# Dougal ate a whole ham bone.



## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

My mother bought Dougal a 'Good Boy' Ham Bone from Tescos which he had today. 

I thought he would just chew it - but In no time at all he had eaten virtually the whole thing - bone and all. There was only a little bit of it left.

He refused his dinner this evening, which is very unusual, - but still ran around in the park as usual. He's not been sick so far.

Is there anything I need to keep an eye on overnight?


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Honestly I don't know why these shops sell ham bones for dogs! It's probably one of the worst things you can offer a dog because ham bones can and do splinter causing serious internal damage.

He may be okay but I would keep an eye on him for any signs of vomiting and if you are concerned at all don't hesitate in seeking medical advice.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Roast bones often provoke a bout of diarrhoea as well, so you may wake up to a bit of a mess unfortunately


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

I won't be letting him have another one that's for sure.

He seems ok at the moment, other than not eating his dinner. If he seems in any pain or is sick, the emergency vet is only up the road.


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## lipsthefish (Mar 17, 2012)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> Roast bones often provoke a bout of diarrhoea as well, so you may wake up to a bit of a mess unfortunately


I found that out the hard way  It was a long time ago and I didn't know any better, I thought because I got them from the pet shop they would be fine, they went down well and luckily didn't do any permanent damage but my goodness the diarrhoea was scary


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

Dougal was very sick this morning and straining to go. Took him straight to the emergency vet where he is now. 

Vet believes there is a blockage or partial blockage - they have sedated him and will x-ray him to see if surgery is required. Either way, he'll probably be in until tomorrow even if surgery is not required.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Dougal said:


> Dougal was very sick this morning and straining to go. Took him straight to the emergency vet where he is now.
> 
> Vet believes there is a blockage or partial blockage - they have sedated him and will x-ray him to see if surgery is required. Either way, he'll probably be in until tomorrow even if surgery is not required.


I am sorry to hear this but you have acted quickly so that should help. Please keep us posted.


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2012)

Oh no poor Dougal. I can't understand why they can sell things which are so unsafe. Hope he's back to his old self soon.


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## lipsthefish (Mar 17, 2012)

Dougal said:


> Dougal was very sick this morning and straining to go. Took him straight to the emergency vet where he is now.
> 
> Vet believes there is a blockage or partial blockage - they have sedated him and will x-ray him to see if surgery is required. Either way, he'll probably be in until tomorrow even if surgery is not required.


Oh no  well done on getting him straight to the vets though, hopefully they will be able to sort him out quickly, let us know.


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

really sorry to hear this, a similar thing happened to my friends dog with a roast bone from the petshop, like Dougal he was sick and impacted, thankfully though, he did manage to pass it without the need for surgery...hope everything goes as well for Dougal x


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

Just had an update from the vet. The x ray showed his stomach is full of bone pieces but there is currently no blockage in his intestines. Vet gave him an enema to remove bone pieces at that end.

They will try and 'encourage' his body to pass the pieces naturally for the moment. If there is no success with that by tomorrow, they will have to surgically remove them.

They will probably keep him in until tomorrow regardless. 

(Had to approve an initial fee of £1000. My insurance covers £2000 per condition, so may not be enough if surgery is required. Bit annoyed as my previous insurance covered £6000 per condition. Oh well, whatever it costs of course. Still, shows the importance of having some insurance - night vet told me most people don't).


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## lipsthefish (Mar 17, 2012)

Dougal said:


> Just had an update from the vet. The x ray showed his stomach is full of bone pieces but there is currently no blockage in his intestines. Vet gave him an enema to remove bone pieces at that end.
> 
> They will try and 'encourage' his body to pass the pieces naturally for the moment. If there is no success with that by tomorrow, they will have to surgically remove them.
> 
> ...


Everything crossed here that Dougal manages to pass the bones. It is seriously about time that pet shops and supermarkets take notice of the risk of these type of bones, how many other dogs are going to need surgery, treatment or whatever because of them  Like I said before, as a new owner I presumed everything sold for a dog to eat in a pet shop would actually be safe for the dog and I would assume a lot of new owners would think this too, something really needs to be done, I don't know how though but I'm going to try and find out. Take care and a big hug to Dougal from Alfie and Angel.


