Can Dogs Eat Chicken Bones? Everything You Need To Know

Yes, dogs can eat raw chicken bones but not cooked chicken bones.

Chicken bones can be a healthy addition to your dog’s diet. However, while raw chicken bones are comparatively soft and stringy, cooked bones are stiff and can break and splinter when swallowing and this may cause your dog to choke or get the bone caught in his throat. This can be very painful and can even be fatal.

Additionally, while chicken bones usually do not cause any issues, beef and pork bones can cause distress and disease!

Are chicken bones safe for your dog? 

The answer hinges on your dog’s teeth. Raw chicken bones are relatively safe for dogs. Occasionally, there may salmonella or bacteria in the dog bone which can cause diarrhea. 

The bones can also stick in your dog’s throat. When chicken bones are raw, it is usually soft and such problems do not occur. However when the bones are cooked, they are stiff and could cause perforation of the esophagus (gullet) or the intestinal tract.

Check out these tips to distinguish when it comes to dogs and chicken bones: 

• Prep the chicken bone to avoid your dog consuming salmonella or other bacteria: Wash the bone well and apply vinegar before refrigerating. Though it is rare, there have been situations in which dogs have become sick from consuming raw chicken infected with salmonella. The sickness simulates the same signs seen in humans, including muscle cramping, fever, vomiting, shivering, and diarrhea with blood or mucous. 
• Monitor your dog while chewing bones. Your dog should not spend more than 20 minutes a day chewing on raw chicken bones.
• Be careful not to get bitten while you take away a bone from your dog. If you are uncertain about your dog’s response, give him some time to put it down before taking it away from him. 
• Ensure your dog eats a meal with the bones. If your dog has stolen a raw chicken bone, it may be a great plan to serve him some dog food with it, so the bone isn’t being digested by itself. The meal will also cause stomach acid production, which will help diffuse and absorb the bone. 

Percentage of Bones in Different Parts of a Chicken 

What about cooked bones? 

Many people examine the intake of cooked chicken bones, or cooked bones of any kind, to be riskier than raw bones. 

The opinion is that cooked bones are more fragile and will consequently break more efficiently than raw bones, possibly harming the dog’s mouth, neck, abdomen, or organs. 

It is generally admitted that cooked bones are dangerous, and if your dogs don’t require them, it is safer to avoid them. 

Should you take your dog to the vet if your dog eats a chicken bone? 

If a healthy dog happens to swallow a bone, there is no need to rush to the vet’s office. Given that the bone isn’t creating any noticeable issue, the rush would be needlessly stressful for both you and your dog.  

Here are the signs you need to watch out for: 

• Vomiting or retching 
• Extreme drooling or breathing 
• Unrest and looking tired 
• Exhausted, hesitant to move 
• Unwillingness to eat 
• Extending repeatedly or moving strangely 
• Moaning, crying when his belly is touched 
• Bleeding from his bottom, diarrhea, or striving to empty his bowels 
• Other ways that you don’t regularly see in your dog (such are growling) and that might symbolize pain or distress. 

What if my Dog Consumed a Chicken Bone? 

If your dog swallows a chicken bone unknowingly, don’t panic! Cautious observation will guide the steps you must take (if any).  

If your dog has any bone stuck in his mouth or is choking: 

Check his open mouth for the apparent difficulty. If you can see the bone, take it and, as delicately as possible, remove it. 

If you can’t see the bone, apply the Canine Heimlich Maneuver. 

• Touch your finger through the dog’s mouth to know or remove any object.  
• If the bone blocks the airway, take the tongue and pull it visible to remove the thing. 
• If the object cannot be moved or stretched out, raise the dog and place the dog’s spine on your chest.  

• Holding behind the dog, turn over and cover your arms around the dog below the rib cage.  
• Make a fist with one hand and place the other hand over your fist.  
• Pulling in and up, give five fast abdominal thrusts.  
• If the object was not removed, keep your dog in a sitting or standing posture and give five fine blows with your hand to the dog’s back between the shoulder blades. 
• If the dog is not breathing, give five whiffs into his mouth  

• When the object is removed, stop the abdominal thrusts. 
• Check the dog’s airway, breathing, and heartbeat. 
• Take the dog to your vet or emergency clinic immediately if he lost consciousness, stopped breathing, or shows any signs of bleeding from the mouth or anus. 

Should Dogs Eat Rawhide Bones? 

Are Bones More useful than Chew Toys for Dogs? 

Bones and chew toys intended for aggressive chewers are uniformly helpful to your dog. Both can support maintaining your dog’s teeth fresh, both provide your dog’s sense for chewing, and both can provide hours of relaxation and nursing to stave off boredom. It’s all up to you! 

The visible variations are that the bone will be more delicious for your dog, and the toy will last longer.  

Final Thoughts 

Confidently, you now have a solid knowledge of how to respond if your dog does eat chicken bones. The critical thing to memorize is to stay patient and not let your dog stress out. Call your vet quickly and do specifically as they guide. By catching your vet’s guidance, you may end up without many impressions of your doggie.