No, dogs can not eat poultry bones

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — This time of year emergency veterinarians stay pretty busy. As we approach the holidays –we’re all in the kitchen a lot more and sometimes we just cant resist sharing a bite with those precious beggars at our feet. But, what is safe for your pets to consume from the table and what’s not? Let’s VERIFY!

Our sources: the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, The American Kennel Club, and Dr. Bob Hale of Briarwood Animal Hospital.

On the FDA’s website, they regularly update the dozens of reports they receive from pet owners around this time of year – as a reminder of the potential risks associated with giving your pets bones during the holidays.

One VERIFY viewer wanted to specifically know if it’s true dogs can eat poultry bones?

Dr. Bob Hale of Briarwood Animal Hospital says, “We try to stay away from all bones. Now chicken, you know, poultry bones, yes, they’re usually digested but I still don’t recommend it and I very strongly recommend no pork bones, no beef bones.”

According to the American Kennel Club, “Cooked chicken bones can break and splinter, which can cause your dog to choke and can also puncture the gastrointestinal tract, or get caught in its throat. This is extremely painful to your dog and can potentially lead to death.”

When it comes to giving your pets food from the table, Dr. Hale warns of the mixtures of spices and nuts found in food that really aren’t good for your dog or cat to consume. The list of those foods include, but is not limited to: 

• chocolate 
• raisins 
• garlic
• avocadoes
• yeast
• xylitol

Dr. Hale explains, “Xylitol is a sweetener that a lot of times people will use because they’re cutting out the calories. Xylitol is extremely dangerous to dogs and cats. Destroys the kidney.”

Another thing experts encourage you to stay away from is fat. Dr. Hale continues, “When we’re cooking turkeys or cooking ham, sometimes there’s a lot of excess fat that people will trim off and they don’t want to throw it away so they want to give it to Fido and next thing you know Fido is vomiting and loose stool and you’re at the clinic.”

So what can you give your pets? Dr. Hale says it’s best to keep it simple! “Keep it bland. Rice, a little mashed potatoes, but basically if you just stay away from feeding them the scraps, you’ll be a lot better off,” he explains.

So we can VERIFY-- no, dogs can NOT eat poultry bones. Many experts advise to stay away from all kinds of bones to help avoid illness and injury.

Dr. Bob advises, “When you’re serving your meal, you might want to put the dogs up. Just don’t let them get around all the good food that we’re going to eat this thanksgiving.” “That sounds like it’s the safest route.” “It is the safest way. Save yourself some money and save your dog some stress.”

If you have something you want VERIFIED, let us help! Email us – verify@thv11.com.