My dog ate a bone. My puppy swallowed a chicken bone. My dog swallowed something sharp. My puppy ate glass! What can we do?

Cotton ball (cottonball) remedy really works!

What you need:

Use cotton balls that are made of 100% cotton. Do not use "cosmetic puffs" as these are made from man-made fibers and do not work like the 100% cotton ones.

Next, get a quart of Half & Half coffee creamer or if you prefer, use Liverwurst (a type of meat sausage which spreads easily on bread) or something you know your dog loves and will not reject.

What to do: Help dog who ate chicken bone. Dog ate chicken bone

Tear the cotton balls into small pieces and soak them in the Half & Half or generously smear Liverwurst on the cotton balls. The whole idea is to get something you know your dog will eagerly eat, onto that cotton ball as quickly as possible. This will begin the process of bringing the foreign object out of your dogs system SAFELY. 

Feed the cotton balls to your dog one at a time. Do not force your dog to eat them!  Allow your dog to take them from you one at a time.

If your dog weighs:

5-10 lbs feed- 2 cotton balls.

10-50 lbs feed - 3-5 cotton balls.

50 + lbs feed - 5-7 cotton balls.

Dogs seem to really like these strange "treats" and readily eat them. As the cotton works its way through the digestive tract, it will attract all the glass or bone pieces or any other sharp objects your dog may have swallowed, wrapping itself around them.

Even the smallest bits of the object swallowed will be caught and wrapped in the cotton fibers. The cotton acts as a protective barrier for the intestinal wall, allowing for the object to be eliminated safely with the dog's next bowel movement.

Expected Results:

Your dog's stools will look strange for a few days but should you see fresh blood or a tarry appearance to the stool, rush your dog to the vet for a checkup but in most cases, the dogs will be just fine. The cotton always comes out with the object safely embedded.

Note: Marshmallow Root or “Althea Officinalis” is an alternative to the Half & Half or the Liverwurst. It is not the marshmallows you buy in the store! It is an herb found at your health food store.

This sweet herb helps to expel and soothe and soften tissue, while controlling bacterial infections. This herb is particularly rich as a source of Calcium, Oxygen, and Pectin (jelling agent like that found under the peelings of apples).

It soothes inflammation in any hollow organ such as the lungs, food canal, urinary and reproductive system. It absorbs mucous and poisons. It serves as a lubricant. The root of this plant is the source of the original Marshmallow candy still seen in supermarkets but no longer made from the plant.

Why Bones Are Hazardous

Bones can scrape, puncture, or block the intestines. Bones which have been cooked have had all of the moisture drained from them, thus they become dry and brittle. As they move down a dog's intestinal tract, they splinter into tiny pieces as sharp as needles. This is how a dog may find itself in a life threatening situation.

Turkey bones—whether they have meat on them or not—are the ultimate splintering bones, and should never be given to dogs! Any sharp point on a bone can scrape and cut your dog's gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus down to the rectum, causing damage on its way in or out. A sharp bone can even cause a perforation in your dog's tract. Bones may also get stuck in part of the tract and cause a blockage that does not allow food to pass.
 

If a blockage has occurred a pet will usually:

• Vomit most of what he eats or drinks (if he is eating and drinking at all)

• Will act depressed

• Will lose weight if enough time is allowed to pass.

A blockage left untreated can lead to:

• Perforation or tissue death of part of the gastrointestinal tract

• Shock

• Death may result if a blockage is left untreated.

Even if a bone doesn't result in a blockage, it can still cause an internal abrasion
or perforation of part of the gastrointestinal tract.

If your pet has an internal abrasion, he may:

• Vomit (possibly with blood)

• May have diarrhea (also possibly mixed with blood)

• Decreased appetite

If a perforation has occurred, your pet will:

• Be extremely ill

• Lethargic

• Reluctant to get up

• Unable to get comfortable

• Snarl or growl when touched on the belly

• Most likely will not eat

• May have a fever

This condition can lead to shock and even death if untreated.

If you know your pet has gotten into bones and you have already tried the Cotton Ball Remedy, call your vet as soon as possible.

