Can I Give My Dog Raw Chicken And What Are The Points To Consider?

These days pet owners have more information and awareness about their pet diets and they try to find the best ways to make pet food more nutritious. There are several ready-made, packaged foods available in the market that cater to a variety of dietary requirements. One can simply buy them and feed them to the dog.

However, at times pet owners think of preparing their pooch’s food on their own. Several things are quite common in dog food, and one of them is chicken. 90% percent of dogs love chicken, but keeping in mind the raw diet culture prevalent today, one question that is quite a hot topic these days, is whether raw chicken can be fed to dogs. Well, the answer is yes! 

Raw Meat For Dogs

Pet parents tend to think that dogs cannot have raw meat due to various reasons such as the risk of ingesting bacteria and parasites. Raw chicken can indeed have bacteria, raw chicken dogs salmonella, and parasites, and that is why both humans and animals should stay away. Never feed raw chicken to your dog if he/she has a weak immune system.

But, can a dog digest raw meat?

Yes, dogs can digest raw meat, as they have a much stronger digestive system than humans. Dogs were initially accustomed to hunting, killing, and feeding themselves, and their digestive systems can process raw food and chicken.  

However, the chicken must be clean and from a trusted poultry-farm to avoid risks. If the dog develops gastrointestinal problems after having raw chicken, then it may not be because of the bacteria, but because this may be the first time and the stomach takes some time to condition itself to the new diet.

Benefits Of Raw Chicken

Advantages of adding raw meat to a doggy diet are:

• Omega 6 fatty acids present in the raw chicken are great for healthy skin and a luxuriant coat
• Raw chicken for dogs benefits include providing large amounts of energy
• It has glucosamine that helps to make the bones healthier and more dense, preventing arthritis in dogs
• The calorie content is low, and the protein content is high
• It makes them chew better and freshens the breath
• It makes their digestive tract healthy and leads to smaller stools. 

Why Does Raw Chicken Work As A Diet?

As mentioned above, dogs are carnivores and have an innate tendency to eat raw meat. So to answer the question, Does raw chicken affect dogs? Read further. Their digestive systems are well prepared to handle and digest raw chicken. Because they’re carnivorous, they have a shorter digestive tract and decayed, and digested food does not stay in the tract long enough to cause a bacterial infection.  

Their stomachs have ten times more concentrated hydrochloric acid, which makes it difficult for most types of bacteria and parasites to survive in a canine stomach. Dogs can get the required nutrition from raw chicken without the risk of bacterial infection. 

However, some bacteria can cause poisoning, especially when the dog is not used to consuming raw meat. A gradual transition is recommended from ready-made food to raw food. Sudden changes can harm the digestive system.

Include organ meats such as chicken liver in the raw diet as they are rich in amino acids, are a great source of protein and easy to digest. You can even add chicken feet to the diet, as they are rich in glucosamine that helps build bone and joint health. Their rough texture will help in cleaning the tartar on the teeth.

Bacterias and Parasites

Salmonella and parasites are common in raw meat, especially when bought from unreliable sources. Meat parasites are not harmful and don’t cause a significant health breakdown if the pooch is healthy and has a robust immune system.

Make sure that your dog is healthy and has a robust immune system to fight off micro-organisms like salmonella. If not, then avoid raw meat. If the pooch has had any recent health issues, avoid raw meat.

Raw Bone In Raw Meat

There is a major misconception that the raw bones are dangerous compared to cooked ones. This is not strictly true. Raw bones are soft and chewable, compared to cooked bones that are hard and brittle. Brittle bones tend to break and splinter, which can harm the digestive tract. But raw chicken bones dogs consume are much more digestible and do not splinter to cause internal injuries.

Make sure that your dog does not choke on raw bones, make sure to keep the bone in its original size. Also, choose the bone size optimally, keeping in mind the size of the dog. Smaller dogs should be given bigger bones as this will make them chew on the bones slowly and not directly gulp them down.

Make sure that the bone has a lot of meat around it and is not bare. Give meaty raw chicken bones, and dogs will love slowly relishing them. Overeating bone and not much meat can lead to constipation in dogs.

Safety Precautions

While planning a raw diet for pet dogs, it is essential to consider several safety tips to keep the dog healthy.

• Do not re-refrigerate an already thawed chicken. 
• Do not thaw frozen chicken at normal room temperature, as it can get infected by bacteria. Instead, thaw in the fridge.
• Make sure to wash and rinse the meat with cold water before feeding the dog.
• Throw away unfinished meat from the bowl and rinse it properly to avoid bacterial growth.

Summary
Ready-made dog food is easy to provide, but if you want their dog to be more healthy, add some raw food in their diet. Is Raw chicken for dogs safe? When purchased from good sources, properly thawed and washed, it will not pose a problem for the dog’s health. However, if the dog has any other health conditions, a raw chicken diet should be avoided.