BONES- these are dangerous during holiday time or for that matter, anytime time you are tempted to give Rover or Fluffy that delicious looking bone that has just a bit of meat left on it or maybe no meat. One way or the other it does not matter! DO NOT GIVE YOUR PET ANY KIND OF BONE! Cooked and/or raw bones splinter easily.
For a pet owner what could be worse than giving your pet a bone that splintered as your dog/cat gnawed on what you deemed a treat? And what happens to that sharp piece of bone that your pet will swallow? The nitty, gritty of this scenario is the sharp piece can become lodged in the esophagus where it remains stuck unless removed surgically. A splintered bone can pierce the stomach lining or the wall of the intestines. When this happens the contents in the stomach or the intestines (guts) slowly begin leaking into the abdominal cavity where it immediately proceeds to set up an intense infection which then leads to sepsis meaning that the entire body of the un-lucky pet will have bacteria coursing through its body and to every vital organ. The fact is that by this time your animal will be too ill to raise its head. This infection is- PERITONITIS.
The crux of the matter is this: when the aforementioned happens, the pet has a small window for a chance of recovery. All of this is gut wrenching( no pun intended) not only for the pet but for the owner who must make the decision for the veterinarian to go all out in an effort to save the pet. But, if money is limited and it is, for the average person, then the other choice is euthanasia. What a way to end a lovely holiday and then every holiday there after. The memories of your pet will be there to forever haunt you.
I read a post on another pet site several months or so, ago about how much, would you spend, in an effort to save your pet’s life -WHAT EVER CAUSED the need for veterinarian intervention. Saving a critically ill pet involves incredible skill plus treatment and nursing to get your pet back home. There were probably 20-25 individuals who commented on that particular post. Of all the people who commented, at least 98% said that no amount of money would prevent them from begging, borrowing, using a credit card, selling possessions, or even re-morgaging their home to pay the cost to give their pet a chance to live. Most wrote that they were not people of means. But they would give up all extra amenities and live as frugal as possible in order to repay the money, however the money was obtained.
Do you think it is okay to feed table scraps and or bones to your dog or cat?
Next post: how to keep your pet from escaping from your property when everybody is celebrating and your home is like grand central station.
Post Yvonne November 4,2012 Original post November 22,2011
Pets, People and, Life 
Thank you for this article. I wish I had seen this before I started my pit bull on a raw diet in December of 2013. She died Feb. 8, 2014, barely two months later, of septic peritonitis from me giving her raw chicken bones.
I fed into the raw diet spiel about how much better it would be for her. She was 9 1/2. The worst part is that I took her to my vet 11 days before she died the first time where I told him she had been on a raw diet. He did nothing. I asked for blood work which came back ok. Two days later I was back there. She was visibly having stomach spasms and was cold to the touch. He x-rayed and said she was constipated and I should go home and put her in the yard.
I watched her, she pooped and we thought all was good. She seemed ok after that, for 9 days. Then the day she passed away, she had those same symptoms again, and stupid me, I thought she was constipated again, so didn’t take her in. By 2:00 pm she could not walk and we rushed her to the emergency vet but they could not save her. She died in my arms there. She took half of my heart with her. I miss her so much. And I have been on a campaign ever since to warn people of the dangers of raw chicken bones.
I am so very sorry about your dog. You simply did not know. This has happened to lots of people and it is so sad. I hope your heart is mending and that you can forgive yourself. The dogs on your FB page are gorgeous dogs. Thank you for sharing your story.
Regards,
~yvonne
No danger of any bones in our vegan household…..
Great. I’m glad to know that. The only meat that I eat is salmon per my MD’s advice. I needed more protein but I slacked off the fish. I was getting more than a bit sick of the taste. š
Yvonne, I know that cooked bones should never be given to a dog. What’s your position on feeding dogs a raw diet, that is, raw bones and meat?
Prospera,
My answer to you is just a personal opionion and I would not bother with a raw diet unless I were able to obtain fresh meat every day. In my case, I could never afford raw meat. A few of the raw commercial raw diets have been recalled in the past. My other anti is that the meat CAN BE contaminated with salmonella and some bacterial strains. Last of all, you need to add supplements to the diet so that it is balanced. As you have most likely already done- look on the Internet for receipes if you are driven to feed a raw diet. There are expensive commecial diets that are possibly better than raw. Royal Canin comes to mind but there are some other ones that are very expensive and very good as well.
Yvonne
We never give Lulu bones. Her predecessor was given long ribs as a treat when she was very aged (15+) but always with a little trepidation.
I am so glad that you do not give any bones to LuLu. Thanks for the comment.