Dogs Eating Chicken Bones. Facts and Fables

Although I have written about Dangerous Food For Dogs and I wrote a post dedicated to the benefits of Raw Chicken for Dogs I still seem to be getting quite a few questions about Chicken Bones and whether or not Dogs eating Chicken Bones is dangerous.

If your Dog ate Chicken Bones and you are worried then consult a Vet, but here I will finally put the issue of Dogs and Chicken Bones to rest.

Can Dogs Eat Chicken Bones?

Are Chicken Bones Dangerous For Dogs?

The answer is yes and no! Don’t worry, I will explain what they can and can’t eat. The general rule, however, is that Dogs can eat Raw Chicken Bones but not cooked Chicken Bones.

Dog Ate Chicken Bones?

If your Dog ate Raw Chicken Bones then I would not worry. We feed our Dogs Raw Chicken and Bones all the time. If your Dog ate Cooked Chicken Bones then I would be more concerned. Although a lot of the time your Dog will be fine after eating Cooked Chicken Bones there is a serious risk involved. You need to keep a serious eye on your Dog or go the Vets if you are concerned.

The Dangers Of Cooked Chicken Bones For Dogs

Why to NEVER Feed Cooked Chicken Bones To Dogs

Dogs should never be allowed to eat cooked Chicken Bones. Never feed them, and never let them loose in areas where people may have been eating Cooked Chicken.

Cooked Chicken Bones become very brittle. They will splinter easily and can break in to very sharp shards. If your Dogs ate Cooked Chicken Bones there is risk of it getting a splinter of Bone stuck in its Mouth, its Throat or in its Intestine. The Bones can pierce Intestines or form a hard blockage that can be life threatening.

This is not to say that this will occur, the majority of times you may have nothing to worry about but there is a risk. I am not saying you MUST go to the Vets but it is a real cause for concern and if you have the slightest worry I would recommend you get your Dog checked at the Vets.

Raw Chicken Bones And The Dangers To Dogs

Dogs Can Eat Raw Chicken Bones?

Raw Chicken Bones are a completely different matter to Cooked Chicken Bones. As with anything a Dog eats there is a small chance of it being Dangerous but Dogs have been eating Raw Bones safely, for the most part, for as long as Wolves have existed. While now far removed from their Ancestral Heritage, Dogs can safely eat all manner of Raw Meat and Bones in safety.

If your Dog ate Raw Chicken Bones I would not be concerned. Raw Bones, especially that of the Chicken, are very soft and digested easily by most Dogs. As well as helping to clean Dogs Teeth they will also help guard against problems with your Dogs Anul Glands which is very important.

The Bones Of a Chicken are ideal for Dogs. They can easily be chewed, are soft, easily digested by most Dogs, and good for their Health. Obviously if you see any adverse side effects call your Vet, but most healthy Dogs do nothing but thrive on Raw Meaty Bones. Some owners feed nothing but Raw Food.

The Danger Of Raw Chicken Bones For Dogs

For Healthy Dogs that have no advers effects to eating Raw Bones in general there is only one problem with the Raw Bones of Chickens. In the Thigh there is a long and very sharp Bone. It “could” cause a problem if it pierces your Dogs Mouth so remove it. If you remove this sharp Needle like Bone then the rest of the Chicken is safe.

Raw Chicken Necks or Chicken Wings make a great snack for Dogs. They love it and will be more than happy with their little treat.

Hopefully this has now covered the topic of Chicken Bones for Dogs and will give you the answers many have still been searching for.

Now, go get a few Chicken Wings for your little Bone Muncher. Or why not learn how to make 245 Homemade Recipes for your Dog?

Faye…………..Faye……………….Faye!

“Live Chickens that give us our daily Eggs DO NOT count!!!!! Step away from the Hen House. Good Girl.”

Pesky Pooches!

May the Doggie Force be with you all.

80 Responses to “Dogs Eating Chicken Bones. Facts and Fables”

Read below or add a comment...

  1. Jenny A says:

    I am a butcher at my Mom’s butcher shop, and we have many, many customer that order 30 pound boxes of chicken or turkey necks for their dogs. It seems to be one of the best foods around for them. My friend, Jack, educates dog owner on feeding your K9 friend a completely raw food diet…I think he calls it B.A.R.F. It seems to work wonders for his dogs. Mine, however, are farm dogs, and get into all sorts of things. I cannot completely control what they eat. But they do indeed love raw chicken. Although, they frequently sneak the cooked variety as well. I haven’t had a problem yet, but let’s keep our fingers crossed on that one.

