Can dogs eat raw chicken ?

[J4CKO]

My wife and generally chuck a bit of chicken the dogs way when we are cooking some, he has been fine and our thinking is, it is a dog, designed to scavenge and will eat rotten meat and just about anything (with a few exceptions) with no ill effects.

her mate saw this and was ready to have the dog admitted to the vets for observations, I just said its a Dog, its stomach acid will burn metal, it can digest pretty much anything so some fresh chicken should be fine.

Who is correct ?

[toohangry]

Fresh chicken on the bone is great. Cooked stuff less so as the bones are brittle.

We feed ours a raw food only diet, it's really good for them.

[Pickled]

One of dogs favourite meals is a raw chicken carcass

[Jasandjules]

Our dogs eat rather a lot of raw chicken carcasses. I buy about 30kg a month....

Your friend is, with respect, an idiot. WTF does he think dogs have eaten for thousands of years before the processed cr*p came along?

However, DO NOT feed cooked bones. EVER.

[HTP99]

We have recently; in the last month or so, moved both of our dogs on to a raw food diet.

We don't prepare it ourselves we buy ready prepared, frozen but it is completely raw; chicken, tripe, lamb, including bones etc. It is known as a "BARF" diet.

So far they are still alive and they are both thriving on it, I also bung them the odd bit of un cooked chicken when preparing food for myself and the wife.

There is a massive thing about raw food for dogs at the moment and the benfits, as that is what dogs ate when in the wild so I would ignore your friend, I can understand why she would be apprehensive but it is perfectly safe and even recommended plus there are many health benefits associated with a BARF diet.

Added bonus is that they hardly poo anymore and the poo's that they do produce are harder so easier to pick up and also raw is actually not much more expensive; if at all, than cheap st from the supermarket and also good dry food such as Lilly's Kitchen.

Edited by HTP99 on Tuesday 21st July 17:51

[otolith]

Our dog is not on a raw diet, but we buy him frozen chicken portions for treats. Either wings from the pet shop or a big bag of Sainsburys Basics chicken thighs and drumsticks. We give them to him straight out of the freezer, which means they last him a couple of minutes instead of being gone in two bites.

[HTP99]

otolith said:

Our dog is not on a raw diet, but we buy him frozen chicken portions for treats. Either wings from the pet shop or a big bag of Sainsburys Basics chicken thighs and drumsticks. We give them to him straight out of the freezer, which means they last him a couple of minutes instead of being gone in two bites.

I think I may buy some value wings from Sainsbury's when I go later after work, as a treat for the dogs.

[bitchstewie]

I feel compelled to ask, but I don't know how to without sounding like a dick.

It's a dog, dogs evolved before fire and cookers did, and if a dog could cook its own meals we'd all be fked anyway - so what did you mate think dogs would eat if people weren't there to give them food?

[Jasandjules]

otolith said:

Our dog is not on a raw diet, but we buy him frozen chicken portions for treats. Either wings from the pet shop or a big bag of Sainsburys Basics chicken thighs and drumsticks. We give them to him straight out of the freezer, which means they last him a couple of minutes instead of being gone in two bites.

Also organic carrots - good for them to nibble on and clean up the teeth.

All our pets are on raw diets i.e. what I consider to be species appropriate.

[otolith]

bhstewie said:

I feel compelled to ask, but I don't know how to without sounding like a dick.

It's a dog, dogs evolved before fire and cookers did, and if a dog could cook its own meals we'd all be fked anyway - so what did you mate think dogs would eat if people weren't there to give them food?

It is a fair point, however we have modified dogs quite a lot from their ancestral form. A grey wolf can exert much higher bite pressure than even a large domestic dog, for example, and it seems reasonable to assume that it (and possibly the common ancestor of domestic dogs and wolves) has a digestive system equally better suited to devouring whole raw dead things. A pug would probably struggle to bring down and eviscerate a large deer. And the lives of wild dogs are risky and often short. If a wolf or other wild canid develops a blocked or perforated gut, well, st happens, and nobody is going to bury it in their garden. The risks an owner is willing to subject a beloved pet to are not the same as the risks a wild animal will take for survival. We might not be willing to risk giving cooked bones to a pet dog, but an urban fox says "where's the bin bag?".

Which isn't to say that there is no merit in the point, just that it should be treated with care.

[otolith]

Jasandjules said:

Also organic carrots - good for them to nibble on and clean up the teeth.

He likes his carrots. And his broccoli stems. He says he is more concerned about food miles, though, so favours local over organic

[Grindout]

Should be fine, just be careful about the bones.

[oldbanger]

Another raw feeder here, and I regularly give raw chicken.

Duck's feet are good treat food too! The bigger Chinese supermarkets sell them

[Du1point8]

can you feed dogs 100% raw meat or has their digestive systems developed in the last thousands of years to need veggies as well?

