My Dog Ate A Lamb Bone And Is Throwing Up

The purpose of this research is to explain the “My Dog Ate A Lamb Bone And Is Throwing Up“.

One of those moments that we experience as dog parents are the focus of my research today.

Our first reaction is a wave of panic which is quickly followed by self-recrimination and a feeling of guilt as we wonder “how could I have let this happen?”

I want to discuss what happens (and what to do) when your dog eats a bone and then starts vomiting.

Theres nothing worse than that sinking feeling dog owners.

My dog ate a lamb bone and is throwing up What should I do?

The best thing you can do when your dog vomits after eating lamb bones is to keep an eye on them.

You may be able to bring the bone back up after your dog gags and vomits for a few seconds.

It is safe to say that your dog had a lucky escape if he trots off and seems absolutely fine afterward.

When your dog keeps gagging and trying to vomit (for several minutes not seconds) this is a much more serious problem and you need to contact your veterinarian.

Most likely the bone got stuck somewhere in your dogs digestive system and they need to see a veterinarian as soon as possible. 

Can lamb bones make dogs sick?

Stay with me while I explain this.

If your dog has an allergy to a particular meat a lamb bone will not make him sick more often than any other type of animal bone.

Two of my golden retrievers are extremely sensitive to lamb and pork bones.

It is not so much that it makes them vomit as it gives them a nasty case of diarrhea!

There is no real scientific evidence but I have often wondered if the fat content of lamb meat can upset my dogs’ stomachs if that is the case. 

Even with all that said your dog was likely sick after eating a lamb bone because of the bone rather than the meat that was attached to it. 

Why does my dog vomit after eating bones?

Your dog or any other dog might throw up after eating a bone for a variety of reasons.

Lets examine some of the major issues.

1. Size matters

Considering the size of your dogs mouth in relation to the size of the bone is important. 

In other words if the bone was quite small it may have been that your dog decided not to chew it but instead just “wolfed” it down. 

When this happens the bone can get stuck somewhere in the dogs system causing them to choke. 

2. Greedy pig

A dogs eating habits should be considered as well. 

This is closely related to the previous point since if your dog takes their time chewing and licking a bone then they are less likely to throw up as the pieces they swallow are smaller and there is more time between each swallowed piece.

Dogs are more at risk if they eat a bone as if they have not been fed in a year.

It is not only that he will swallow larger pieces of bone but the interval between each mouthful will also be shorter.

Therefore your dog is at a much greater risk of choking. 

3. Raw bones are better

Our dogs are more at risk from cooked bones than raw ones. 

The reason is that cooked bones are more brittle and are more likely to splinter when chewed by dogs.

When splinters are swallowed they are like daggers and the sharp pieces could cut your dogs digestive tract as they pass through. 

4. Too much of a good thing

Your dog may throw up for reasons other than its having swallowed a bone which has nothing to do with the dangers of it splintering or causing an obstruction within the digestive system.

It could be a result of your dog eating too much bone.

The ingredients might be too rich and overwhelm their system if they are not used to eating bones very often.

Looking at the nutritional data of lamb ribs the most important ingredients are fat and protein.  

A lamb rib contains 30% fat and about 21% protein so it could be that your dog has overdosed on either of those…

5. Weight-bearing

A weight-bearing bone from an animal is better for your dog than a non-weight-bearing bone following the previous point that raw bones are less brittle than cooked bones.

Heres what I mean. 

Your dog is more likely to be safe eating a leg bone from a lamb than a rib bone.

It is because the bones from the legs of animals are harder and less likely to break or splinter than those from non-weight-bearing animals. 

The leg bone from a cow is safer for your dog than the rib bone from a cow.

So on and so forth.

Do bones dissolve in a dog’s stomach?

Dogs’ stomachs are designed to digest bones. 

During digestion their stomach acidity can drop well below pH 1.0 which is equivalent to the strength of battery acid. 

An hour or so would seem to be reasonable for a dog to digest a bone. 

The interesting thing is that dogs seem to be able to control the acidity of their stomach lining depending on what they are trying to digest. 

In other words if it was just digesting dry kibble the pH should be higher and less acidic.

When the stomach acid of a dog is so strong how does it protect its insides?

It seems that the answer is mucus!

What are the benefits of raw lamb bones?

Chewing raw bones can be beneficial for your dog in two ways.

The first benefit your dog receives from chewing on a bone is the number of nutrients it receives.

Calcium and phosphorus are among them.

In addition chewing on a bone may provide your dog with some kind of mental stimulation a sort of well-being if you will. 

How can I use cooked bones with my dog?

Now you might be feeling a bit upset after all of this.

You may find it hard to accept the idea of throwing cooked bones into the trash without recycling them with your dog.

Waste is something you detest.

There is a way to safely use cooked bones with your dog and that is through making bone broth for them.

Boiling bones in water for hours results in bone broth.

You can read my articles about making and preparing bone marrow broth for your dog.

If you want to read more about dog food tips read here: Dog Food Tips and Tricks.

My Dog Ate A Lamb Bone And Is Throwing Up (Watch Video)