Vomiting after raw beef knuckle bone?

minibull

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I bought Buttercup a beef knuckle bone from the meat market today to try to improve her dental hygiene. She licked and chewed at it for a few minutes then stopped, gave me an "I did something bad and now I'm in trouble" look, then promptly vomited 4 times. She didn't eat any of the bone itself, just a small amount of fat and meat that was attached to the bone.

I have never given her any raw bones (or raw meat) so I wonder if anyone can shed light on why this might be. Spoiled bone (didn't smell bad, but who knows)? Allergy?? We thought she might be allergic to beef but it seems some dogs can tolerate the raw version of what they don't tolerate cooked or in kibble.

Should I boil the bone to cook it and offer again, try a new bone, or just chalk it up to a failed experiment? We just got some deer femur bones from the same market and if she doesn't tolerate them we're going to be in for some very expensive dental visits.
 

ddnene

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I have never given my dog a raw beef bone… are you completely sure that she didn't swallow a piece of the bone like a splinter or something?!! I would definitely take it away from her, and keep an eye on her… if she continues vomiting I would contact a vet ASAP. I'm going to tag some members to see if they can help...
 

bullmama

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Just a thought, but if she's not an experienced chewer she may have swallowed a lot of air and slobber , causing her to vomit.


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WifeofPA

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We avoid bones altogether and have been using this additive to Shelby's water. It's not only helps with tarter but makes her breath smell good!
 

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Marine91

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We don't use raw bones either, but I have to agree with [MENTION=2]bullmama[/MENTION] sounds like she swallowed a lot of air and drool. Inspect the bone and look for any broken parts and if you find any she may have swallowed it so I would keep an eye on her but not give it back to her.
 

nycbullymama

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When I switched Blue over to raw, he threw up on and off for the first few weeks. It took him a little while to adjust.
Having said that, I don't remember him ever throwing up off the marrow bones we used to give.
 

RiiSi

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I agree with Bullmama, a lot of times they get so excted over bones that this could happen. Never ever give your dog boiled or any way cooked bones! Raw bone is great, but cooked is hard and will splinter and possibly do damage in the stomach if swallowed.
 

2BullyMama

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agree with the others... he most likely got over excited, Cheli did this the first few times I gave him the marrow bone... now he doe great with them.

Also,,,never give cooked bones (broil, boiled, whatever... only raw) when cooked they will splinter or break and then become a choking hazzard
 
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minibull

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Thank you for all your responses. We may have to try that drink additive instead, tho' I think my father-in-law gave us some when we visited and she wouldn't touch it. We already mix her water with food because she just won't drink.

She definitely did not eat any bone as I watched her the whole time but maybe she did swallow extra air as she tried to approach the bone (which was way too big for her). I let her smell the bone later to and she just did not want it, which I'll take as her final word on beef knuckles.

We tried a raw deer bone later but I learned today that the reason you can't find cut deer femurs is due to the possibility of chronic wasting disease, a prion disease that would not be affected by cooking. However one processor said they send all their deer carcasses to a rendering facility so it seems they can end up in the pet food supply, anyway.

Buttercup adored the deer bone and it seemed to clean her teeth, so I'd like to give them to her (with supervision) if there is no major safety issue. I guess I could wash out the marrow (the one we gave her last night was cut high in the femur so it had no marrow). She is a power chewer so it seems she might be more likely than some dogs to crack a tooth on antlers.
 

2BullyMama

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Thank you for all your responses. We may have to try that drink additive instead, tho' I think my father-in-law gave us some when we visited and she wouldn't touch it. We already mix her water with food because she just won't drink.

She definitely did not eat any bone as I watched her the whole time but maybe she did swallow extra air as she tried to approach the bone (which was way too big for her). I let her smell the bone later to and she just did not want it, which I'll take as her final word on beef knuckles.

We tried a raw deer bone later but I learned today that the reason you can't find cut deer femurs is due to the possibility of chronic wasting disease, a prion disease that would not be affected by cooking. However one processor said they send all their deer carcasses to a rendering facility so it seems they can end up in the pet food supply, anyway.

Buttercup adored the deer bone and it seemed to clean her teeth, so I'd like to give them to her (with supervision) if there is no major safety issue. I guess I could wash out the marrow (the one we gave her last night was cut high in the femur so it had no marrow). She is a power chewer so it seems she might be more likely than some dogs to crack a tooth on antlers.

give the antler a try -- Banks was also a power chewer and she did not have any issues with cracking or breaking a tooth
 

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