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My dog ate chicken bones, now has diarrhea and vomiting. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | 5 years and 1 month old | 7 lbs

My dog ate fried chicken and bones. He woke up with diarrhea but was not lethargic. A few hours later he threw up and the vomit had bones’ pieces. After vomiting he started to look better. He ate normally and drinked some water. I took him for a walk because he looked normal and with a lot of energy. I noticed some loose stool with shape and also had a trace of mucus. I wanted to take him to the vet but there is no vet office open on weekends where I live. What should I over the next ~40 hours

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 2nd, 2019

Keep an eye on Dobby. As long as he's keeping his food down, keep feeding him and offering him plenty of water. Give him half a slice of whole wheat bread with each meal. This may form a ball of ingesta around the bones, and cushion them as they pass through the GI tract. If he continues vomiting, there is blood in his vomit or feces, he becomes lethargic, and/or he stops eating, he needs to see a vet immediately. In that case, find an ER vet or a vet on call. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 20th, 2018

    Hello, thank you for your question about your dog. Bones can be quite irritating to the GI tract and can lead to inflammation and possible vomiting, diarrhea, or inappetance. Most commonly if small bones are digested and broken down in the stomach. However, occasionally they can pass through the GI tract and cause additional problems. I would recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian so that they can examine him and discuss performing abdominal x-rays to ensure that the bone is not causing any more severe problems in his GI tract. They can also discuss treatment options to help manage nausea and inflammation if there are no concerns on the x-rays. Hope this helps, good luck!

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    Answered By Catherine Stecyk

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 25th, 2019

    Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is likely that your dog has some inflammation of his intestines secondary to the chicken bone ingestion. The stomach is able to digest most of chicken bones, but pieces can remain and traverse the intestines, causing irritation and diarrhea. Large bowel diarrhea results in straining to defecate, sometimes with specks of blood. I recommend only feeding your dog his regular diet for the next 3-4 days, with no treats or bones. You can also add in some boiled rice to the food. Ensure he has plenty of access to water. I hope this is helpful!

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 6th, 2018

    A single cooked chicken bone would be unlikely to cause an intestinal obstruction, but it is possible that this is the cause of the vomiting and loose stool that you're currently seeing. The blood is a concern and if you see any more blood, or if Bella vomits again I would recommend seeing a veterinarian since treatment may be necessary. Otherwise I think you could continue to monitor her. If she doesn't have any dietary restrictions you could try offering a bland diet: combine 1 part plain, boiled skinless chicken breast and 3 parts plain white rice and feed a similar volume to what she typically eats for the next 2-3 days. If her stool doesn't firm up in another 24-48 hours, or as stated before if she has any more blood in her stool or vomits even once more you should see a vet.

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