  2. Mercedes says:

    Thanks for your article! It was very helpful for me!

  3. jan says:

    Good post. I had an aunt who bragged that her dogs ate leftover chicken bones all the time. then one day one of them got one stuck in his throat and died a horrible death.

    On the other hand, my little Chihuahua mix got into a whole bunch of them one day while the rest of us were at the groomer. She ate A LOT of them with no harm at all.

    Not worth taking the risk.

    jan’s last blog post..The Iditarod and the animal rights hypocrites

  4. Jennifer says:

    LOL… Faye… wrong chickens! Star is so desperate to eat our live chickens. She is still learning about self control. I wish I could say she’s gotten far, but she is nothing like Dozer. I still take her into the backyard on leash most of the time.

    As much as I would enjoy feeding the dogs any sort of meat or bones, we just can’t. Dozer throws up both, unhesitatingly. He has a lot of food sensitivities so we stick with regular dog food for meals and dry, boring Milk Bones for treats (or the rare Snausage or Puperoni).

    Now, I don’t know whether Star would be fine with bones, but I really don’t think it would be very cool for me to give her such a delicacy in front of Dozer. 🙂

    Jennifer’s last blog post..We Are In Love

  5. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Jenny A, the BARF Diet is quite popular now. More and more owners are feeding only Raw.

    Mercedes, you are welcome.

    Jan, that is the concern. They may be fine but it can cause Death. It must have been horrible.

    Jennifer, that is a shame for Dozer. I guess it would seem unfair for Dozer to watch Star munching away. As for the Chickens, there is no way we can let our Chcickens out. The Girls would have them straight away. Lots of Mixed Spanish Hunting Dogs are in our Dogs Gene Pools I think.

  6. Raw chicken and/or cornish hen is now a major part of the diet of all three of our dogs and they love it. Their teeth are looking better, too.

    Dennis the Vizsla’s last blog post..Wordless Wednesday: Blah Blah Blah Yackety-Yack

  7. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Dennis, that’s great. I bet they do love it. Ours would live off it if we could afford it!

  8. Janet Ford says:

    I feed raw chicken, bones and all to our coonhound crew. It’s quite healthy and safe. I would avoid chicken necks for dogs who the size of which may be a choking hazard. I would give ours turkey necks but not chicken necks for this reason. Would be fine for smaller dogs, though.

  9. We feed our dogs Raw Bones all the time. Basically you just need to be sure you are not feeding them cooked bones. Cook bones splinter and can tear your dogs insides up.

    It is also a good idea to monitor your dog while chewing on bones and raw hides. We have one dog that loves trying to swallow bones and raw hides without chewing.

    Black Labradors’s last blog post..How to teach your Labrador Retriever to roll over

  10. Lindsay says:

    I think that will clear a lot of misunderstandings. I am nervous to feed my dog chicken bones because all of my life I’ve had a mother and grandmother telling me it’s dangerous and dogs will choke on the bones.

    In reality, I’m glad to hear that as long as the bones are raw, the dogs are going to be fine. It’s not really choking that is the issue but that the bones become brittle and sharp when cooked.

    Thank you for clarifying that for me.

    Lindsay’s last blog post..Can stupid dog owners be trained?

  11. Pet Groomer says:

    Here I have been afraid to give the dogs chicken bones for years.

  12. tarni says:

    hey i had a fox terrier and i used to always feed him chicken bones and he loved it and he was only meant to live for 5 years but instead lived for 16.5 years be4 he died of old age so theres nothing wrong with giving your dog chicken bones just supervise them eating them because dogs tend to get them stuck on the roof of their mouths and need you to fish them out but as for not giving it to them its good for their teeth they love it and it never hurt my dog he ate chicken bones alot and live to 16.5 years old!

  13. Ronin says:

    Hi. I have been feeding Lisa, my 10 month old Golden Retriever, cooked chicken bones, which she seems to thrive on. However, after reading this article, to be on the safe side, will give her raw bones henceforth. Lisa, however, does not touch mutton bones.Thanks, Ronin.

