Bones For Dogs-warning!

[fishinhogdaddy]

I gave my dog a ham bone on the weekend. He has been in C.A.R.E. centre since Monday night as shards of the bone lodged in his intestines and blocked his "works". Since having a dog in their care is amounting to another mortgage I am sending this out as a warning to everyone not to feed their dogs anything other than a "knuckle bones" from cows. As ham is usually "cured" with salt, this has also complicated things as he became dehydrated overnight causing the intestines to become dry and the result was the bone pieces getting stuck. It seems dogs do not tolerate salt very well and he had to be given huge amounts of intervenous to re-hydrate him. We are hoping he passes the last chunk which is still stuck inside him tonite. We are at the point of no return monitarily and he will possibly have to have surgery Friday if it hasn't passed through him tonight.

 

The C.A.R.E. Centre staff have been stellar in their care of our beloved canine and have been updating us on a regular basis. I highly recommend them to all pet owners when your pet is in a bad way.

 

FYI. The C.A.R.E Centre is the largest animal hospital in North America complete with all the diagnostic equipment ie: CT, Lab, 4 Surgical suites, Oncology Md's....the works. It is a top notch facility.

 

I think I am financing most of it. LOL

 

So, be kind to your dogs. DO NOT FEED THEM HAM BONES!

 

 

FHD

[jonny5]

Is the CARE center the one in NE?

[LynnF]

Oh Boy....I'm so sorry to hear that....I hope your guy is OK.

 

I'm going to further the warning and tell everyone who owns a dog that no dog should ever eat a bone that has been cooked, cured, smoked or anything like that. Bones fed to dogs should be raw. We give our dogs raw, frozen bison bones because our lab has the wickedest sensitive stomach ever and they're lifesavers. We believe in the BARF diet and feed our golden part BARF, but even if you don't, raw bones are the only way to feed your dog. And rawhides can cause intestinal damage and, depending on the amount consumed, can inflate and expand enough to cause death depending on the size of your dog. It's amazing the things I used to think were good for my dogs but really are so bad.

 

Sorry to sort of threadjack, but this is a great opportunity to save another dog and dog owner from heartache like yours. Please keep us updated on his condition/progress. All the best.

[Teck71]

Oh Boy....I'm so sorry to hear that....I hope your guy is OK.

 

I'm going to further the warning and tell everyone who owns a dog that no dog should ever eat a bone that has been cooked, cured, smoked or anything like that. Bones fed to dogs should be raw. We give our dogs raw, frozen bison bones because our lab has the wickedest sensitive stomach ever and they're lifesavers. We believe in the BARF diet and feed our golden part BARF, but even if you don't, raw bones are the only way to feed your dog. And rawhides can cause intestinal damage and, depending on the amount consumed, can inflate and expand enough to cause death depending on the size of your dog. It's amazing the things I used to think were good for my dogs but really are so bad.

 

Sorry to sort of threadjack, but this is a great opportunity to save another dog and dog owner from heartache like yours. Please keep us updated on his condition/progress. All the best.

 

dang your right. where do you get the bison bones?

 

Cobber (my puppy) loves chewin on bones, we were getting smoked cow knuckles from the butcher, but now probably not so much.

 

Thanks for the info and hope your pooch gets better quick

Teck

[fishpro]

I hope he's okay, I know what you're going through. A couple months ago we fed steak bones and some leftover scraps to our husky and she got the bones lodged in her stomach. Worse than the bones though was that she got pancreatitis, which ended up turning toxic inside of her and in the end there was nothing we could do and we lost her in the middle of November. She was almost 11 and still full of energy, but her system just couldn't handle very much.

[LynnF]

Oh my Fishpro....that's an awful way to lose your dog. Well..no way is a good way, but that's very sad. We used to fed our family dog steak bones and pork bones and I can't believe we never did him any damage. Those are the worst possible things for your dog - as you have found out.

 

Raw bison bones (and others if your dog has a stronger stomach) can be found at any high quality pet food store - Barking Lot in Midnapore, Pet Planet - anywhere where there's a freezer and they sell BARF food or high quality dog food.

 

I just cringe when I see people in the pet store buying cooked bones and those really cool smoked beef bones with big hunks of fat hanging off them and thinking they're doing their dogs a favour. The idea is that when you cook a bone, it dries it out and it becomes virtually undigestable by the dog vs a raw bone that is raw calcium, does not sliver off and has the full moisture of a raw bone like dogs eat to use when they lived in the wild way back when. That's the basis for the BARF diet too.

 

I could go on and on about the benefits of raw, but I think I've made my point.

[headscan]

dang your right. where do you get the bison bones?

 

Cobber (my puppy) loves chewin on bones, we were getting smoked cow knuckles from the butcher, but now probably not so much.

 

Thanks for the info and hope your pooch gets better quick

Teck

Try Tailblazers. There's one in the NW at Nose Hill Dr. and Arbour Lake Way, but I think they have a few others in the city. Careful switching over to raw if you've been feeding your dog other food up till now because it can make him sick. If you ask at the store they can tell you how to switch properly. I don't do BARF with my dog, but I only buy his dry food and bison chews from Tailblazers because it's the healthiest stuff. It's a little more expensive, but you don't have to worry about stuff like melamine. I think the raw stuff at Tailblazers mostly comes from local farms, too.

