Cooked Chicken Bones

[Mushiemum]

I was only outside for a minute closing the gate after my husband left for work - I thought I'd leave the dogs inside today after they both tried to take off through the open gate yesterday - but during that minute they managed to get the lid off the bin and get into a leftover chicken. It was our new girl who instigated it, which is why it didn't occur to me as a problem as our boy never touches the bin but we have only had our new girl just over a week and are still learning what she gets up to. They are both 6 year old Samoyeds, both very healthy, both big dogs (26 and 37kg).

So anyway I know cooked chicken bones are bad but I am unsure what to do after they've already eaten them. It's 6:45 and the supermarket isn't open yet, the two things I have read that are good (pumpkin and sardines in oil) I don't have in the house. Any other ideas to help those sharp little things get through their bellies?

They didn't eat the whole thing (I caught them), and what did they did eat was between them both so it's not going to be much but I know it only takes one little bone to do the damage. Our previous Samoyed we rescued after he'd lived for a long time scavenging food on the streets and he used to constantly get into the bin and ate all kinds of horrific things - those meat absorption pads, lots of chicken carcasses, soap, tissues, crayons, entire cakes in plastic wrapping, but he had a cast iron stomach I am sure as he never had a single digestion problem. So I am not panicking, and when the old Sammy would get a feast from the bin our other boy would join him so I now he's had chicken leftovers before too and has been fine.

So far I have given them both some bread to try and bind the bones, some fruit to help things get moving quickly and some beaten egg in milk for the same reason. I am home all day so will keep an eye on them but is there anything else I can try? When the supermarket opens I will get the pumpkin. I read somewhere else you can give them 100% cotton balls soaked in milk and they also wrap around bones, cushioning them - is that safe??

[sheree_e4]

They should be fine, I would just feed them as normal and keep a close eye on them today.

[Mushiemum]

Thank you!

While we're on the same topic, has anyone found a really good dog-proof bin?

[sheree_e4]

..... oops wrong forum sorry

Edited May 12, 2009 by sheree_e4

[pipsqueak]

try Howard Storage World. though I can't see them listed on their website, i have seen bins there that have a lid that clips down.

www.hsw.com.au

[Sandra777]

Too late now, but with dogs that size and "human" grade cooked chicken I really wouldn't get concerned. The chickens sold for people to eat are so young even the "hard" bones are not really that hard, and with big dogs they would get what, a couple of mouthfuls each? Their stomach acids would almost certainly take care of it. Different story if was one small dog and it'd had eaten the whole carcase of course :-)

[goldens]

Growing up on farm back in the 50's and early 60's, we gave ALL cooked bones to our English Setters and pointers. Tis included squirrel, rabbit, chicken, duck, cove, quail, steak, porck chops & ribs, ham, etc. We never had a single dog develop any kind of problem.d

HOWEVER I would never do it today. One of our nieghbors lost a young husky up to chicken bone and I saw a lab puppy beng treated at my vets for peritonitis after a pork chop bone splinter and punctured his stomach. ...it died.

When Hon ey our golden retiever mix ATE and I mean ATE hubby's leaher wallet 2 yes ago--she was 5 years ld a th tme--and only left the section the picktres were in. She also chewed ff corner of his one credit card he had in there and his driver's licensce, whiich i just like a credit card. I was in a panic. Called my vet and he said give her some slices f bread, tho he thought the leather of the wallet would also help protect from the hard plastic. For two days and nights I followed her around--her on a leash, and me with a stick in hand to "stir" the poop. At night, that also included a flashlight. I never saw the pieces of the credit card & license, but sur saw the pieces of leather.

[Mushiemum]

They tend not to chew small items, being big dogs, they gulp them down so that reassures me a bit, they likely didn't chew the bones before swallowing so they probably didn't splinter. So far so good, four hours in. Certainly no sign of choking, they have eaten since and are jumping around as usual so I feel positive. Will keep watching.

Thank you for all replies!

The nearest Howard's is about 2.5 hours away but there's one near my sister so she's checking out the bins, thanks for the tip.

[greytdog]

I always put my cooked bones into a plastic bag and straight into the wheely bin outside. No chance to pinch out of the bin. Funny, Bianca, who is certainly tall enough to raid the inside bin, never does, yet my late mini dachshie Chappa did it regularly (and without tipping it over either - still don't know how she did it).

[Gretel]

Thank you!

While we're on the same topic, has anyone found a really good dog-proof bin?

I don't have a bin. I put all kitchen rubbish into a bag in the sink and take it out each evening. That way I don't need to worry about the dogs getting into it and I don't have to clean a bin A rellies dogs got into her bin the other day and ate a chicken carcass, cooked rib bones and corn cobs so she is watching and worrying over them. They can be to quick to get into mischief! The last problem I had was my seven year old Cav eating a full bar of soap and she did get ill.