When planning to pet a dog for the first time, there are things you will want to take care of in terms of health and nutrition. One of the common questions dog owners ask a vet is, “can dogs eat raw chicken?” The wild nature of dogs might make you think that it is okay for their digestive system. However, the truth can be far from this assumption.
Can dogs eat raw chicken?
Everyone loves dogs, and if you have one as a pet, you need to take care of them in the right way. Dogs need the right amount of protein regularly. And you may already know that chicken is the easiest way to offer that. But when it comes to raw chicken, things could seem complicated.
Many veterinarians suggest not to offer raw chicken as it can lead to salmonella or bacterial infections. In this case, if you want to give them chicken, you better cook it well. So perfectly cooked chicken won’t cause any problems for them.
But we have to keep this fact in mind that there is more acid in a dog’s stomach than a human has. Thus, this provides more security from harmful bacteria. We are trying to say that in rare cases, if you have to give them raw chicken, do it in the right way.
Always notice the expiry date written on the package before giving the chicken to your dog to eat. Try to provide the raw chicken before the date expires. You can wash the chicken thoroughly for extra security measures.
How do you serve raw chicken to your dog?
It would help if you got your dog familiar with raw chicken before giving it to them for the first time. It will take some time, and then they will get used to it. There are some ideas about how you familiarise them with raw chicken.
First, you can try giving them raw chicken with the food they usually eat every day. Second, use the chicken as it is, no need to use it with other foods. Third, if your dog is familiar with turkey, then you can use chicken as a replacement.
Can dogs eat raw meat?
Now, this article about can dogs eat raw chicken will help you a lot if you want to know the necessary details about whether you should give them raw meat or not. So now a question may come into your mind, “can dogs eat raw meat or not?”
In these past few years, Raw Food Diets, or what we know as RFDs, have come to the spotlight. That is mainly because of the concern of the dog owners, and their concern is that they should give them those kinds of foods that have similarities with the foods they could get if they were not pets.
Raw meats and their bones are the ones that are needed to ready an RFD chart. These charts have unboiled meat, limbs, and bones from mammals, fish, chicken, etc. This diet chart can also be created by unboiled eggs, uncooked meat, and different food and veggies.
What do vets recommend?
One valuable thing to remember here is that this particular type of diet may look like the diet of those dogs who are not pets. But the fact is the pet dogs live longer than wild ones.
The thing is that dogs can eat raw meat. But the question is should we give them raw meat? Let’s take a look at what the vets are saying.
Dogs need a proper and nutritional diet regularly so that they don’t get any nutritional-related problems. But if you periodically give raw meat to your dog, they may not get proper nutrition out of it. So you need to make sure that your dog gets adequate sustenance.
When dogs need a proper and nutritional diet, they are tiny and maturing every day. Their everyday needs are pretty complicated. This also applies to the older dogs, and that’s because their immunity is not that great like the younger ones, and they also can’t digest certain foods.
Well-cooked meat, with the help of carbohydrates, dogs can easily digest foods. So naturally, when the sustenance can be easily assimilated, dogs can get more nutrition from the food, making them more energetic, healthy, and with a great immune system. They need a proper diet to get a lengthy lifetime.
Can there be any health issues if we give dogs raw meat?
Yes, there can be some nutrition-related issues if you continue to give your dogs raw meat. But the thing is, giving raw meat to your dog can be troublesome and can raise other health issues for you too. (Ambien) So here is what you need to do.
Your action of giving raw meat to your dog as a portion of food is not only risky for your dog’s health, but it also can create problems for you and your entire family. Certain bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and others are not suitable for human bodies.
When we cook fresh meat at a high temperature, it destroys those bacteria, which can cause us some serious health issues. So, whenever you give your dogs raw meat instead of cooked ones, you endangering their lives by exposing them to the nasty bacterias.
Also, you need to look at this situation from another angle. Your family will also be exposed to those bacterias whenever they come in touch. You must be touching the raw meat, or your dog may be giving your face a sweet lick; whatever the situation is, you are at risk of developing infections.
Is raw food suitable for a dog’s health?
