Cooked bones are bad for dogs! Here’s Marnie’s story.

Last Friday night, the bright and bubbly, six month old English Mastiff “Marnie” was doing what pups do best ….. getting into mischief. While some meat was being shared around amongst the human family members, Marnie thought she would help herself and accidentally swallowed a bone into the bargain.

Thanks to her clear thinking parents who realised she was unwell, she was promptly taken to see us at Drovers vets. We were able to get x-rays taken straight away which revealed a large, sharp piece of bone in her stomach. Poor Marnie was not feeling at all well and we knew it was best to go straight into surgery to remove the bone fragment.

That night we went into surgery and removed the bone from her stomach, supporting Marnie with intravenous fluids, pain relief, and intravenous antibiotics. After a good night’s sleep, Marnie was feeling much better in the morning and went home to be with her parents Sunday.

Marnie’s quick recovery is due to her parents bringing her straight down and allowing us to do x-rays and surgery that night. Waiting another day or two in this situation could have had a much poorer outcome as the bone fragment could have perforated the stomach wall or obstructed the intestine. Seeing Marnie back to her happy self Saturday morning made the late night Friday worthwhile. Thanks to all who helped on the night and over the weekend.

Dr Merryl Gamble