Jake ate a bone

Shelley he was supposed to eat the bone [] Did you sit there the whole time holding the other end for him???

stomach x-rays and found lots of small bones in his stomach.

Emm yes... he did eat a bone. It obviously hadnt fully digested yet.

It cost me $300 today, my mistake for giving him the bone in the first place.  H

No i dont think the mistake was the giving the bone part....... []

For those of you who give your dogs bones, did your dog eat the whole bone and pass it okay?

My dogs and many,many others eat whole bones on a daily basis and pass them just fine.
Dont worry, from what you said in your post everything is completely normal []

How long does it take to pass the bones?

My husky has had many rib bones and never had a problem.

He chewed up and at the whole bone.

As long as he chewed it and didn't swallow it whole, I think he's going to be fine. 

How long does it take to pass the bones?

It depends on the dog. Some dogs when first given bones will poop out fragments in their next one or two poops for a little while,then once they get accustomed to them you stop seeing bits in their poo.

I honestly dont know what to think about your vet... Is he mega paranoid(and safe) and now has transferred this on to you,or did he see the dollar signs when you called?

Had you called my vet,who is a rmb feeder,she would have said good on you for giving a bone,asked you to keep an eye on your dog and his poop and that would have been that.

As long as he chewed it and didn't swallow it whole

My dog swallowed a whole rib the other day,an hour later she brought it back up and ate it again,chewing it properly this time.She often swallows chicken necks whole and digests them fine,never had any probs.All my dogs have swallowed ribs etc whole at one time or another without bringing them back up and their poops have been bone fragment free and fine []

    Shelley; Jake should be fine. Jessie has eaten the beef short ribs, bones included, without a problem. Some dogs are gulpers, swallowing the bone without chewing it, and there is a chance the dog will choke in that case. Usually, even bones swallowed whole are digested. If Jake's not a very large dog and you want him to chew on the bone but not eat it, you could try a larger bone like a beef back rib (not a baby back); Jessie eats the meat off those and chews on the bone but doesn't eat it. Knuckle and marrow bones would also work.
   Vets don't like for dogs to have bones because it's the leading cause of esophageal obstruction, and they have caused intestinal perforations. Dogs can also break their teeth chewing bones. You need to look at the negatives and pluses concerning feeding bones and do what you feel comfortable with.
 

because it's the leading cause of esophageal obstruction

Really? And if so,were they cooked or raw,big or small etc etc?
That is a bit of a blanket statement,especially without the individual facts.

   I was referring to a survey a Denver veterinarian conducted of several other veterinarians; the survey did not say if the bones were cooked or raw, but that according to the survey, they are the number one cause of esophageal obstructions; fish hooks are second and Greenies are third.

ORIGINAL: Shelley75   So I'm praying he passes these bones with no problems.  It cost me $300 today, my mistake for giving him the bone in the first place.  He is innocent in all this, I don't want him to suffer and have surgery.  I will never give him another bone again.  For those of you who give your dogs bones, did your dog eat the whole bone and pass it okay?

 
I'm sorry to hear this happened to you (the 300).  You didn't pull up to the Vets in one of those Hummers by any chance?  I'm sorry but I think the Vet actually took you for a ride, but it happens I guess.  I've had some chicken legs roll off the old barbecue in the past and scarfed up rather quickly with no chance of recovery and they dog survived each time.  The Vet didn't really tell you anything wrong, cooked bones can splinter, get lodged, cause a tear, etc., but that doesn't mean it is going to happen.  I know a person that would give the entire Thanksgiving turkey carcass to the big dog after dinner and it's gone in 5 minutes.  His dog also lived to a ripe old age.  I think the Vet could have said something to you like watch him closely for any changes his in his behavior, if you think something doesn't seem right bring him in, checking the stools to see if some bone passes may give you some peace of mind, give about 4 or 5 slices of bread to help absorb some bone material, etc.  I think a costly stomach x-ray on top of the visit and checkup was a bit much.  However, if you now have peace of mind you can't put a price tag on that on worth every penny of that 300!

I think the Vet could have said something to you like watch him closely for any changes his in his behavior, if you think something doesn't seem right bring him in, checking the stools to see if some bone passes may give you some peace of mind, give about 4 or 5 slices of bread to help absorb some bone material, etc. I think a costly stomach x-ray on top of the visit and checkup was a bit much. However, if you now have peace of mind you can't put a price tag on that on worth every penny of that 300!

 
    Very well said, Charlie; I agree. Shelley, it may not have been a good idea for me to mention why vets object to giving dogs bones since you're already worried. I'm sure Jake is going to be fine, but I would never tell anyone it's 100% safe to give a dog a bone. I give them to Jessie because they really help clean her teeth and she's a careful chewer; I feel the benefits for her outweigh the risks. 

I just started giving mine rmb...the first time I gave them one I let them eat the meat off then I took away the bone...dog was not happy..LOL...The second time I gave them I let them eat the bone...I was a little concerned but the dogs were fine...I think jake will be just fine dont worry

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom    Very well said, Charlie; I agree.

 
Thanks jessies_mom,
I think a lot of us our probably on the same page with this one.  Many Vets are probably a little too quick to capitalize on this one.  I don't think it unusual for them though not to recommend bones (raw or cooked).  Guess they have to CYA like everyone else.  The possibility does exist something could get lodged and then a client could always come back and say HEY, you said it would be OK now my treat my dog no charge...even though it is probably a long-shot anyway.  But they all had those Greenie thingies on the shelves for a while and they proved to probably be more dangerous than actual bones themselves.

I didn't take him to my vet.  It was a 24 hr. emergency vet.  I called right after he ate the bone, thinking it would splinter.  I called and told the person that my dog just ate a spare rib, was this okay.  She said I should bring him in right away.  She told me it's very bad when a dog eats bones as it can splinter and cause an obstruction.  So I panicked, and did what she suggested.  I took him in.  Just to see a doctor was $127 dollars.  Two stomach x-rays were $169.  The doctor also told me if I wanted to have surgery and remove the bones today, that she would do it, ($2000), but she thought it would be okay to wait and see if he passed them on his own first.  She left the decision up to me.  Of course I wasn't going to let him have surgery for this unless it was absolutely medically necessary.
 
I was going to wait and see if he vomited first or showed signs of feeling sick before I took him in, but the lady I spoke to insisted it was bad and he should come in right away.  To be honest, I don't have peace of mind.  Jake is acting fine, but I'm anxiously waiting for him to pass the bones.  He is eating and playing, he pooped only very little, but he is acting fine so far.  I wish I didn't panic and waited before I took him in, but I took the advice of a professional, which cost me $300 that I didn't have and honestly, I don't think he needed to be seen.  Oh well, what's done is done. 
 
Thanks everyone for your honest opinions.  I'm glad to know everyone thinks Jake will be fine and that all of your dogs never had a problem eating bones.  I don't know why I'm still nervous.  I guess the vet really got me worried.

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

    Dogs can also break their teeth chewing bones. You need to look at the negatives and pluses concerning feeding bones and do what you feel comfortable with.

 
Niko, my 7 month old lab, loves his marrow bones.  Since the marrow bones I got for him are large, he can't swallow them.  Once he has gotten all of marrow, he would start start chipping at the bone.  I used to give him one RMB and one 6-inch thick bully stick a week, I am cutting back, because there was a tiny chip on one of his back teeth (I saw it because I was up close, opening his mouth to check the condition of his teeth...to make sure they are clean).   I am now giving him bully sticks more often and I watch him closely when he eats the marrow bones (taking away the bones once the goodies are gone).
 
But, just like everyone else here, Niko has no problem with the pieces of bones he has eaten.