Overview

Cooked bones - including chicken bones, turkey bones, rib bones, and steak bones - are dangerous for dogs and cats. Cooking makes bones brittle, causing them to splinter into sharp shards when chewed. These fragments can puncture the esophagus, stomach, or intestines, leading to a life-threatening perforation and peritonitis. Cooked bones can also cause obstructions, severe constipation, and broken teeth. This applies to all cooked bones regardless of size or type. Thanksgiving and holiday weekends are the most common times veterinary ERs see bone-related injuries in dogs. Raw bones are generally safer but not without risk.

Symptoms

Choking, vomiting, constipation, intestinal perforation, bloody stool

Typical onset

Hours to days

What to do

Contact your vet, especially if pet is straining, vomiting, or lethargic. Cooked bones splinter and can perforate the GI tract.