Raw Chicken?

[brianamac]

This might seem like a ridiculous question, and google searches yield the same answer: of course dogs can eat raw chicken. But I wanted to get some greytalk opinions.

 

Boo is going through a loooong de-worming process for hookworms right now and his stool is pretty loose. In the past, we always switch him to a diet of plain rice and cooked chicken for a few days and that seems to help.

I'm not very meat savvy as neither DH nor myself really eat meat, but we just bought some chicken thighs for the dog yesterday and I started wondering... do I have to cook them, or is it just as good to give them to him raw?

[OwnedBySummer]

There's differing opinions on the raw diet.

BUT the most important thing is if you cook them, to never feed him cooked bones.

[brianamac]

Oh definitely, even raw bones are something we feed with caution/attention.

Well perhaps if there is controversy it is 'safer' to stick with cooked chicken. Safeness prevails over laziness, I guess!

[Guest Marsroving]

Mars eats a 90% raw diet (the other 10% is little snacks like bagel bites with cheese that I sneak to him when his other mommy isn't looking). I've got to admit when I first started giving him whole chicken backs, chicken quarters and the like I was terrified he would choke...but nah! We've never had any problems and the only close call we've ever had with choking was a large dog cookie that got stuck in his back teeth! Thankfully we were able to remove it!

 

His stools are always nice and firm, his teeth are fantastic and his coat shines like you wouldn't believe. The only thing I really stress is to make sure you don't over feed on bone! We always use meaty bone pieces and rotate in things like livers, gizzards, berries, some veggies, peanut butter, etc. Too much bone causes terrible constipation and white crumbly poo!

 

A typical meal plan will be 1 pound of legs in the morning and then for dinner half pound of liver with broccoli and strawberries! (So spoiled I know). You wouldn't believe how much cheaper raw feeding is also.

[GeorgeofNE]

There is nothing magic about chicken and rice in terms of loose stool. That's just a typical "bland diet." I have not found it actually does a thing toward firming poop.

 

Canned pumpkin works well, as do (so I hear) Metemucil wafers.

 

As to raw chicken, I found it hard to believe myself when I got George, but yes, they eat it, they love it, bones and all!

 

I just started giving George a turkey thigh on weekends to replace a meal. He loves it!

[sweetdogs]

This might seem like a ridiculous question, and google searches yield the same answer: of course dogs can eat raw chicken. But I wanted to get some greytalk opinions.

 

Boo is going through a loooong de-worming process for hookworms right now and his stool is pretty loose. In the past, we always switch him to a diet of plain rice and cooked chicken for a few days and that seems to help.

I'm not very meat savvy as neither DH nor myself really eat meat, but we just bought some chicken thighs for the dog yesterday and I started wondering... do I have to cook them, or is it just as good to give them to him raw?

My girl had a stubborn case of hooks (although she was asymptomatic) & I fed her raw throughout & beyond. If you're not feeding a source of calcium with the chicken & rice, he's gonna have loose stools whether it's cooked or raw. Bone-in chicken thighs are great to feed but if what you bought is boneless, add some ground eggshell powder with the rice & that should help his stools.

[brianamac]

Thanks guys! We always add pumpkin in with both his regular food and during chicken+rice times. Good to know about the eggshell powder.

[Guest WhiteWave]

All mine just got done eating raw chicken quarters. I feed raw to replace a few meals a week just b/c dogs enjoy it and I feel it is healthier to eat some real food and not just processed food all the time.

[Guest jbbuzby]

 

There's my female, Winry, enjoying some raw chicken. I used to give it as 1/2 of all meals as I could, but I've since moved and don't have a good place to do it (boyfriend refuses to let them in the house, and too many people around here let their dogs off leash for me to feel safe doing it outside on leash). So for now they eat their grain-free kibble and occasionally a raw egg or bits of meat will slip in to their bowls. I brush their teeth and use water additive and natural bones to keep their teeth sparkly .

 

But as you can tell, she has no issues whatsoever consuming it and eats it like she was born doing it (which for many greyhounds, is pretty much the case).