bones

Question
my dog (10 years, 80 pounds)got into the trash and ate 3 cooked chicken bones. How big of a problem is this?

Answer
Hi Jake,

Thank you for writing to me.  There is no way to tell if this will be a problem for your dog until you see signs of distress.  Just keep a watchful eye on your dog for the next few days.

I have heard that if you dip a cotton ball in milk and give it to your dog whole that it will catch the bone chards and move them out.  I cannot attest to how accurate this is.  What I would do is soak large pieces of white bread in milk and roll into balls and feed that to the dog.  

Call your vet and find out if he recommends any x-rays to determine if there is any perforation along the gastro intestional path.  My feeling is that he will take a wait and watch stance.  That is what I would do.

Since he is a large dog, hopefully the small chicken bones will pass through without incident.

Best of luck and happy new year.

Shelley Davis