  14. Thanks for clarifying this for me. I knew about cooked chicken bones being a hazard, but never realized raw chicken bones are ok.

  15. deb says:

    Can you please tell me is it ok for my dog to have raw chicken necks with dry food as a meal, he enjoys them and it fills him up without being fattening. he walks twice a day and has a healthy appetite, I have been told that the chicken necks and raw lamb bones fill them without making them overweight.

  16. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Deb

    That sounds GREAT. All raw bones are really good for Dogs and giving them raw necks will do nothing but good. You don’t need to limit it to just raw lamb bones. Try beef as well. It cleans their teeth really well and with exercise they will stay in tip top shape.

    Hope this helps.

  17. Hec says:

    I feed my do raw and cooked, he just loves it. Chicken, hamburger, gizzard. I shoot half a dozen doves a week, he finally figured out how to eat em without eating feathers. One crow gave him an upset stomach.

  18. lee smeaton says:

    My jack russell enjoys a raw meaty bones diet. Much of his food comes from the offcuts of the rabbits and wood pigeon I shoot. However I am out in the country so am not worried about the food being full of toxins

  19. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Lee, it’s the best isn’t it. Raw bones keep them super healthy and a great benefit is that it keeps their breath smelling good and no bad teeth either.

  20. bill says:

    This is a dangerous article. Our 11lb dog choked on a rawchicken wing. He passed out and would have died if my wife had not reached far far down his throat to pull the wing out. Big bandwagon going for raw bones, and this is just one example of misguidance. I hate this kind of irresponsible hype. Terrible thing to watch your pet pass out.

  21. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Bill, while I really do sympathize you cannot say that raw bones are bad, maybe because the Dog is so small it should have had a more suitable bone, something big and hard that it could gnaw at that would not break in to pieces. For most Dogs though raw bones are a great idea.

  22. Dog Friend says:

    I have been feeding carefully prepared cooked and raw chicken bones to dogs for 50 plus years with no problems. Here’s the simple method:

    Cut the bones into very short pieces, less than 1/2 inch. For the long brittle bones cut them even finer if you are concerned, 1/4 inch. These short segments are easily chewed and not long enough to pose a problem in a normal dog. If you have a very small dog cut them even shorter.

    Most dogs will chew these morsels some and render into even smaller pieces.

    You can use a garden hook and anvil pruner to easily cut the bones.

    Your dogs will appreciate the excellent nutrition these harmless bone fragments contain.

    best, dog friend

  23. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Thanks Dog friend, although our beasties would be happyier with a whole chicken I get the feeling 😉

  24. klrbudy420 says:

    Read your advise, and you are partially rite. except for the part about cooked bones. After entering the stomach, of the digestive track, are turned into a mush, from the acid and enzymes, excreted by the digestive tract. Licking and biting, (itching to a dog) their own fur coat, is the equivalence of, flossing for humans, to a dog. Their whole, or most of, the internal digestive tract, (smooth muscle tissue) is sluffed or shed off, “every meal they eat. Along with several organs that are rejuvenated or replaced within 24hrs, like the pancreas. Hardened or dense bone, can easily pass through their digestive track. When a dog, or any mammal for that mater, imitates that of a human choking, or coughing something up. Is due, in most part, by “Instinct & Natural Reflects”. This is normal. And can be a useful tool in over reacting, relieving, and assurance of security (for your pet!). Dogs have a instinctive reflects, that act out, or gag. When it’s triggered, it is usually due to a instinctive trait that is (eat as much as fast as you can) due/impart, to not being properly weened off, as a puppy. Another is, the believed “owners” cause. Mammals, by definition mimic, copy, as much by impersonation as a Canine is capable of. If you are capable and knowledgeable, and of instinctive traits, to inspire the spirits around you, and others. All would be amazed of the native, instinctual, biology that all life is capable of. If you or a friend has a dog that has problems choking. Look more into the owners/dogs, disposition, and/or overall health! They are usually closer, than most people would care to, or admit! Want to make a furiousess Kujo into a cute Cuddles? Smile,, When approaching, slowly.

