Can Dogs Eat Raw Fish Bones?

The Short Answer is:

Raw fish bones pose a huge choking hazard to your dog, so you should never feed them to it.

In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Raw Fish Bones?“.

Feelings like yours are understandable.

Youhave just filleted some fish for dinner and there on the cutting board are the fish bones.

Part of you is thinking “it would be a shame to waste these” and part of you is thinking “if I throw them out the wife will scold me”.

When you find yourself between a rock and a hard place (did you like my fish puns?) you think about giving them to your dog.

However is this really sensible?

Come on lets find out. 

Can dogs eat raw fish bones?

Raw fish bones pose a huge choking hazard to your dog so you should never feed them to it.

She once choked on a fishbone for so long without being able to dislodge it that we had to go to the ER.

Its like that with fish bones isnot it?

The doggies are very determined to hang around if they are given any chance.

If your dog eats the bones as delicately as if it were using a knife and fork and the fish skeleton does not choke your dog then those tiny sharp individual bones might cut their gastrointestinal tract.

Even though the strong pong emanating from the bones is making your dogs mouth water do not feed it to him.

Can dogs eat cooked fish bones?

It appears that dogs are much better off with raw bones than cooked bones when compared to bones from other animals.

As bones are cooked they become more brittle and prone to breaking into pieces with sharp edges.

When swallowed these ends can harm a dog by poking cutting or grazing its insides. 

Then what happens to cooked fish bones?

Fishbones are already dangerous so I do not think that cooking them makes them any more dangerous. 

In other words do not feed cooked fish bones to your dog.

I will spill the beans after I speak about fish heads and how you can use cooked fish bones safely with your dog. 

Can dogs eat a raw fish head?

This article does not get any less disgusting does it?

Dogs must find raw (or cooked) fish heads as enticing as gobstoppers are to children.

Mishaps are also possible.

When dogs see a fish head they may think “I do not need to chew that I can just swallow it.”.

It disappears faster than lightning as it tumbles down.

They only get stuck at the back of their throats.

Some teeny tiny dogs might find a fish head to be a safe treat to gnaw on.

In addition I am thinking of your Chihuahuas Shih Tzus Yorkshire Terriers.

Fish broth- the best way for your dog to eat fish bones

Several months ago I teased you with the idea of using fish bones in a safe and constructive manner for your dog.

This method involves making a fish broth or stock with them. 

In addition once the broth has finished cooking it can be used like gravy with your dog to add flavor and moisture to their main meal. 

This product will have most of the benefits of fish bones such as flavor and collagen.

Without any of the potential hazards.

When making bone broth the hardest part is waiting while it cooks as well as storing it once it has cooled.

Also you’re going to have to put up with a very strong smell that pollutes your home. 

As there are only a few ingredients the process itself is simple.

This page includes a great recipe to follow under the heading “fish stock.” 

Should dogs eat raw fish?

A great thing about raw fish is that its so easy to prepare and then put into your dogs bowl.

Is it safe for your dog to eat it?

Raw fish does not have bacteria in it so the answer is probably not because of this.

They can only be killed by cooking the fish.

Raw fish is not the only food that attracts parasites and bacteria.

Meats of all types are known to carry one or more types of bacteria.

This does not mean that every chicken or every pork piece is infected because that is not the case.

Bacteria can live in any meat from any animal.

Several types of worms can be found in raw fish including tapeworms and roundworms.

As far as bacteria are concerned its our old friend salmonella (who makes an appearance in this article about chicken) Clostridium and Listeria.

I have not been able to come up with any statistics to prove how common it is for people to get sick from eating raw fish or what percentage of fish is infected with bacteria.

I was unable to find any numbers relating to oyster poisoning in 2014.

I will now go on to examine which fish has the simplest set of bones after looking at the dangers of eating raw fish.

Which fish has the easiest bones to remove?

Did you know that? There is no fish with the easiest set of bones to remove.

As opposed to being all about the fish this task relies on the skills of the person holding the knife (I’m having trouble with this one). 

Its shameful!”I hear you cry..

Instead I will demonstrate how to fillet a fish in a YouTube video.

Gordon Ramsey is the star of this show!

What is the digestion time of raw fish bones in dogs?

The time has passed.

You fed your dog the fish bones for the right and wrong reasons but no major drama ensued.

If all the bones have passed smoothly through your dogs stomach then they will have begun to be digested within a few hours.

In some cases the acidity of a dogs stomach is more than sufficient to digest some fish bones which is quite incredible.

The stomach turns them into chyme which is like liquid bone before they reach the intestines.

That means your dog is fine but what happens if part of the fish skeleton gets stuck deep inside his digestive system?

What are the symptoms of an intestinal blockage?

Getting fish bones stuck in your dogs throat would be fairly obvious because the animal would be coughing and retching until the offending object was able to be removed. 

However what if they get caught further down?

You do not know the cause of your dogs retching at this point but there are other symptoms. 

The fact that your dog vomits up partially digested food should raise alarm bells because that food could only make it so far before it became stuck and then reappeared.

There are three symptoms of a blockage involving a dogs poop.

As a result of all of these symptoms you will notice that your dog finds it very difficult to go to the toilet.

There are three symptoms; bloody stools diarrhea and constipation. 

Should dogs eat raw or cooked bones?

It has already been mentioned in passing but raw bones are much safer than cooked bones for your dog.

Cooked bones are softer and less likely to shatter than raw bones.

It takes a bit more than merely choosing raw bones over cooked bones to use bones safely with dogs.

As we move forward I will discuss another important rule we should follow. 

Should dogs eat big or small bones?

As there is a marked difference between the toughness of raw and cooked bones so too is there a difference between the density of weight-bearing bones and non-weight-bearing bones from the same animal.

If we think about very small breeds of dogs we could take a chicken as an example.

Rather than giving them a set of wing bones give them a leg bone.

We could also consider a pig for a large breed dog.

Obviously a leg bone will be safer than a rib bone since it bears weight. 

Amanda (Author)

With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.

Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)

Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.