We advise you not to provide raw meat as a primary source of sustenance. But we also suggest that some particular natural foods like fruits or vegetables are free from danger.
You can make your dog get used to several fruits and vegetables such as bananas, carrots, apples, and many more. It is best to rinse them thoroughly with clean water to avoid any impurities before giving them to your dog.
We know that these foods are excellent for your dog’s health, and these should cause no problems to them. But still, you should maintain the 90/10 rule.
According to this rule, 90 percent of your dog’s daily calorie intake should be produced from a proper diet, and the remaining 10 percent can be produced from other foods like fruits and veggies.
But why should we maintain this equation? That’s because this causes a reduced amount of chances of having digestion problems. It can also result in extra weight gain.
In this article, “can dogs eat raw chicken,” we can only suggest what to give your dog as food, but the ultimate decision is yours. We advise you to consult with a veterinarian before you make a diet chart for your beloved pet.
Can dogs eat uncooked chicken bones?
Now, mostly all of us more or less have known the fact that it is best not to give our dogs uncooked chicken bones. We also know that chewing bones can create teeth problems or digestion-related issues. We also may have come across the fact that giving raw bones to dogs is not a good idea.
Let us tell you that some prominent veterinarians support the idea of giving raw bones to dogs. Maybe you have heard the fact that the dogs we know as man’s best friend evolved from a long line of wolves.
Though it is pretty hard to believe that they were once wolves by looking at those puppy eyes, it is true. So maybe the concept of giving them raw chicken bones is not as unimaginable as it sounds.
If you give them baked bones or barbecued chicken bones, it enhances the chance of breakage in their teeth, or that can pierce through their sensitive tissues such as intestines or the esophagus.
The fried or baked chicken bones available in the market can cause fractures to the teeth, or in some cases, it can move forward to the lower jaw to stick in there. A cooked bone can fixate in their upper jaw, and the dog tries to shake it off by continuously moving their paw to their mouths.
So you see that you can give them raw chicken bones from time to time. But it is worth remembering the fact that dogs can’t just swallow a big bone.
There would be no digestive problems to process the big chicken bones, but the big bone can stick to their stomach and may cause severe medical conditions requiring urgent attention. This can also cause constipation to your dog.
Usually, we see a dog masticate a big bone into pieces so that those bones can be quickly processed into their stomach. Those dogs who want to consume a big bone may be interested in chicken wings or thighs.
If your dog starts to eat too many raw bones at a time, it can cause some minor disturbances to their stomachs, like the color of their stool may change its color. It can also result in constipation if they consume too many bones at once.
Dogs were initially supposed to consume only the bone portion of the meat in the first place, not the fleshy portions.
If you do not like the idea of pampering your dog with raw chicken bones, you may consider the option of slow cooking them in low heat for about 12 to 24 hours. You can prepare them with vegetables or plain rice.
If you raise your dog with a proper and healthy diet, you can handle general stomach, skin, and ear problems. Even if you are struggling with taking adequate care of your dog from the very beginning, try changing their daily diet and see the difference for yourself.
Can dogs eat cooked chicken?
Now we have come to the very last section of the article called “can dogs eat raw chicken,” and in this section, we will answer the question: Can dogs eat cooked chicken? So what are you waiting for? Start reading this section carefully.
The simple answer to this question is yes; dogs can eat cooked chicken. It is a very regular item of a dog’s daily diet. They get the right amount of protein they need from it.
If you want to cook chicken for your dog, you can follow some easy steps. Choose the boneless and peeled skin chicken breasts and give them a boil into clean water. Please wait for it to cook evenly.
You can present the chicken as it is. You can also consider teaming them up with their regular food so that they like it more. While mixing and matching the cooked chicken with other foods, keep the necessary fat and protein ratio. The truth is, you don’t want to overdose on it as that can create some trouble.
Final thoughts
So now it’s time to wrap things up as we have come to the end of the article. We hope that you have known all the details about whether to give your dog raw chicken or not. Please note the correct way to do it to prevent problems in their digestive system.
You noticed that this is not a simple topic to discuss. But we tried our best to give you the answer. So please let us know how much you liked this article. Also, please tell us what you plan to feed your pet.