If your pet is not vomiting, the vet may have you feed a high-fiber diet and monitor your pet for 24 hours to see if any symptoms occur. Or he may have you come into the clinic so he can X-ray your pet's belly to see exactly where the bones are. The vet is likely repeat the X-ray later again to make sure the bones are moving. If the bones, or splintered portion of the bone has not been dislodged,  surgical removal is your only alternative. Bones that are caught in the esophagus may be removed with an endoscope (a flexible, fiber-optic scope that allows for surgery without an incision) under general anesthesia. If the esophagus is damaged, your vet may have to surgically repair it. Bones in the stomach can sometimes be removed by endoscopy but they are usually removed through traditional surgery by making an incision in the stomach. Bones in the small intestine are always removed surgically.

If bones haven't gotten stuck by the time they reach the large intestine, they probably won't. But this doesn't mean that they won't cause a perforation. Bones that have made the trip all the way down the gastrointestinal tract sometimes get stuck at the rectum. These usually have to be removed with your dog under anesthesia, and the tissue has to be checked for injury and tears.

Dogs who need treatment for bone ingestion are generally quite ill, often dehydrated, by the time they get to surgery. They require intravenous fluid therapy during surgery and good monitoring afterward.

Actual Experience: Hi, my name is Mel and I am the webmaster for K911.biz and the following is my experience. My sister sent me this information Dec. 7, 2005 and not more than ten minutes after posting it to the website, I heard a loud crash coming from the bathroom. I rushed in to see what all the commotion was about and saw my dog Rowdy (an 8 month old Lab/Weimaraner mix), licking on glass shards. I had been treating our 10 week old foster puppy's skin with Cocoanut oil and had the remains sitting in a Corelle dish on the vanity top.

Corelle breaks into a million pieces when it meets with ceramic tile. Glass shards shot out from beneath the bathroom door into the hallway and unbelievably, some landed back on top of the vanity! I placed the puppy in the sink for safe keeping until I could rush for the vacuum. When I returned, he too was walking about in the glass. At this point you are probably thinking that I should not have any animals but I assure you, this is not an everyday occurrence. At any rate, the puppy and Rowdy were treated using the cotton ball remedy. Happily, "everything came out just fine" and there were no after effects. Talk about finding something at just the right time!

Actual Experience: Just a note of thanks for posting this treatment on the Internet. Think you probably saved my poodles life after she ate cooked chicken bones.- Alice & dog "Precious"

Actual Experience: Your cotton ball remedy saved my dogs life. Jack ate a chicken bone and I was terrified. When every other site out there said take him to a vet (it was 2 a.m.) and watch him closely (duh!) you gave a remedy. I can never thank you enough! - Jessica & dog "Jack"

Actual Experience:  I wanted to take a moment and write this note to express my family's sincere gratitude for posting the Cotton Ball Remedy that most likely saved my dog's life. Our beautiful 6-year old (but still a puppy at heart) Shar-pei, Pacino, grabbed a fried chicken wing off my plate while I was distracted with our two young boys. There was no sign whatsoever of the wing - he got the entire thing! He must have splintered the bone due to sheer size and we were immediately concerned. In a moment of haste (and not knowing what to do), I went to the Internet to see if there are any suggestions or things we can do to help him. Your site was listed at the top (even though I exhausted many pages trying to find anything I could). My wife and I gave him 7-8 cotton balls (he weighs about 63 lbs) soaked in half & half (which my wife went to the store for at 11pm at night). Around 4am in the morning (after having severe diarrhea all night long), he actually vomited the entire bunch of cotton balls along with a good part of the half & half. Along with that came a chicken bone, splintered into a needle-pointed shiv that was over 1.5 inches long. It was so sharp, you could hardly touch the end of it. This bone, if it had gone through his system, would have probably made his intestines Swiss cheese. Along with that came 3-4 other pieces of bone that were sizeable and somewhat sharp. Simply put - your suggestion, although it worked out causing him to expel the bone the other way - saved his life. I have shared this story with every dog owner, neighbor and friend I have come in contact with to perhaps pass on the knowledge you shared with me that ended up being a life-saving tip. God bless you and yours (including your beloved pets). - The Miskey Family & dog "Pacino", CA

See also: Toxic Dog Treats & RawhideandChewyTreats.htm