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

lipsthefish said:


> Everything crossed here that Dougal manages to pass the bones. It is seriously about time that pet shops and supermarkets take notice of the risk of these type of bones, how many other dogs are going to need surgery, treatment or whatever because of them  Like I said before, as a new owner I presumed everything sold for a dog to eat in a pet shop would actually be safe for the dog and I would assume a lot of new owners would think this too, something really needs to be done, I don't know how though but I'm going to try and find out. Take care and a big hug to Dougal from Alfie and Angel.


thanks.

Yes I agree - 'Good Boy Ham Bone' - hardly appropriate. Once things settle down (fingers crossed), I am going to write a letter to the suppliers and to Tesco where the bone came from. I kept en eye on him chewing it, but he demolished so quickly it was ridiculous.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

I am so glad you managed to get him to the vet on time and hopefully he will pass the bones naturally without any problems but he is definitely in the right place and we are all hoping and praying that he doesn't require surgery.

I didn't want to worry you last night when you first posted but there are a number of ongoing cases in various states within USA of fatalities and the FDA have issued warnings about ham bones.

There is another thread on this site at the moment along the same lines. 

Something definitely needs to be done but unless customers complain nothing will happen. It's also about educating dog owners of the perils of feeding such bones to their dog.


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

How is Dougal tonight? Has he managed to pass anything?


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## rose (Apr 29, 2009)

Hope he has passed all the splintered bone. The expected vet bill of £1000 seems very high for an xray enema and having an eye kept on him?


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## EllesBelles (May 14, 2010)

I was going to say that about the vets bill. Make sure you get an itemised bill - it could just be that your vet is more expensive than most, but it's not unknown for them to get confused and add too many things, or even add treatment for different dogs to the wrong bill.

I hope he is much better soon...I completely agree with writing to Tesco, too. Include as much evidence as you can (printed, if possible, rather than referring them to links they are unlikely to be able to access right at that moment) and you'll probably find that they take the product off the shelves. My local Sainsburys did, they honestly didn't know the risks.

They should refund you, too - that's probably not top of your priorities right now though!

Keep us informed, and I hope the bill doesn't climb too much more.


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## ever expanding (May 9, 2011)

Keeping everything crossed for your little boy xxx


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

As of 6pm, Dougal had passed some of the bone, but the vet said there is still more left in him. He will stay there overnight and they will re-assess in the morning. He has eaten a little and apparently is not in too much discomfort.

Tried to call just now (10pm) for another update, but they are dealing with an emergency and asked me to call back in a couple of hours.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

So sorry to read this, I really hope he comes through ok with out the need for medical intervention, been there and done it this year with one of my girls without any insurance. And yes, it's a hit in the wallet, but they are always worth it.


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## Elles (Aug 15, 2011)

Why aren't they banned? 

My girl is mostly raw fed and I'd thawed her dinner overnight which was in the fridge. Today when I arrived home at lunchtime, I asked hubby where Elles is and he pointed her out in the garden eating her bone. I assumed he meant part of her dinner.

I only realised he didn't mean that when I went to give her her tea and the thawed food was all still in the fridge. He'd bought her a new toy, so I knew he'd been to [email protected] and it was then I found out by bone he meant one of the cooked ones. It was only from reading this forum I realise how dangerous they can be, so I looked in the garden and found a bit of it left over.

I wasn't sure whether to give her dinner or not, but she seemed okay, so I did, but I took the raw meat off the bone, it was chicken today, in the hope that raw chicken and the skin would help bring the cooked bone through, but daren't risk adding any more bone to her tummy, even raw. Don't know whether that's a good thing to do or not. 

My girl looked to be burying it, then came back into the kitchen carrying something. A large piece of the cooked bone, which she gave to me. I taught her to give me things using the swap method, which I'd read about here, swapping something lower value for something higher value, to prevent resource guarding and she'd dug up and brought me the cooked bone, when I gave her the raw dinner. :001_wub:

So I'm still not sure how much cooked bone she ate, but it wasn't as much as I'd originally thought and I am so grateful for the Internet and this forum. I know to keep an eye on her, I now know to most definitely not give her the cooked bones from pet shops and the swap method really works. 

I really hope Dougal is fine, the bone passes easily and he makes a full recovery. I won't be happy until my girl has pooped either.  Fingers firmly crossed for good news from your vet.


