Pet parents, beware: Your pup's favorite bone could lead to a trip to the vet.
Is it just us, or do dogs go looking for trouble? Some dogs have a taste for chocolate and can find the dangerous treat no matter where their owners hide it. Other pooches are famous for tearing up their squeaky toys and trying to wrangle out the stuffing inside. And then there are the pups who like to chew on, well, just about everything. With all these bad habits to worry about, pet owners might not expect that a soothing pastime like chewing on a bone would end with a trip to the emergency vet—but that's exactly what happened to a yellow lab in Florida.
Dr. Liz Moses, an emergency veterinarian at an animal hospital in Tampa, Florida, recently shared a video of one of her patients who came in with a bone stuck in his mouth. The seemingly pet-friendly chew was a round bone with a hole in the center, which is how it got lodged behind the canine teeth on the lower jaw. The poor Labrador is sedated so the veterinarian can work on removing the bone from the dog's mouth. Throughout the clip, the vet explains what's happening and how she's going to help the pup.
Vet Removes Bone Lodged On Dog's Jaw
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"This big boy came into the emergency clinic with a round bone stuck on his lower jaw," Moses says. "This is actually a very common emergency."
She went on to explain that the dog is sedated so that Moses can keep him comfortable and safely work inside his mouth without causing further distress. The poor pup's mouth is all slobbery because his mouth has been stuck open, making it more difficult to get a hold of the bone. After a long struggle, Moses is eventually able to get the bone loose, much to relief of her and her staff.
Dogs and Bones: A Common Emergency
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At the beginning of the video, Moses said that this is one of her "favorite" pet emergencies—which sparked a lot of debate in the comment section of her post. She later clarified that she actually enjoys this type of problem because it's non-life-threatening. "Easy to fix, and once it's off, the dogs feel instantly better," Moses said. For an emergency vet who sees much worse problems, this makes a lot of sense. (And the pup sure did look relieved!)
Another question that popped up in the comments was about the removal method. In the video, she just uses her hands and the natural lubrication from the pup's drool to pop the bone off, but people were curious why she didn't cut or saw it. One commenter suggests using something like a Dremel or an electrical saw machine to remove the bone. "I think that's dangerous, but I would have used bolt cutters next," Moses said. "Normally, we can get them off."
Marrow bones like this are a favorite treat for many pups and this type of emergency happens more often than you'd think. Moses's follow-up video is a compilation of the various bones she has removed from dogs' mouths, throats, and stomachs in the past, demonstrating that many types of bones can be a hazard for your pet. For example, rawhide bones are widely considered to be a dangerous chew toy for dogs and cooked bones can splinter easily. However, even "safe" bones can cause problems for your pooch. Remember to always supervise your pet to avoid a trip to the local emergency clinic!
Has your dog ever had a bad experience with a bone or chew toy? Tell us on our Wide Open Pets Instagram!
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