  25. Demetric says:

    I’ve been giving my 11 year old dog raw chicken carcasses for years now without any problems. I converted her to a raw & scrap diet about 6 years ago because she just wasn’t interested in dry food. Over the years i have tweak the raw diet a bit but… Since i converted her diet, she has never missed a meal or left food in her bowl. It’s been an amazing transformation. When i take her to the dog park people are amazed at how active she is for an 11 year old dog. The raw chicken carcasses are extremely cheap… i think i spend less per month on a completely raw diet than dry food use to cost me. 🙂

  26. Sonia says:

    Hmmm. My boxer may have eaten a cooked chicken let trash diving after the superbowl. I didn’t see her do it but she has been coughing intermittently since. I really don’t have the $$$ for surgery and was wondering if anyone had any ideas for helping her to pass a chewed bone.

  27. ck says:

    This has to be one of the great “old wives tales” of all time. I can’t speak for sub 20 lb dogs, but in my 57 years of feeding dogs cooked chicken i’ve never had a problem.

  28. jetta says:

    The breeder where I got my GSD from advised me to feed raw separate from
    dry.She said raw digests in few hours where dry takes up to 12 hours. Not good to mix the 2. So I feed raw in am and dry in evening. Also isn’t there a sharp needle like bone in the leg of chicken?. I am going to check my thighs today for another dangerous bone. Thanks

  29. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Jetta, you do need to be careful of that bone, just remove it and remember to always keep it raw.

  30. tayaiscute says:

    ok my 8 week old jack russel mixed with shitzu swalled a chicken bone andd i dont no what to doo im very scared and woorid he is acting normal and playing and running around i mean im crying im soo scaredd replay asap !

  31. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Tayaiscute, if nothing bad has happened then I am sure there is no problem. It is not going to always lead to problems but it is best avoided if at all possible. I hope all is OK now.

  32. tayaiscute says:

    Yes it is thank u soo much for ur help it means alot all i no if to never put chicken bone around him again i mean i was so scared ! well all is well now thank u

  33. Ashley says:

    My 3 dogs (one 9lb. shihtzu and two about 20lb. cavaliers) somehow got onto my kitchen counter today and got ahold of a pack of defrosting chicken legs 3-4 are still missing. They are acting fine (although alittle over full) I was very worried, but after reading this article I am alittle less scared. I think I will still try the other advice I found online which was to feed them soft foods or mix in cooked white rice to help coat the bones before they pass, just to make sure all goes ok on the way out, but this has stopped me from rushing to the vet needlessly. Thank You

  34. BrianTheHawaiian says:

    Hi guys,
    I have two bichons. I bought one of those “whole” $5 roasted chickens at Costco and noticed it has lots of juicy bones. However, I don’t know if I can feed them to my babies. Should I soften them up in water? The dog’s wet food (called “Wingaling”) has two chicken legs (meat and bones) and bones are almost as soft as ice cream. Can someone please let me know if they have any advice? Thanks all! Brian

  35. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Brain,

    Dogs should NEVER be given cooked bones. It is very dangerous, they go brittle when cooked and can splinter. Only ever give raw bones and with chicken remove the sharp bone from the thigh.

  36. Erik Estrada says:

    I go to buffalo wild wings often and I take the bones from the traditional wings home to my dog. But I first put them in the refrigerator for about a day and he loves them I have been doing this for a long time and nothing goes wrong.

  37. MKOUA says:

    My family’s old dog ate chicken bones and ribs his entire life and had zero problems. He was an oilfield shopdog (almost a breed in West Texas; medium sized yellow dogs, double coat, very stout) that lived around my dad’s shopyard for 4 or 5 years, eating jackrabbits and scraps workers would feed him. For some reason, when my dad moved his shop in town, he brought the dog home, where we had him for the last 14 years of his life. He ate almost exclusively scraps, or bacon grease mixed in with dry food (horrible, I know). Every Thursday was wing night, Sunday after church was fried chicken, and a few times a month we would get Wingstop. There wasn’t a bone he wouldn’t eat, and fast. Never had any problems, though I wouldn’t recommend it to most (and I don’t feed my new puppy bones, either), and he lived to be what our vet said was likely the oldest dog he’d worked with.

  38. fro says:

    Been feeding whole chickens for some time to my 2 year old border collie mix. in the early days start small, wings, necks making sure the dog is breaking up the bones in the mouth first.

    i decided to hold a leg in my had to ensure he would break it down a bit first. then moved onto the larger items. also ensure your raw or BARF plan is balanced with organs etc.

