Safety with Chews

Well I have had a dog for 9 years now whether it was the family dog Elke or my little angel Ayrie. For the first time today though ever Ayrie got a bone stuck to the roof of her mouth. I have heard about this, seen pictures, and videos but this is the first time I have ever experienced it myself first hand. And I am proud to say I did not panic. I had given Ayrie a raw hide alternative chew (I will not name the brand as it is not something wrong with it) and we played the normal game of find it where I hide it somewhere in the pet store and she looks for it with her nose. She found it and took it to her favorite spot where I can see her and began chomping away. After a moment thought I could hear her chewing and see she was wiping at her face with her paw with most of the chew sitting next to her. This is not her normal chew style. Ayrie likes to hold her chews between her paws when she can and munch away so I knew something was up. I got up and went over and her wiping at her face was getting a bit more urgent but not serious yet. I Knelt down calmly and put my hands on her muzzle and spoke to her calmly. “Let me see.” I told her after some comforting words and then I opened her mouth. Sure enough she had bitten it perfectly so it fit up into the top of her mouth and was caught on one side of her teeth. I reached in and after a couple of tries I was able to knock it loose from where it was stuck. I will admit my heart rate got a bit quick as I was doing this and I breathed a sigh of relief when it came loose so quickly. Situations like this can be super scary for the owner and the pet. And I am fortunate that had it not resolved so quickly I would have been able to run her a couple doors down to her veterinarian.

So the reason I am telling this story is to highlight that you must ALWAYS watch your pet when they have a bone/chew/treat!! I can’t even begin to add up the number of times Ayrie has had that specific kind of treat or others like it. Nothing has ever happened to her before like this. BUT it is always a possibility! I stress this with all owner who buy chews, just like a child they need to be monitored. Things are bound to happen that one time when you least expect it. (I’m sensing a theme here for myself between Mars and the Christmas tree and now Ayrie). I hear often people who talk about giving their pets chews when they are leaving the house. Please DON’T do that! Unless it is just a frozen Kong that has wet food in it or something like that that is not a choking hazard. ALWAYS monitor your pet with any chew you give them for the exact reason that happened to Ayrie! Sometimes they do such a good job gettin the chew stuck that it requires a trip to the vet and if you are not home when the item gets stuck it can be worse! Safety first!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and happy New Year!