[acurrie]

I've done a whole bunch of research on the best "Dry" dog food money can buy, and far and away it is the brand "Orijen". It's a High-protein, low-carbohydrate , grain-free product. Since we have had our lab on it, she is like a new dog, consistent bowel movements (very small also.. nice bonus!!), amazing coat, and a whole lot more energy (too much!). The best price in town is at trail blazers.

 

Sorry, A bit off Topic.

Hope you Pup is doing better soon, and it doesn't cost you an arm and leg.

 

Drew.

[polegrl]

The CARE centre is in Deerfoot Meadows - not too far from the Trail Appliance store (old Costco).

 

My old boy went into kidney failure (he was living with chronic renal disease for 9 mo) and the CARE centre managed to flush his kidneys and give me another 6 days with him. The care he received there was incredible but it did cost a pretty penny. Nonetheless, I treasure those pics I took with him during his last few days...I still miss him today.

[fishinhogdaddy]

I got the little guy back late Friday. Boy! What an expensive lesson. Nice that others have tips for the 'daddy. I have heard good things about the RAW/Barf diet but wasn't sure if it could be found in Calgary. Now I know! I appreciate all the best wishes thrown my way. Now the boy is home and seems no worse for wear. Great people at the CARE Centre. Open 24hrs too!

Thanks everybody!!!!

FHD

[ladystrange]

i am all for the BART diet. i had my great dane/sheppard on it for years. i got him when he was about 2 from the SPCA, the poor thing had been on regular dry dog food. his skin was bad, his hair was a mess. he just did not digest bagged dog food.

 

seriously, if one thinks about it for a moment, commercial dog food has only been around for the las 50 years give or take. before that, dogs previously being wild animals, ate raw meat, bones, misc tissue etc. 50 years is too short of a time period for evolution to kick in and provide a different set of enzyms needed to digest cooked food and processed crap.

 

no animal should be fed cooked bones or other cooked 'people' food of any sort, other than grains. their digestive systems are not set up for cooked food. they lack the enzyms to breakdown the cooked bones. they are carnivores for god sakes with no apposible thumbs, dogs cant cook. you dont see wolves hanging out at a Keg for leftovers or hienas bbqing on the savanha, rarely is there anything left, including bones and teeth.

 

unfortunately cooking bones causes them to become weak and brittle sharp spikes that poke into soft tissues and cause all sorts of problems. peritonitis is the biggest concern, and once there is a systematic infection - sepsis, there is usually very little vets can do.

 

i fed my dog a full raw chicken carcass (bones and all), a cup of brown rice, raw broccoli, carrots or green beans every day. his skin got better, he stopped chewing himself, his hair grew out, no more bald patches. he also liked grapes as a treat - not too many because of the sugar. he was a happier dog and the pooper scooper was happier too.

 

it really is sad that some dogs managed to get there mouths around cooked bones, and sometimes it happens by accident. i ended up having to move the garbage can to a locked facility so my boy wouldnt go dumpster diving. we had a bone scare as well, he was at the vet for a few days with IVs and all sorts of meds. $2000, i learned about why bones are so bad. took a stupid manuver on my part but in the end he was a healthier dog for the rest of his life. although none too happy about being banned from the garbage

[acurrie]

All sounds good, except i thought grapes were toxic to dogs. This is from Wikipedia:

 

"The consumption of grapes and raisins presents a potential health threat to dogs. Their toxicity to dogs can cause the animal to develop acute renal failure (the sudden development of kidney failure) with anuria (a lack of urine production)"

 

 

[dube]

Grapes, onions, chocolate..... like with humans lots of things are supposed to be bad for dogs. But as with humans everything in moderation. I never gave my dog chocolate as a rule but one day she was starting to drown in a pool of drool when I decided to give her one square of cadbury's, really slowly to make sure she got a really good smell. Of course as soon as I let go it was gone but she seriously looked like she died and went to heaven. Maybe wasn't safe but she's 90lbs. so I figured she could take it. We fed her frozen grapes for the longest time as a treat in the summer and then the ex learned of this grape business and they were suddenly forbidden. This dog is crazy for vegetables which is so bizarre, didn't like table peppers or lettuce, but would literally beg for any other fruit or veggie. Bones are tricky for sure, the only real bones she ever got were raw leg bones from butchers or markets although I'm sure she had a football size lump of rawhide and pigs ears sitting in her gut. She loved to chew so chew she did.

 

The one thing I found that ever really made her sick was pot. She ate a big roach I accidentally left lying on the coffee table one night and we were awoken to her, what I could only describe as "tripping out ". Super dry mouth, lot's of panting and basically looking dizzy. It took me a while to figure out what was going on until it suddenly donned on me. It was the middle of the night so I just sat with her while the ex yelled from bed every 15 minutes "IS SHE O.K ?". I felt like *hit obviously and it was pretty scary, after about 2 hours she laid down and passed out. I never left anything laying around again but I have let her sniff it from time to time as she will almost instinctively eat anything you pass her but she will instantly turn her head. Kinda funny in the end, lesson learned.

 

Sadly she went with her mom after the breakup and while at the time it seemed easy enough to see her whenever I wanted I quickly got tired of seeing her mom so I've essentially lost my dog, it sucks and I miss her. In my opinion dogs are mostly about good memories, sounds morbid I know but I've had enough dogs to know that in the end they are nothing but a heartbreak. I would never trade the times I spent with a dog but I will think long and hard before getting another one......the girl- totally over her. HA!

 

Glad to hear yours is o.k FHD.