  39. sonia m says:

    how do i get my dog to stop eating chicken bones every time we go for a walk it’s like i’m taking him hunting at frist i would tell him to drop it and he would now he growls at me if i try to take it from him please help thanks sonia in cali

  40. Three Dog Blogger says:

    sonia, I would suggest the best thing is to do some training at home with bones. Put them down and make him sit and then carry on to get him to drop them once he grabs them. Repetition is the key, a lot of it 😉

  41. Joe says:

    You mentioned that there is a sharp bone in the chickens leg that your dog shouldn’t eat because it is sharp. I was just wondering if you knew how to remove this bone from a chicken before giving it to your dog. If you could get back to me on this it would be really helpful thanks!

  42. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Joe, just cut it out. It doesn’t matter if you make a mess of it, the Dogs won’t mind 😉

  43. bonnie says:

    My old dog suffers from pancreatitus. Are raw chicken or turkey necks safe to feed her? Are they low in fat?

  44. bonnie says:

    DOES ANYONE KNOW IF RAW CHICKEN NECKS WILL HURT A DOG WITH PANCREATITUS

  45. Dan says:

    I have to say this. What are the qualifications of the person writing this blog? You may feel comfortable feeding your dog chicken bones, but I don’t.

  46. sherl says:

    My cross ridgeback dauchund is 16 and has chicken bones under supervision. Our two puppies have not. Only marrow bones. I mean to try chicken necks uncooked under supervision sometime.

  47. christine says:

    my 80 lb mixed lab ate a cooked chicken wing 3 days ago ; i called vet n he said if he vomits bring him in for x-ray ; he swallowed it whole ; no chewing at all; i still have not noticed that he has passed it ; his poop n eating habits r still normal as always ; behavior normal also ; however iam still worried ; when can i stop worring n will the stomach acids diest this n nothing passes through stool ? please answer soon as possible tu the worried mom in ohio

  48. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Christine, if all is well for a few days after he ate it then I would imagine he will be fine. I hope that is the case.

  49. Gail Starasts says:

    My dog got into the compost bucket and ate the bones of 3 lbs. of boiled chicken legs.I called Vet Emerg and they told me to feed him soft bread. It apparently cushions the bone while in the dog’s system, helping with safer passing of the bones. I use this method as well if my dogs pull out burrs and try to swallow them. The bread helps to grab ahold of the burr and slip down the throat.

  50. Dirck Charneer says:

    The sharp bone i am familiar with is in the drumstick, not the thigh. Is that what you mean? I have personally have eaten plenty of each and im pretty sure the thigh only contains only one bone and the drumstick has two, one of them being skinny and sharp.

  51. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Dirck, yes that is the one. Thanks.

  52. doh says:

    Our German Shepherd is 14 years old and has been eating cooked chicken bones (legs and thighs mostly) her entire life. She loves them and it’s never been a problem. Generally we take the small spikey bone out of the leg bone before giving them to her. Just my .02 do what you comfortable with. We started letting her have them after several messes she made getting the left over chicken out of the garbage.

  53. Lynne Shrubb says:

    Could you comment on the flwg problem pls – My 12 yr old brown lab who normally has a voracious appetite has suddenly lost interest in processed biscuits after eating raw lamb/beef bones – she doesnt eat them immediately but eventually she does but not with much enthusiasm – poo normal and no vomitting – could any part of these bones be stuck in her gut ? Her coat looks shiny and she is, if anything, more lively during he walks with our border collie…any ideas ?

  54. rich owens says:

    I liked you post, but its simply a narrative. You have no proof that bones are problematic. My dog has eaten 100s of cooked poultry, pork and beef, bones to no ill effect. He is a mix of breeds, maybe he is healthier b/c of it. Dogs in Vietnam eat rice and anything they can get a hold of. I guessing after 15,0000 years there is nothing Canis familaris can not handle.

  55. Jo says:

    Those of you who feed their dogs raw bones, what do you to clean up your dog after they eat the bone? I just gave my 4 month old puppy the part of a raw chicken wing that looks like a little drumstick, not the tip. I was supervising her as she ate it 🙂

    BUT … the chicken bone gets everywhere. I cleaned off as much of the raw chicken meat as I could from the bone before I gave it to her, because in this case I just wanted her to have the bone, plus it is cleaner.

