# Yikes - swallowed half a chicken neck!?



## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Lola was anxious or hungry this morning and she crunched on her half chicken neck piece - about 6" - and crunched for maybe 2 minutes before she just swallowed the whole thing. The piece she swallowed was probably 4" long. Meat and bones. She wobbled around for a minute like she was going to throw up. I tried to get her to regurgitate it. But she happily kept it down. Now What????

She lying down curled up like usual. Should I get her moving to throw it up? Maybe it is better for her to stay still and let the stomach enzymes work on it? 

I think she is going to throw it up either way, so maybe getting her moving now is the better move.

Let me know if you have any experience - Marj or Daniel - I hope you do!


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Oh my goodness - Poor Lola! Does she norally get a chicken neck to eat that size?? I would think that he stomach will most likely work on it, but i would bet that she wont eat dinner tonight. 
Poor little baby!


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

She normally gets turkey necks which are bigger, so she has to chew on them more. The butcher gave me chicken necks by mistake, but I didn't want it to go to waste! It didn't occur to me she'd swallow the thing whole. Little piggy.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Hi Anne, poor Lola! Yikes! My guess is the same as yours - that she will eventually throw it up if it is too big to digest. Let us know what happens and I hope she will be okay!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Wow, hope she's ok! I guess she was hungry!!!


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Jane said:


> Hi Anne, poor Lola! Yikes! My guess is the same as yours - that she will eventually throw it up if it is too big to digest. Let us know what happens and I hope she will be okay!


:grouphug: Anne and Lola :grouphug:


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Hi Anne,

My Beamer has also swallowed a whole chicken neck before.. every now and then it happends I guess... He is always fine though... (the first time I freaked out to)

Ryan


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Ryan - what RMBs are the right size for these kids to gnaw on and get the meat off and then crunch bones without swallowing the whole dang thing?


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## Beamer (Jan 29, 2007)

Chicken necks are good... I've been using them for over a year, and not sure what else there is besides turkey necks.. The only reason why I would think they swallow them whole sometimes is because they think it will be taken away from them... So I usually keep my distance while hes doing his thing with it... 

Ryan


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Lola swallows them whole because she is a food hog. I feed her raw food frozen in a Kong so she will take more than one minute to eat. I have this lovely vision of her eating a bone where she has to pull the meat off with her front teeth, chew, swallow, and then crunch the bare bones with her back teeth, swallow. I gave her a chicken thigh once, and she ate it in 3 bites. Under 3 minutes. Clearly she loves them. I was thinking a really big bone might provide a combination of meat/food and chewing.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Do you give them the thigh or neck raw? I would be afraid they'd get sick.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

No big deal. My guys have swalled the chicken necks whole when they first started on them. They will digest in their stomachs quite easily as they are soft bones. Just continue feeding like normal.

If you want to slow her down, just hold on to them while she's chewing or break them in half. I usually break them in half for my guys.


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Scooter's Family said:


> Do you give them the thigh or neck raw? I would be afraid they'd get sick.


Ann - it is all a part of feeding Raw. BARF diet. 99% of what Lola eats is raw meat, veg and fruit. Normal feeding is Nature's Variety medallions. 3+ times a week she gets a raw, meaty bone for one meal. Crunching the bones is great for the teeth, and the calcium is good for them, too.

The first few times Lola had a RMB she got a little stomach upset, mostly due to overfeeding on my part. Now nothing bothers her.

Lola does not seem at all phased by this. Crazy furkids.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I checked this earlier and am happy to hear that Lola is doing fine,


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I guess it's whatever they get used to. Cool!


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## PepperToast (Oct 27, 2008)

I want to echo DanielBme,

Not a big deal if she got it down. She may throw it up or not, probably not. If she does, she may want to crunch it this time. The only way I get my guys to slow down is to hold it until it gets too short or they pull it from my fingers. 

Meeka


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

:hug: How is she doing?


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Wow, that's big! I hope Lola is feeling okay tonight!


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

My hope and expectation is Lola will be Ok. They are dogs, after all, and in many countries dogs pretty much live as scavengers on cities of garbage. You've got to think about their evolutionary function. Biscuit has eaten some terrible things (2 part 6 in plastic syringe, very very sharp) and passed them all easily. I would think chicken neck bones would be very soft/pliant and easily broken down. Just keep an eye on her . . .


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## micki2much (Feb 8, 2007)

Wow, no advice here but I hope Lola's feeling better soon!!!!


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Lola is doing just fine. It is almost like nothing happened. She didn't throw up ( that I can tell) and her elimination has been normal. Last night she spent a a few hours wandering about with her tail down. That seems to have been the only ill effect. 

I guess she really is tougher than I thought!

Thanks for your advice & good thoughts. While it hasn't had any ill effects, in the future, I will hold on to the necks as she crunches on them.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Glad she's ok, maybe she had a bit of a tummy ache from it last night. I know I would!


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

What an interesting thread, and Anne, I'm glad Lola is all right!


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## Salsa's Mom (Mar 18, 2008)

I'm glad to hear Lola is okay. I think I worry too much about choking and blockages, but it's good to know that others have swallowed big pieces of chicken neck bones too and nothing happened. I even get nervous with the flossies sometimes. I can't believe Lola is such a food hog. She sure doesn't look like it with her trim waistline.


