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Gardens and yards provide a great way to be creative and add beauty to your home. Plus, gardening is a wonderful way to relax and even grow your own food! But what many pet parents forget is that certain chemicals and fertilizers can be dangerous to dogs, including bone meal. Dogs being the curious fur babies they are, may try to eat bone meal. But what happens if a dog eats bone meal?
Has your dog eaten bone meal? Are you worried the bone meal will make him sick? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We understand it can be scary when your dog eats something like this.
We’ve put together some information about bone meal and whether it can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!
What is Bone Meal?
Bone meal is a fertilizer made from animals’ bones that have been steamed. Once they’re steamed, the bones are ground into a very fine powder, though you can also find bone meal granules. Gardeners use the bone meal to fertilize plants.
Bone meal is full of nutrients and minerals that enrich the soil, providing excellent food for plants. This fertilizer is rich in calcium and phosphorous. Another benefit for gardeners is that bone meal doesn’t need to be applied as often as other fertilizers. The reason is that bone meal takes longer to break down in the soil; it tends to break down through the growing season, continuously feeding the plants.
Bone meal is considered completely safe for gardening; however, what happens if a dog eats bone meal?
Bone Meal & Dogs
Unfortunately, bone meal can be toxic to dogs. Dogs are attracted to the smell of bone meal—it smells like food to them. Dogs want to eat it, of course. If a dog smells bone meal in the soil, he may dig in the soil and eat a lot of it.
Another problem is a bag of bone meal left where a dog may find it. They may find the bag closed in the garage and break into the bag, eating a lot of the material.
Large amounts of bone meal can cause pancreatitis or an intestinal obstruction. These conditions can both be life-threatening if not treated quickly. In addition, bone meal may also be moldy and cause mold toxicity if eaten.
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Ask a Vet Live NowSymptoms of Bone Meal Ingestion in Dogs
You may notice these symptoms if your dogs eats bone meal:
- Excessive drooling
- Nausea
- Vomiting (may include blood)
- Diarrhea (may be foul-smelling and contain blood)
- Abdominal pain and bloating
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Tremors/seizures (if the bone meal is moldy)
- Fever
- Difficulty breathing
If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog, then call the vet immediately. This is an emergency.
The prognosis is best for dogs who receive prompt medical treatment. And remember, prevention is always the best medicine! Be sure to keep bone meal and other chemicals out of your dog’s reach.
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Tom
Tom has always loved to write since he was little - he wanted to be either a writer or a veterinary doctor, but he ended up being a professional writer while most of his works are based on animals. He was born in San Francisco but later moved to Texas to continue his job as a writer. He graduated from the University of San Francisco where he studied biotechnology. He is happily married and a soon to be father!
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