    She was holding the bone between her paws, eating it. She got it all over her face, floppy ears, and paws as she was eating it. I cleaned her paws in the laundry room sink, using puppy shampoo. I rinsed off her face with warm water. She took the bone into her kennel, so I had to wash her crate pad too.

    Any suggestions?

  56. krapo says:

    Omg…..I thought bones are the best food to be given to dogs…I have found a small puppy roaming on the streets…I have bringd hm at home although I am poor,I can not even afford goat milk for hm….he is really small..I don’t know what to feed to him…..HELP…

  57. Deanna says:

    This was very helpful for me to make the decision to either give or not to give my dog cooked chicken bones. Thank you very much!!

  58. crystal says:

    You said there is a long needle like bone in the THIGH????? What are you talking about? That’s the leg isn’t it ???

  59. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Yes crystal, the leg.

  60. Chris says:

    What did dogs eat before we discovered the dog food industry?

  61. chad says:

    I think this also depends on breed, age, and overall health as far as how worried I would be.

    I have a 5 year old, 97 lb. German Shepherd that….well pretty much eats whatever he can wants. He has a cast iron stomach as far as I can tell. He’s stolen 6 porkchops off the counter in under 5 minutes once. And he has certainly stolen his share of cooked chicken with bones in (I cook only bone in chicken, it tastes better to me),

    Now if this was one of my sisters little terriers or wennie dogs I would be more worried since they are such smaller and more prone to having a sensitive stomach.

    They are also older, where as mine is middle age.

    Just my two cents.

  62. Webb Christel says:

    Hi
    Thank you for the article. I would love to give my dog raw chicken carcas but nowadays I’d be afraid that factory chickens are raised with antibiotics and what else? I wouldn’t like my dog thriving on that.

    Any thoughts out there about that?

  63. Vivian says:

    I started feeding my 11 year old Pug Joey raw chicken drumsticks about a month and a half ago. I can’t believe how good his teeth are now! Because of the anesthesia I hadn’t had his teeth cleaned in two years, and they were not looking good. It was a real concern, and I was looking into having them cleaned without anesthesia. Because he has food allergies I had been investigating for a while about raw feeding, until I felt secure that it was safe to go that route. Well, his teeth have lost all the plaque, and are looking great! His eyes shine having lost that dullness that comes with eye. He has started having diarrhea since yesterday and that is how I came to your blog as I was looking to find information if dogs can digest chicken bones. I’m still concerned that he might have a problem with the bones. Your blog is very reassuring and I appreciate that. Thank you!

  64. Dawn Poole says:

    Can I just say in regards to the above and feeding raw chicken wings.
    We have just lost our beloved husky after her being on a raw food diet which consisted of raw organs, tripe and chicken (including bones) along with maybe some egg and veg.
    We decided to change to a raw diet for our 2 huskies around a year and a half ago since they were very sensitive to a lot of commercial goods causing them to often have diarrea.
    My 1st concern was the splintering of chicken wings that may cause obstruction or damage to the digestive tract. After researching through the Internet and books on raw, we believed as long as the bones were raw and not cooked they posed no risk. This was due to the bones being small, soft and easy to digest, and they would bend rather than splinter.
    For this time out girl had happily munched on chicken wings and the other raw food, unlike the high quality kibble she would often turn her nose up at for days on end.
    However things went very wrong the other day. We came home to find her foaming at the mouth and a lot of foamy, mucusy substance had been brought up in her crate. Straight to vet. Her bloods were fine thought she was trying to take electrolytes from anywhere in her body due to dehydration. A further test revealed no stress on the intestines which indicated no blockage or obstruction. She was sent home with the all clear and seemed in better spirits. My husband stayed downstairs that night and she got through the night no problems. We had been told to starve her however so she had not been fed since early that morning.
    The next evening we knew something was very wrong, her behaviour was strange, her breathing was shallow, she was lethargic and her abdomen enlarged. We rushed her to the vets who this time done an x/ray and spotted bone fragments which they suggested causing an obstruction. They said they would need to be surgically removed. They made her comfortable and she was scheduled the operation in a couple of hours. We were told to collect her the next morning.
    However at 2am the vet called and told us that when they opened her up her stomach wall had been punctured due to a sharp piece of one of these chicken bones. This had caused peritonitis and she had zero chance of pulling through.
    We are distraught. We thought that we were doing the best for our dogs and while there’s a risk of anything a dog eats we are terribly cut up about the fact that we made the decision to feed her this and it has proven fatal. Don’t get me wrong she will have consumed hundreds of chicken wings without any issue but this one time has been enough and we have lost her.
    I’m too frightened now to continue the meaty bones with our other dog.
    While I’m not in anyway trying to scaremonger anyone, all I ask is please, please take it from me, it isn’t only cooked chicken bones that pose a risk it’s also raw.
    It was my initial fear and it has come true. I now wish I’d gone with my gut instinct, but so many others stated they were safe if they were raw. Please just be aware that I’m sure in the majority of cases things will be fine, there is the exception and I would not wish what we have gone through on my worst enemy. Our dog trusted us to do the right thing. We put that in her bowl so it’s very hard to not feel responsible. All I can advise is to proceed with caution.
    Thanks

