Raw Diet: Can Puppies Eat Raw Chicken?
Considering that most commercial dog food brands use chicken as their main ingredients, it’s clear that chicken is safe for your puppy. However, some vets advice against feeding raw chicken to your due to the risk of Salmonella and other bacteria that can make your pup seriously ill. It’s no wonder some dog owners avoid feeding puppies raw chicken!
Feeding Raw Chicken To Your Puppy
While there are obvious health concerns, you can safely feed raw chicken to your puppy with a few precautions. Chicken is a good source of protein for your puppy growth and overall health. It’s also the kind of food that your pup would be eating in the wild, having in mind that dogs are carnivorous.
To ensure that your growing dog doesn’t get any serious negative effects from raw chicken, you can consider feeding your pup cooked chicken. Your puppy can also feed on raw chicken organs as they are the most nutritious parts of a chicken. In fact, it’s advisable to include at least 5% of organs such as the liver and giblets in your puppy’s raw diet.
Chicken organs are known to offer a generous amount of amino acids essential for your puppy’s skin and coat health. These amino acids also help repair damaged tissues and ensure that the organs are functioning to the optimum. Organs are also a great source of proteins and are easily digestible, making them a fantastic choice for puppies given that they are very active.
Can Puppies Eat Raw Chicken Wings?
While you may be cautious about feeding your raw chicken to your dog, you don’t need to worry about feeding raw chicken wings to your puppy. Most puppies will love crunching a wing for breakfast, dinner or as a snack. That’s because chicken wings contain a fair amount of meat and soft bones that are not only easy for your dog to digest but also healthy.
Raw chicken wings contain the best fatty acid content compared to all animal bones. They are also well balanced in bone-to-flesh ratio, allowing your puppy to enjoy a natural diet without any malnutrition issues. Additionally, your puppies won’t develop upset stomach issues or diarrhea when eating raw chicken wings.
Now if you are confused about switching your dog to raw food in general, we created a comprehensive guide to raw food which covers:
- The best method to switch depending on your dog’s age, health and prior exposure to raw food
- The best methods to switch your dog to raw food
- Example recipes and preparation instructions
You can access the Complete Guide To Switch Your Dog To A Raw Diet eBook here or click on the image below:
How Soon Can Puppies Eat Raw Chicken Wings?
As a dog owner or breeder, you may be wondering when it would be ideal to introduce raw chicken wings to your puppy’s diet. Well, I started weaning my puppies with raw wings along with other raw food diets as early as six weeks with my last litter. The puppies were enthusiastic about their meals, and they had a wonderful time gnawing on them.
Though chicken wings are safe for your puppies, it may take some time to consume them. However, raw chicken wings will keep them happily occupied while allowing them to enjoy various benefits of feeding on a raw diet. You can also chop the wings into smaller pieces to allow your small puppies have an easy time when eating them.
There you have it, a quick answer to can puppies eat raw chicken wings.
Can Puppies Eat Raw Chicken Bones?
What about chicken bones? Can puppies eat raw chicken bones? While you may have been warned never to feed chicken bones to your puppy, you should note that the warning is specifically on cooked chicken bones. Raw bones are fairly soft and flexible, meaning it’s easy for your puppy to chew them. However, chicken bones become brittle when cooked and can be sharp when chewed.
Raw chicken bones are healthy for your puppy as they are dense in nutrients essential for development. The bones also help in cleaning your puppy’s teeth and gums as they chew them. Nevertheless, you should be careful when feeding raw bones to your dog as too much can constipate your puppy.
Aside from raw bones, chicken feet are also a great source of food for your growing puppies as well as bigger dogs. The feet’s rough texture naturally cleans your pup’s teeth and helps in reducing tartar buildup. Additionally, raw feet offer a generous amount of glucosamine – an excellent nutrient for joint health. That means they are great for puppies fighting arthritis.
So thats it, the answer to the question can puppies eat raw chicken bones.
Can Puppies Eat Raw Chicken Neck?
What about raw chicken neck, can puppies eat raw chicken neck? When it comes to feeding raw chicken necks to puppies, most people are concerned about the risk of choking and swallowing them whole. However, you can feed raw necks to your pup safely without issues by taking precautionary measures. That includes cutting the necks into pig ears size for small dogs to help them chew comfortably.
Chicken necks are good for your dogs they have a nice balance between the number of bones and meat in them. As such, they are rich in proteins and other nutrients that are essential for the growth of your puppy. Additionally, the bones in raw chicken necks give your puppy a nice gum massage, which is good especially when teething.
And that’s your answer to ‘can puppies eat raw chicken neck’.
Precautionary Measures For Feeding Your Puppy Raw Chicken
Despite raw chicken meat, bones and organs being healthy for your puppy, they are p[rone to bacteria and salmonella. With that in mind, your puppy’s meat should be treated the same way you treat your family’s raw meat. Here are some precautionary tips:
- Store the raw chicken on the refrigerator to avoid bacterial growth.
- Rinse the chicken thoroughly with cold water before feeding it to the puppies.
- Don’t allow the unfinished chicken to sit idle in the feeding bowl. Instead, you should throw away any leftovers in the bowl after your dog eats.
- Always ensure that you don’t feed your puppy cooked chicken bones to avoid any injuries in the digestive tract.
- Always supervise your puppies when eating raw bones, necks, and That because your puppies may choke trying to swallow big pieces if they become very enthusiastic.
- Avoid feeding your puppy large marrow bones are the outer rim is generally hard for your puppy to chew.
Bottom Line
If you are thinking of weaning your pup on a raw diet, then raw chicken is one of the best ingredients out there. Raw chicken not only builds lean muscles but it also very nutritious for skin and coat health. Talk to your vet to create the proper nutritional plan for your puppy depending on breed, size and age. That also helps to ensure that your dog is not allergic to chicken.