Dolers With Brachycephalic Breeds Of Dogs

[Moselle]

I was interested to hear what you feed your brachycephalic dog? what bones do you allow him/her to chew on? I own a japanese chin and I am paranoid in what I feed him as I have had to come to terms with the loss of my pug, Conrad, 18 mths ago. I had given him a tiny piece of cracker barrel cheese, about the size of a 10 cent piece. I found him about 15 mins later, he had died....having choked on the cheese. It played constantly on my mind, if only I had found him sooner I could have removed the particle of food and given him CPR....and more importantly....if only I had not given him that piece of cheese. Everything seems like a risk unless it constitutes mince and soft food.

Edited June 16, 2010 by Moselle

[huga]

I have a pug who eats meat on bone every night. Tonight it is chicken maryland, but she also gets chicken and salmon frames, wings, lamb flaps and lamb offcuts. I'm sorry that you lost your pug that way, but I would think it is a rare occurance? Maybe you could supervise feeding?

Feeding any dog (but especially a brachy breed) soft food only is going to be pretty bad for their teeth.

[KZs Mum]

Oh no: my pugs choking is my worst nightmare! I am so sorry to hear you lost yours from choking. I feed mine chicken wings at least once a week, and also lamb shanks. I am a bit paranoid about cartilage that they could chew off bones and get dislodged so I remove them from the lamb bones. Our vet strongly encourages us to feed chicken wings/frames but I always keep a close eye on them while they're eating.

I am not sure if the likelihood of choking really increases with bones per se or any food?? and another thing I wouldn't feed my two small dense bones such as spine/tail mainly because of the risk the little horrors will swallow them whole and end up with a bowel obstruction!

[KZs Mum]

double post

Edited June 16, 2010 by KZs Mum

[~Anne~]

Sorry to hear about Conrad.

Choking can happen with any breed but it can be more prevelant in bracchy breeds for many reasons.

I have 3 Pugs and my Pugs get shank bones to chew on. The bones are purely for jaw exercise and teeth cleaning. They are primarily a raw diet normally and the bones are additional, once a week or so during the day.

I also encourage mine to chew on nylabones. They love them in fact.

[Crysti_Lei]

My pug has has chicken wings, necks and frames. Never a problem. unless you ask him of course, then he'll tell there is a major problem with him not getting nearly enough of these things.

[FlissPrideaux]

My pug has has chicken wings, necks and frames. Never a problem. unless you ask him of course, then he'll tell there is a major problem with him not getting nearly enough of these things.

I also feed my pugs chicken necks and wings, on a daily basis. I feed chicken carcasses, lamp flaps - they eat the whole bone, roo tails etc. I feed a lot of offal and I only feed raw.. Sorry to hear about Congrad

[WreckitWhippet]

My Pugs ate everything and anything from chicken wings, to carcass, lamb flap, roo tail, necks, lamb necks ( whole not the rosette's ), as well as dry food and the usual things like sardines, eggs etc.

I've never had a choking incident but know of others who have lost dogs of all breeds, that have choked on various things.

[kayla1]

I was interested to hear what you feed your brachycephalic dog? what bones do you allow him/her to chew on? I own a japanese chin and I am paranoid in what I feed him as I have had to come to terms with the loss of my pug, Conrad, 18 mths ago. I had given him a tiny piece of cracker barrel cheese, about the size of a 10 cent piece. I found him about 15 mins later, he had died....having choked on the cheese. It played constantly on my mind, if only I had found him sooner I could have removed the particle of food and given him CPR....and more importantly....if only I had not given him that piece of cheese. Everything seems like a risk unless it constitutes mince and soft food.

Recently one of my dogs began choking on a lump of cheese that he had stolen off the bench. Fortunately I saw it happen and managed to get the cheese out just as he was passing out. Sorry to hear about your boy.

[Alyosha]

So sorry to hear about your boy. But I think any dog can choke, it's just a rare and unfortunate thing. I know of a borzoi that choked on raw chicken - and despite the long face and big throat you would expect you could reach into and remove the blockage they couldn't get it out and lost him. Just heartbreaking.

[Amika]

I think it's more about "how" the dog eats, Pug's can be little scoffers and almost try to "inhale" their food. Our Pug was a scoffer so he was mostly fed things he had to chew. One of my Bullmastiffs is a scoffer..... while she gets mince and chopped meats at times, I make sure they aren't of a size that could get stuck in her throat, mostly though I feed things like frames and lamb necks where the meat has to be chewed off the bone. (Mind you I have heard of large dogs that have "inhaled" chicken frames and choked like your pug on the cheese).

[~Anne~]

I think it's more about "how" the dog eats, Pug's can be little scoffers and almost try to "inhale" their food. Our Pug was a scoffer so he was mostly fed things he had to chew. One of my Bullmastiffs is a scoffer..... while she gets mince and chopped meats at times, I make sure they aren't of a size that could get stuck in her throat, mostly though I feed things like frames and lamb necks where the meat has to be chewed off the bone. (Mind you I have heard of large dogs that have "inhaled" chicken frames and choked like your pug on the cheese).