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

Just had an update from the veterinary nurse - Dougal has had quite an upset stomach, but not unexpected given the meds they gave him to 'get things moving'. 

They will monitor him during the night and re-assess when the day vet comes in at 9am. Hopefully he'll be home tomorrow, but we will see.


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

Dougal is home now. He is quite subdued and they vet told me he could get sick again next few days as not all the bone pieces had passed. She showed me all the bits of bone they collected - quite scary.

Still, looks like the worst is over hopefully and he looks happy to be home.

Vet told me they should never sell these cooked bones as they are so dangerous.


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## EllesBelles (May 14, 2010)

I'm glad he is home, and I hope he continues to improve.

I'd complain to where you got the bone from. They should know what has happened - hopefully, they'll at least put warnings on the bones.

Get well soon Dougal - it must be good to be home!

x


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## harrys_mum (Aug 18, 2010)

so pleased he is home. this is ridiculous selling these for dogs.
i would suggest a letter be sent as soon as possible, and keep the bits of bone he has passed and show them if you have to, im sure your vet would also let them know what has happened with dougal eating this. they should even foot the bill i reckon.
best wishes,
michelle x


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

harrys_mum said:


> so pleased he is home. this is ridiculous selling these for dogs.
> i would suggest a letter be sent as soon as possible, and keep the bits of bone he has passed and show them if you have to, im sure your vet would also let them know what has happened with dougal eating this. they should even foot the bill i reckon.
> best wishes,
> michelle x


thanks - once I've got the masses of paperwork required for the insurance sorted, I will certainly be writing a letter.

The main thing is he is on the mend, but I agree - these bones should never be sold as dog treats.


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

really glad to hear Dougal is on the mend, my friend complained to the petshop she got her dogs roast bone from...they didnt want to know


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## tiggerthumper (Apr 22, 2011)

So glad Dougal is on the mend now, it's so scary that they sell these things in the knowledge that cooked bones should never be given to dogs...I ordered one once from pet planet, didn't realise it was cooked, thought it would be sterilised or something, received it and it went straight in the bin as soon as I seen it, but only because of what I'd learnt on here. If I hadn't been on here I'd probably have given it to him not knowing any better.
The only warning I recall from the packaging was to supervise the dog. Again I'm so relieved for you and Dougal, I hope you do write to both Tesco and the manufacturer.
Get well soon Dougal!x


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## 912142 (Mar 28, 2011)

Elles said:


> *Why aren't they banned*?
> 
> My girl is mostly raw fed and I'd thawed her dinner overnight which was in the fridge. Today when I arrived home at lunchtime, I asked hubby where Elles is and he pointed her out in the garden eating her bone. I assumed he meant part of her dinner.
> 
> ...


Because as you will see from other posts many dog owners fail to complain when their dog becomes ill and so there are skewed figures!


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## Dougal (Oct 3, 2009)

just to end the story -while Dougal has fortunately completely recovered - my bank balance has not, as I've had all sorts of problems with 'Animal Friends' insurance.

First they mislaid the claim, so I had to send everything again. Then they said there was information missing from his medical history (there wasn't). After that they said they were 'finalising' the claim which took another 2 weeks.

I finally received a letter this morning 5 weeks after submitting the claim. They are only paying 50% of it. They also say they are only doing this as a 'one off' as he had digestive problems as a puppy and will not accept any further claims relating to his digestive system.

Totally ridiculous of course. Yes Dougal had colitis as a puppy which has thankfully gone away. This claim was due to a blockage caused by a bone. Hardly an existing condition.

I have tried to talk to them, but they are not interested. I am going to cancel my insurance and go elsewhere.

Having looked at reviews on Animal Friends online, I note they are well known for going out of their way to avoid paying claims. :mad2:


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## CavalierOwner (Feb 5, 2012)

Dougal said:


> just to end the story -while Dougal has fortunately completely recovered - my bank balance has not, as I've had all sorts of problems with 'Animal Friends' insurance.
> 
> First they mislaid the claim, so I had to send everything again. Then they said there was information missing from his medical history (there wasn't). After that they said they were 'finalising' the claim which took another 2 weeks.
> 
> ...


My dogs are insured with Animal Friends and they paid my out straight away, no questions asked....it was actually the vets that messed me about by not sending my form to them for a few weeks!


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