  65. Three Dog Blogger says:

    Dawn, I am so sorry for your loss, you must be devastated. Thank you for taking the time to write your comment, it is certainly good to hear about all aspects of this diet.

  66. Dawn Poole says:

    Thank you, we truly are.
    She probably has been the exception to the rule, and has had countless meaty bones as part of her diet and as treats. I am sure most dogs will happily live their life on a raw diet with no problems whatsoever- but it certainly proves that there are risks associated with it.

    I think we may continue with the raw, however will ensure that anything with bone is ground, I really don’t dare take the chance of giving bone again, I really wouldn’t wish this on anyone, we feel like we have let her down with our choice, yet all along we believed it was in their best interests to get this wholesome diet.

    We got her to the vet almost immediately (twice) and after thinking she was out the woods the 1st time after tests were negative thought she was ok. Even our quick again still wasn’t enough to save our beautiful girl. X

  67. peter says:

    Our lady is a Thai Bangkaew Dog, We live in Thailand the home of the whole worlds chicken supplies, so we can chicken carcass for about 18 pence or 14 cents each. She is fed a whole one every day, or if misbehaving half in the morning and the other half at night. she also receives rice and left overs after the meals, with a splash of fish oil. At the moment she has her eye on a Thai squirrel that’s taken up home in the Mango tree to eat the ripe palm berries, but the squirrels to clever. not so the pigeons who wanna nest under the carport ,two down she’ll get the others, that’s her afternoon snack. When its very hot, she loves to have them frozen, ‘Chicken carcass lolly’ ! This gives her food and a cooling chew.

  68. brian says:

    you guys are so dramatic and everyone on here acting like if your dog eating a cooked chicken bone is a huge health risk are seriously just parroting what other ill informed people have said. Watch this video of a vet and what he says.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyhyVv0fJUU

  69. MORDECAI says:

    OUR GERMAN SHEPHERDS GOT SPARE RIBS CAUGHT IN THEIR MOUTHS OR THROAT SEVERAL TIMES. I HAD TO STICK MY HAND IN HER MOUTH AND FORCIBLY REMOVE THEM. SHE DIDN’T BITE AND WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE FREED. BONES CUT BY A BUTCHER ARE NOT THE NATURAL SHAPE AND SIZE OR REGULAR BONES SO BE CAREFUL. AFTER THIS WE MONITORED VERY CLOSELY WHO AND WHAT TO FEED THE DOGS.

  70. Nitya Rao says:

    I have a 9 week old Labrador pup (Mozzie) and my dad was cooking chicken today so he gave Moz a leg piece (not thigh) after taking off a little chip from other bone of the joint.

    It wasn’t small enough o be gulped (or so I thought). I thought he’d chew on it for hours but it went missing in half an hour and my dad fed him another one. This time I monitored closely, tried to pull it away from Moz once I noticed it fit in his mouth entirely.

    He got violent and tried to pull, went under the bed and swallowed it. I panicked and called the vet, he was in the middle of a surgery so he said don’t worry if it’s raw and bring him to me if there’s any abnormality.
    I’ve fed him curd rice for his next two meals, he has pooped only once and his tummy distends every time he eats.
    I know he can digest it, but it would take long, right?meanwhile can the bones cause obstruction? My baby seems too small when I think of the size of the bones.
    Any reply would be of so much help.

