An important message from Ella's family, with a warning for all of us to keep in mind when giving our Newfs bones.....
Hi Everyone...
I felt the need to write you on this one and at this very moment I am still shaking badly and my heart is pounding so hard!
Like many of you, I have dozens of those hard beef marrow bones around...the ones with the hole that you stuff peanut butter in. The dogs absolutely love them and chew on them all the time! I see everyone with them...I think pretty much all of us have them.
Around midnight (and fortunately I was still up and around), I saw Ella jumping around. For a bit I thought she was playing with something, but then I saw her pawing at her mouth. I checked and she had somehow gotten a marrow bone around her bottom jaw and her bottom canines were holding it in place like a barbed fish hook. Her tongue as well as her whole bottom jaw was in the hole of the bone. It was so stuck that her jaw started swelling within minutes, cutting off her blood supply. I was screaming for help and with quick thinking Scott got all his cutting tools. We held her and held her tongue back and with all his might just nipped about 1/8 of an inch at the middle end of the bone with cutters so as not to hurt her in any way. We knew that we had to work fast. Luck was on our side and the thinner part of the bone was up and facing us and it split perfectly... just by a fluke only. Getting her to the vet fast enough at midnight would have been questionable with the swelling happening so fast.
This was a perfectly normal sized bone..the kind that I have used for my dogs all of my life and see in all doggie homes, but just that particular shape with a flared end and a little jut inside made possible to get her canines and jaw inside and get jammed. We still cannot figure out how she did this, as it was on so TIGHT and her jaw is a good size now.
ALL FLARED ENDED MARROWS ARE PERMANENTLY OFF THE FOOR...like 20 of them!!!. The only ones I am using from now on are the long narrow STRAIGHT ones with a smaller hole and thick edges...no flares!!
Please, please...take note as this was a very serious situation!!! A fluke maybe, but it could happen again and we might not be there!
On a good note...Ella is totally fine now and after a hefty drink of water and a cooling down time, swelling went down fast and she got her frisbee out and wanted to play!! WHEW!
I never dreamed this would ever happen, so I just don't ever want it to happen to anyone else!
Now that it is a happy ending, I am actually glad that this happened.....a big lesson learned and we were fortunately there for her! It will now never happen again!
Best to all of you and your furries...keep them safe...
With kindness..
Judy and my incredible crew
About Newf Friends
Newf Friends Newfoundland Dog Rescue is a volunteer run, foster home based rescue group for Newfoundland Dogs in need in Ontario, Canada.
We place Newfs into carefully screened homes in Ontario and surrounding provinces and states.
Established in 2008.
We place Newfs into carefully screened homes in Ontario and surrounding provinces and states.
Established in 2008.
Follow us on Facebook for daily updates
