On a fairly regular basis, I have owners tell me that one of their dog’s favorite chew toys is a bone. Unfortunately I have seen all types of bones cause problems. At this point in my career, I don’t care if it’s the biggest knuckle bone that’s been boiled. It can still cause issues.
The most common issue is gastrointestinal (GI). Bones can get caught in the esophagus, trachea, stomach and/or intestines. If the bone(s) poke through the stomach or intestines it can cause peritonitis. Peritonitis is a very difficult to treat bacterial infection of the abdomen. Bones will often scrape the lining of the intestines causing bleeding. Vomiting and diarrhea are also seen and may indicate surgery is needed.
Early in my career, I literally saved a patient by doing a rectal exam. A couple brought in a very lethargic 85lb dog. On physical exam, his abdomen was painful but all he could really do was groan. His history included getting a new bone every weekend. They swore he was never able to get any pieces off the bone. Well, the rectal found a piece of bone wedged sideways in the pelvis. I was able to gently turn and remove it. A follow up call found him back to his usual self.
The most recent bone case involved a goofy Labrador retriever (as an owner as well, what else can you say about them?). She had been seen a couple days before at the emergency clinic for vomiting and diarrhea caused from eating a bone. Antibiotics and stomach protectants were dispensed. When I saw her, she hadn’t improved very much so we took the radiograph. At least bones show up easily! The shards of bone were in the large intestine so we knew it was just a short matter of time before they would pass and she could continue to heal. She was one of the lucky ones.
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