  71. Lisa Lu says:

    Thanks for posting such an interesting blog! I have an 11 yr old shih tzu. Long story short – I’ve been following guidance and been told that raw chicken bones are one of the best things for your dog. Tonight, I gave him a nice, semi-meaty chicken leg bone. This was his 3rd bone ever…all given in the last 1.5 weeks. His first bone was a small chunk of a beef neck bone – he chewed on it for about 20-30 mins and didn’t eat the bone. 3 days later, his 2nd bone – ALL of it gone in 10 mins. Stressful few days waiting for it to pass – everything was all good. I just gave him his first raw chicken bone – a leg bone and it all of 10 minutes it was gone baby gone! I came here and now read about the chicken leg bones with the sharp needle like bone and I’m stressing a little on this. I did my best to examine the bone before I gave it to him and did not see a bone like this. Sigh…now will be on guard for next 3 days 🙁 Can you tell me where this sharp bone is located on the leg so I am sure never to make this mistake again? I would be grateful. I’m also a little alarmed he’s snarfing down these bones so quickly – he weighs 17.5 pounds. He has always been a little piglet. I supervise him with the bones…he was chewing on the leg and it popped….he jumped! Next thing I know that entire leg bone was history. He seems perfectly fine at the moment… Thanks again!

  72. Tom the dog lovr says:

    Haven’t dogs been eating cooked bones for thousands of years? What’s all this bullsh*t about cooked bones being unsafe? Isn’t this just another case of Americans being overly safety conscious? Really now!

  73. mike says:

    My cousin’s dog lived to be 23+ years old and ate cooked chicken everyday along with all the leftovers from her humans’ meals. So yeah, I’m calling bs on this article

  74. Lenine Magill says:

    A few days ago my 13k greyhoung puppy swallowed whole most of a raw duck neck. He seems to be okay. A day later he stole 2 cheese topped ham roles last night he brought up all his ground raw chicken an vegetable meal . Today he has formed but loose stool . He doesn’t appear to have bloat and is active enough. He’s been on organic raw food since we got him at 8 weeks old.
    Any helpful advice would be welcome.

  75. Robert says:

    When I was a kid, (rural GA 60’s), our dogs finished off all our left overs, (pork chop, chicken and any other bone you can imagine). Never any adverse effects, except one time I noticed our collie giving her anus more attention ? than usual. A close inspection revealed a piece of chicken bone stuck sideways, ouch! We hardly went to the Dr in those days, much less take a dog to the vet. I was the only one home and she was getting nowhere, so I removed it myself, (I was maybe 12 years old). Though she didn’t say so I know she appreciated it. Today I am a surgical nurse. Good memories, Robert

  76. Jennifer Hinds says:

    Raw or not its dangerous and don’t be comparing a domesticated dog with a wolf sorry. Love your dogs and keep them away from bones cooked or not.

  77. Paul D says:

    This flies completely into the face of reason IMHO. Sure dogs use to eat a variety of raw foods in the wild 30,000 years ago. since then we have bred them to be quite different from wild dogs. Has anyone thought of the life expectancy of dogs who eat this diet both wild & domesticated? I’m suspect wild dogs lived three or four years tops. Even soft hollow bones can be sharp enough to perforate the digestive system causing a myriad of painful problems for your best friend.

  78. Edwin says:

    I always feed my dogs bones, never had a problem. Cooked or raw. I realize that the bones may be potentially dangerous but I’ve had many dogs and never ever had a problem. My main reason to feed them bones is because they just freakin love them and I would feel bad depriving them of something that they just love so much. I know I’m humanizing my dogs in saying this but my logic is like abstaining from eating your favorite fast food or not having a delicious beer or wine because it’s potentially harmful, specially if you are not doing it out of your own free will and somebody else was calling the shots (kind of like prohibition). Lol just a thought.

  79. Mel Hall says:

    My Manchester Terrier gets 3 raw chicken necks each morning and a BARF beef patty at night. He gets dried beef or duck or chicken strips as chew treats. I’m curious about the safety of dried pet shop products ie dried chicken necks?

  80. Alisia says:

    My puppy lila ate a chicken wing bone on Friday and today Sunday woke me up as if she was trying to spit it out I noticed she spit out a hair ball? Please help