It is also related to physical structure. Elongated palates and deformed or narrow tracheas don't just interfere with respiration alone. This can be compounded in Pugs, as you said though, by the way they 'inhale' food.

[cavmad]

I feed my cavs lamb shanks but its mainly to entertain them, keep their teeth clean and exercise their jaws. They don't really 'eat' the lamb shank bones. I also give them chicken necks but I chop them into bite sized pieces otherwise my female will try and scoff them whole. I don't give chicken wings.

[mita]

I've never had a choking incident but know of others who have lost dogs of all breeds, that have choked on various things.

This is what emergency vets (& later, our own vet) told me after our tibbie girl got a piece of rawhide stuck in her gullet. Tibbies are a short-nosed breed.

It was pointed out to me that dogs....all dogs...have a tendency to gulp things down. And the gullet has a bendy bit....'around the heart'...where big or strange-shaped things can get stuck.

Apparently, this is a common reason for emergency trips to the vet as the dog desperately tries to 'heave' the item up. Big dangers are the fact that the gullet is right beside the airways....& there can be long-term, serious tissue damage to the gullet.

The vets told me of all sorts of things they'd seen dogs have stuck there. Sticks, rawhide, bits of bones....even a knife (yes, the dog lived!).

Our tibbie was put under an anaesthetic for vets to get the stuck rawhide out....or down (to the tummy, where the digestive juices would take care of it). The anaesthetic relaxed her to such an extent that the rawhide moved 'naturally' into her tummy.

Edited June 16, 2010 by mita

[raz]

I was interested to hear what you feed your brachycephalic dog? what bones do you allow him/her to chew on? I own a japanese chin and I am paranoid in what I feed him as I have had to come to terms with the loss of my pug, Conrad, 18 mths ago. I had given him a tiny piece of cracker barrel cheese, about the size of a 10 cent piece. I found him about 15 mins later, he had died....having choked on the cheese. It played constantly on my mind, if only I had found him sooner I could have removed the particle of food and given him CPR....and more importantly....if only I had not given him that piece of cheese. Everything seems like a risk unless it constitutes mince and soft food.

That's sad about Conrad but try not to bash yourself up about it.

My pug is screwed up completely but she chomps on half a chook carcass every day. A bit of paranoia about our dogs is not such a bad thing but just supervise the little darling.

[WreckitWhippet]

I've got a 2.5kg Shih Tzu, who is currently chomping her way through a chicken wing. It takes her a while

My preference is that my dogs are treated like dogs, regardless of their breed and that they enjoy their whole raw foods.

[Moselle]

I've got a 2.5kg Shih Tzu, who is currently chomping her way through a chicken wing. It takes her a while

My preference is that my dogs are treated like dogs, regardless of their breed and that they enjoy their whole raw foods.

I do believe in the raw food diet SBT and my dogs get to chomp thru a chicken wing or two or three along with necks and everything else on a daily basis. Pumpkin, the chin gets to enjoy the wings as well providing that my eyes are firmly glued onto him, takes an awful lot of patience on my part though. Pumpkin has never had the pleasure of chewing a chicken neck, they look too risky so he will have to make do with shanks and wings along with soaked dry food. Love to see your little shih tzu chomping her way thru her chicken wing, how cute.

Edited June 16, 2010 by Moselle

[~Anne~]

Moselle, don't be made to feel guilty or less of a dog owner if you don't subscribe to the same theory as others. Ensure though that you have a way of keeping your dog's teeth in good order though and feed your dogs whatever you want.

[WreckitWhippet]

Dogs are carnivores not nylovores

Owners should be made aware of the dangers of nylon bones. This includes the ends being ground down and becoming sharp. There is the potential for a dog to stab themselves in the back of the throat ( I've had this happen with a Frenchie ). They can be swallowed long ways, with no chance of them being digested. Swallow a nylon bone and there will be surgery to remove it.

Feeding your dog raw meat off the bone, is the best option for teeth cleaning and nutrition.

[Moselle]

Dogs are carnivores not nylovores

Owners should be made aware of the dangers of nylon bones. This includes the ends being ground down and becoming sharp. There is the potential for a dog to stab themselves in the back of the throat ( I've had this happen with a Frenchie ). They can be swallowed long ways, with no chance of them being digested. Swallow a nylon bone and there will be surgery to remove it.

Feeding your dog raw meat off the bone, is the best option for teeth cleaning and nutrition.

Always good to know the pros and cons of every product. I have never used nylon bones, well I should say my dogs have never had nylon bones. I have given them rawhide bones and sticks but no longer as after being chewed and softened they can be swallowed whole besides the fact that alot of rawhide products are imported and noxious ingredients are used.