in whichever route you choose to fit your lifestyle and other choices.

Me? I choose both. :)

Answer 6

I don't feed raw, don't have the time or resources for it, but, one of the best diets I have ever seen dogs eat was in the Czech Republic border patrol kennels. The dogs there were fed a mixture of wild game meat with some whole wheat noodles that was cooked all day. I have never seen muscle and energy and clarity of eyes in dogs before I saw those dogs. They worked all night in weather that was below zero and 6 feet of snow, walking and running and still had enough energy to train in the morning...
It's funny, people that have not been around long enough or have never been outside the USA cannot picture dogs eating anything but kibble, however, that is NOT the case in most other countries where dogs are fed human scrap and whatever kind of wild meat they can catch and live disease free and very active much longer then most dogs here do. I know, I have seen it.

Answer 7

I never saw a dog choke on a chicken bone, raw or cooked.

I have seen a dog that ate a a cooked chicken bone, and had some trouble on the way out though. The dog was running around like he was being chased. The bone was halfway out the other end, and causing some discomfort. He was fine though (after someone helped him get it out).

Answer 8

I have never seen or witnessed a dog choking on chicken bones. I have to admit I long believed they were somewhat dangerous because of others advice. I have to agree that dogs can risk choking on any of the other items you mentioned. The raw diet sounds rather interesting...I'll have to learn more about it. I have to wonder as well if there is a lesser risk of harm in relation to the size of the dog. I'd think a dog with larger organs,etc would be more apt to handle such bones.

Answer 9

I feed primarily raw. I've never had an issue with a dog eating chicken bones... even stolen cooked ones (not that I would recommend those).

My dogs CHEW their raw food... they do not really chew kibble when I give it to them as treats.

I did nearly lose a dog to inhaling a dog kibble. She didn't chew it and it got stuck.

My grandparents dogs lived on whatever leftovers didn't go to the hogs... as well as the garbage from slaughtering (entrails, heads, feet). They all lived 4-5 years LONGER than the breed is averaging today.

Answer 10

I never heard of cooked chicken bones as a choking hazard, but a sharp hazard. The stories included above are not choking but punctures from cooked brittle bones.
Dogs digestive systems can handle carrion, I don't think a salmonella chicken will bother it at all.
My dog has on occasion gotten carried away with raw hide but she always clears her own airway. She did scare me enough to get in the Heimlich position once, but got it up just as I got my hands under her.