© RedDogs | Bigstock
Any number of objects can become stuck in your dog’s windpipe or at the back of his throat and create a choking hazard — balls that are large enough to get past the mouth but not all the way through the digestive tract, rawhide chews that are gulped rather than gradually broken down, and so on. But the majority of foreign bodies that become stuck are bones.
When researchers in Australia looked at the most common type of foreign body that caused obstructions in almost 350 dogs, bones topped the list, representing almost 80 percent of cases. The dogs suffered symptoms ranging from difficulty breathing and coughing to perforations along the GI tract.
If you give your dog bones as treats, make sure they are too large for him to put fully into his mouth or swallow. And to be on the safe side, stay with him as he enjoys them in case he has a tendency to break off pieces as he goes.