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## marb42 (Oct 19, 2008)

Anne, glad Lola is ok. Wow, I never thought dogs could swallow all that and be fine. I always learn something new here.
Gina


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## sweater32 (Dec 12, 2008)

Glad everything is ok! All my life I was told that bones were bad for dogs that they could cause a tear in the intestines and to never give raw meat. This all amazes me that they not only eat bones but eat them raw. What is the difference between chicken and turkey necks? How often do you give the raw bones and how much? If they eat raw bones is this considered a meal?


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

sweater32 said:


> Glad everything is ok! All my life I was told that bones were bad for dogs that they could cause a tear in the intestines and to never give raw meat. This all amazes me that they not only eat bones but eat them raw. What is the difference between chicken and turkey necks? How often do you give the raw bones and how much? If they eat raw bones is this considered a meal?


Colleen - by the way I just love your dogs! Those eyes are mesmerizing!

There is a whole "movement" toward feeding dogs raw protein as the basis of the diet. There are several raw feeders on here - Marj, Daniel, Ryan - that have posted on the Alternative Diets Forum thread. Most of the food is chopped meat, but a few meals a week, the dog gets raw, meaty bones as the basis of their meal. The bones are excellent sources of minerals. And dogs back teeth are designed to crush bones. Add in some veggies and supplements and your dog will never be healthier, especially their teeth.

The cautions you have heard are surely about cooked bones. Never give your dog a cooked bone - they splinter and can tear their insides. Particularly chicken bones. And as far as raw food goes, get quality, store it properly and you'll be OK. Frozen is the state it should most often be in for storage. And the old adage about never re-freezing meat is for human consumption and it is about the texture and taste of the meat, not the safety. I buy frozen raw medallions from Nature's Variety, I defrost them, mix in some yogurt and supplements and then stuff the food into Kongs and re-freeze. That is so Lola will spend over 10 minutes eating, not 10 seconds.

Check out the threads here, DanielBeMe has a recipe for homemade raw diet. You can read up on it on the web. Search BARF, Raw Feeding.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Just an FYI on refreezing. As long as the meat is defrosted in the fridge and not allowed to warm up and not in a defrosted state long, it is safe to refreeze. This applies for dogs and people. You can check the government site for proper defrosting for chicken, beef etc.

With the raw meat, you can buy it prepackaged or make your own. I make my own. I get ground chicken, turkey, beef etc with ground bone in it. Then add some raw pulped vegetables and supplements. Also once or twice a week it is very important that you also feed some offal, heart, liver etc. 

I also feed raw chicken necks 3-4 times a week. I find the turkey necks just too large.

You can go to rawlearning.com to read up on it if you are interested.


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## sweater32 (Dec 12, 2008)

Thank you for the compliments and info. Today I started the raw and it was not a very good beginning. I read that you should start with a chicken or turkey neck. I was all excited for I thought they would go nuts with the turkey necks. I placed them on the floor and both dogs go over and sniff each other's. Bailey literally back-up and Simba gave me the look "you got to be kidding". Called both boys onto the coach hoping they would start eating them if I held them. NOPE. Well, Simba did a little bit but Bailey no way. Now I am a little anxious and thawed a Nature's Variety chicken patty. When it thawed, I divided it in half and placed it in their bowls...meanwhile they were whimpering because they were hungry, again, they sniff, and Bailey backs up further this time. I tried hand feeding them&#8230;.no way. An hour later they permitted me to hand feed them the CP which they ate very grudgingly. In addition, I thought maybe they did not like the bones for they were cold and they are used to warm food so placed the bones in plastic bags and hot water for a little bit&#8230;..they were not as cold then&#8230;and still wouldn't eat them. Now what do I do? 

I will either copy and paste this to a new thread or see if I can add it to one on the alternate food&#8230;.I am desperate, disappointed and wondering what to do next.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

BTW I think starting with chicken necks is far better than turkey necks. Turkey necks are larger and harder. If your dog is not used to raw it would be better starting with a chicken neck broken in half. As per my other comment, you may want to sprinkle Nupro on them and some hot water. My guys Looooooooooove them like that.


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## sweater32 (Dec 12, 2008)

DanielBMe said:


> BTW I think starting with chicken necks is far better than turkey necks. Turkey necks are larger and harder. If your dog is not used to raw it would be better starting with a chicken neck broken in half. As per my other comment, you may want to sprinkle Nupro on them and some hot water. My guys Looooooooooove them like that.


Where do you buy the Nepro? I will try anything!


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## sweater32 (Dec 12, 2008)

DanielBMe said:


> BTW I think starting with chicken necks is far better than turkey necks. Turkey necks are larger and harder. If your dog is not used to raw it would be better starting with a chicken neck broken in half. As per my other comment, you may want to sprinkle Nupro on them and some hot water. My guys Looooooooooove them like that.


They only had the turkey necks at the pet store. I also purchased chicken backs and today I will cut them into smaller pieces and try that.


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Raw food people: is it okay to give my dogs a raw turkey neck as a special once-in-awhile treat, while having them on a more conventional dry food diet. Or will it upset them?
What is Nupro???


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

Amy R. said:


> Raw food people: is it okay to give my dogs a raw turkey neck as a special once-in-awhile treat, while having them on a more conventional dry food diet. Or will it upset them?
> What is Nupro???


Amy - Daniel may have more experience, but I do think the turkey neck may cause upset if your dog is not used to them, or a raw diet. Does Biscuit have strong stomach, or is it easily upset by food changes?

That said, if you want Biscuit to have the benefit of chewing and crunching the bones and the calcium, give it a try. Maybe just a small piece at first and see how it stays down. They do tend to throw up the first time or so. But it is normal, and not cause for concern.

And if the dog doesn't go mad for the neck, don't force it.


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