I come from a background of never owning a dog, but if I did have one I would like to keep their food intake as close to what they would have in the real world (without humans) as possible.

Would this be ok for a dog or is there some dogs that can't take this due to domestication.

I just wonder why some people buy canned food and yet others are happy on raw meat.

[chrisga]

More raw feeders here. Dogs don't need veg at all, neither do they need the rice and grains which make up a lot of the cheaper foods. That's not to say they can't have veg or rice or grains but they do little with them.

While we feel the raw diet is better for our dogs if not buying a "complete" raw food, it's important to get the ratios of bone to meat correct as well as offal to "normal" meat. So do some research if switching. We like to provide a good variety of food too so we usually have a freezer full of minces, carcasses, feet, heart, liver amongst other things all from different animals to provide different things. Buying in bulk we don't think it is any more expensive than an average kibble diet.

Sometimes when I go to look in the dog food freezer I can see why people buy cans of dog food for convenience but I still think it's worth the small additional hassle and the thought fades pretty quickly....

Edited by chrisga on Tuesday 21st July 19:58

[Pickled]

Du1point8 said:

can you feed dogs 100% raw meat or has their digestive systems developed in the last thousands of years to need veggies as well?

I come from a background of never owning a dog, but if I did have one I would like to keep their food intake as close to what they would have in the real world (without humans) as possible.

Would this be ok for a dog or is there some dogs that can't take this due to domestication.

I just wonder why some people buy canned food and yet others are happy on raw meat.

My Malamute, has a raw diet which also includes veggies, loves carrots, peppers, apples, broccoli and also has some fresh salmon and mussels on the odd occasion. Our mastiff on the other hand is getting on a bit and has a lot fewer teeth so struggles with anything to 'crunchy' these days, so he will have the softer raw foods mixed with some good quality pre-packed dog food.

[HTP99]

Du1point8 said:

can you feed dogs 100% raw meat or has their digestive systems developed in the last thousands of years to need veggies as well?

I come from a background of never owning a dog, but if I did have one I would like to keep their food intake as close to what they would have in the real world (without humans) as possible.

Would this be ok for a dog or is there some dogs that can't take this due to domestication.

I just wonder why some people buy canned food and yet others are happy on raw meat.

I guess with tinned and dried it is convenience and it is easy; nothing to really clear up, also ignorance; until fairly recently both myself and the wife weren't really that aware.

Both of ours are fed on Natural Instinct (Google it) it is a pre-prepared completely raw, frozen 100% complete and balanved dog food, the advantage with this is that there is no farting about preparing dog food, or separating a fridge or having a separate fridge or freezer to keep raw dog food away from human food.

Both of ours, they are small; Barry is 4kg, Daisy is 8.5 kg, will get through a kilo in just under 4 days at approx £4 per kilo depending on the meat, which for a 100% natural diet is not expensive at all.

You have to be careful still as the food is raw and there is blood, but as long as you clear the sides with separate cloths etc then you will be fine.

Edited by HTP99 on Tuesday 21st July 20:05

[Du1point8]

chrisga said:

More raw feeders here. Dogs don't need veg at all, neither do they need the rice and grains which make up a lot of the cheaper foods. That's not to say they can't have veg or rice or grains but they do little with them.

While we feel the raw diet is better for our dogs if not buying a "complete" raw food, it's important to get the ratios of bone to meat correct as well as offal to "normal" meat. So do some research if switching. We like to provide a good variety of food too so we usually have a freezer full of minces, carcasses, feet, heart, liver amongst other things all from different animals to provide different things. Buying in bulk we don't think it is any more expensive than an average kibble diet.

Sometimes when I go to look in the dog food freezer I can see why people buy cans of dog food for convenience but I still think it's worth the small additional hassle and the thought fades pretty quickly....

Edited by chrisga on Tuesday 21st July 19:58

Cheers... Im looking to get a dog in the next few years, but I prefer to keep it true to what they would eat in the wild, in fact I sometimes think that giving them a can of dog food is the equivalent of giving myself a microwave meal.

Would this be correct or am I way off the mark?

As far as Im concerned the dog that I get (once I have done background reading ) gets fresh fruit/veg and raw meat as I thought that that is what they are designed to have and not a processed substitute, I won't eat it myself so why should they.

The only time I would consider it would be with puppies as Im not sure if they can behave themselves would whole bones.

[Jasandjules]

Du1point8 said:

can you feed dogs 100% raw meat or has their digestive systems developed in the last thousands of years to need veggies as well?

Wild dogs and wolves would scavenge the odd bit of fruit etc.. that drops from fruit trees.

[HTP99]

Jasandjules said:

Du1point8 said:

can you feed dogs 100% raw meat or has their digestive systems developed in the last thousands of years to need veggies as well?

Wild dogs and wolves would scavenge the odd bit of fruit etc.. that drops from fruit trees.

Also they ate the stomach of their prey, which would normally contain vegetation that had been eaten and partially digested.