I have meant to post this image for ages -- having had 2 experienced, raw fed cavaliers both have similar, dangerous problems with raw meaty bones. In both cases, the dogs became ill many hours after having been fed chicken wings, and eventually–and fortunately–vomited back up extremely sharp, completely undigested shards/broken pieces of raw bone that could easily have killed them (and I am very lucky it did not punctured their stomach). I was preparing to take the dog that vomited the piece shown below to the emergency vet in the middle of the night because he had increasingly become distressed, when he brought this up *12 hours* after having been fed a chicken wing.
In short, this is exactly what raw bone advocates say cannot possibly happen:
* raw bones are never supposed to splinter into dangerous shards
* raw bones are supposed to be easily and quickly dissolved in the stomach, giving extra insurance that any broken pieces will not remain dangerously intact
On RMB feeding -- I was not a newcomer and nor were the affected dogs. Neither gulps bones or eats in any way improperly. I own the well known raw meaty bones books, have read the various forums for ages, and had fed raw for a considerable time, believing this to be a great choice for a healthy diet. In the end, I came very close to potentially losing 2 of my Cavaliers. Note that these ( meaty chicken wings) are one of the favourites for raw feeding and supposed to be the safest of raw bones to give–they have plenty of skin and meat to help cushion the bone (although ultimately, it is probably those factors which meant the stomach wasn't pierced by the bone pieces).
With the 2nd dog, it was a bone shard from a larger raw bone.
The piece measures about 4 cm, or over an inch and a half and remains extremely sharp on the broken end.
The fact that I had the same problem with 2 different dogs over time indicates that these kinds of incidents are probably a lot more frequent than people notice–especially as a lot of people are not with their dogs constantly if they work during the day. I work from home and therefore the dogs are around me all the time.
Many different kinds of things that we give our dogs are potentially risky, from toys through to different types of chews. My point is not that people should avoid feeding raw bones–it is that people need to make a risk decision on the issue, because there is so much incorrect information out there making claims about how safe it is to feed such bones, when there is a potential risk involved. People may feel the health benefits outweigh the risks, but the risks are definitely there. The evidence below underlines possible risks -- and that it could be your cavalier the next time.
In short, this is exactly what raw bone advocates say cannot possibly happen:
* raw bones are never supposed to splinter into dangerous shards
* raw bones are supposed to be easily and quickly dissolved in the stomach, giving extra insurance that any broken pieces will not remain dangerously intact
On RMB feeding -- I was not a newcomer and nor were the affected dogs. Neither gulps bones or eats in any way improperly. I own the well known raw meaty bones books, have read the various forums for ages, and had fed raw for a considerable time, believing this to be a great choice for a healthy diet. In the end, I came very close to potentially losing 2 of my Cavaliers. Note that these ( meaty chicken wings) are one of the favourites for raw feeding and supposed to be the safest of raw bones to give–they have plenty of skin and meat to help cushion the bone (although ultimately, it is probably those factors which meant the stomach wasn't pierced by the bone pieces).
With the 2nd dog, it was a bone shard from a larger raw bone.
The piece measures about 4 cm, or over an inch and a half and remains extremely sharp on the broken end.
The fact that I had the same problem with 2 different dogs over time indicates that these kinds of incidents are probably a lot more frequent than people notice–especially as a lot of people are not with their dogs constantly if they work during the day. I work from home and therefore the dogs are around me all the time.
Many different kinds of things that we give our dogs are potentially risky, from toys through to different types of chews. My point is not that people should avoid feeding raw bones–it is that people need to make a risk decision on the issue, because there is so much incorrect information out there making claims about how safe it is to feed such bones, when there is a potential risk involved. People may feel the health benefits outweigh the risks, but the risks are definitely there. The evidence below underlines possible risks -- and that it could be your cavalier the next time.