Feeding dogs raw chicken: good or bad?

Question

I've heard it's healthy, I've heard it's dangerous.

I bought some chicken to give to my dog and I'm wondering if I should give it to him raw or cooked. If cooked I'll take the bones out of course. If raw do I need to take the bones out as well?

If you don't really know the answer, please dont' answer..I want people that know what they're talking about thanks!!

Answer 1

i would always cook meat first to get rid of bacteria no matter what just my opnion

Answer 2

The freshness of the chicken is the prime consideration--salmonella lives on chicken skin and can pass to the dog, even with their shorter digestive systems. Since it IS a possibility, I'd actually lightly cook it, as the bacteria can't live above a certain temperature.

Raw bones, usally, are ok, but the rib cage may stick in the throat if the dog doesn't crunch it. You should take out the ones that may cause a problem. I don't know how large a dog you have, but if there's any concern about bones getting caught in the throat and choking the dog, don't include them.

I feed raw ground turkey to our cats and they're fine with it. It's flash frozen, in 1 pound tubes for $1 each and the three of them go through a tube in 2 days. They've been getting this with their other food for 4 years now and their coats show it. I noticed an improvement in 2 weeks on them.

Answer 3

There are MANY MANY things you need to research before you begin to feed a raw diet.. I will include some sites at the end. Some replies to the former answers.. so you won't kill your dog:
NEVER microwave chicken meat with the bones in! Even if it's for 30 seconds, microwaves cook from the inside out, so the first thing you will be cooking is the BONE.. so it could splinter!
If you want to "disinfect" (though unneccessary) dip the chix into boiling water for a couple seconds. I always remove the excess fatty tissue fron chicken, as the skin can cause pancreatitis. I favor more wholesome fatty acids from fish, flax seed, and olive oil.

Then, you need to worry about the veggie mix, and whether or not you will include it; some diets do, some don't.

Also, if you're just planning on making this raw chix meal his first and last.. pull out the bones, boil the chicken, and mix it into his food over the week. No need to upset his tummy over a one-time feeding, as you won't reap any benefits from it.

A great way to get rid of either loose or tight stools(constipation) is using unsweetened pumpkin pulp. A few tablespoon fulls will clear up any pooping issues, and I always added it to the liver/ veggie slurry that I fed my dogs, and it kept their stools neat, but not too difficult to pass (i.e. cement-like bricks)

Good luck, and have fun making up the plans for a raw diet.. just remember, COMMITMENT is important.. you mush make sure you have a plan for switching and maintaining the diet. The sites I've included were of the greatest help to me through the whole process.

Answer 4

I absolutly agree your 3 yr old needs only one-two meals a day depending on what works for you. I feed my dogs at 630 am and at 630 pm because i do a 50/50 diet half kibble half meaty veggie mix. I do it this way because it works for me. One big meal a day required amount for weight or two just cut the daily feeding amount in half. I know if you feed your dog when you wake up and at dinner time you'l be fine, unless people are super sensitive sleepers i dont see how feeding would wake them just prep the bowl in the evening befor ebed and leave it up some where then put it on the floor in the morning that takes away the rustle of the bag and pouring of the kibble. Watering should not be as noisy just fill a pitcher and so the same if needed. You can buy wormer at walmart $5 for a bottle it has the doses on the side that might help but im sure correcting the feeding will fix all the problems. Hope this helped.

Answer 5

Chickens from slaughterhouses are a whole different thing than birds dogs would catch on their own 100 years ago. There is nothing natural about the way salmonella and e-coli are spread from one chicken to another during processing. Chicken from the grocery store should always be thoroughly cooked, for human, dog or cat consumption.
As for the bones, bird bones are hollow and will splinter and punch holes in the gut, don't give them to the dog.

Answer 6

Wow. People baffle me... With all the information we have available to us via new technology, it's incredible that myths like those from previous commenters here can still exist and be allowed to be perpetuated.

"In 1974, Earl Butz was secretary of agriculture under President Nixon. It was well known at the time that Salmonella posed a problem in poultry. Frustrated by reoccurring outbreaks, the American Public Health Association sued Butz, arguing that the USDA mark of inspection constituted misbranding because it did not warn consumers about Salmonella. USDA lawyers responded that the bacteria were so widespread in the environment that they could not be considered an adulterant. The agency said the public realized that raw meat and poultry were not sterile. “American housewives and cooks normally are not ignorant or stupid and their methods of preparing and cooking of food do not ordinarily result in salmonellosis," the USDA said.

The court agreed, setting a precedent that’s held ever since. To this day, the USDA considers Salmonella a natural organism on raw poultry. Cooks just need to avoid cross-contamination and ensure thorough cooking and everything will be fine, officials say."
Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/10/post_76.html

Most chicken produced in the United States today contains Salmonella. As the above article suggests, the USDA has not required labeling for Salmonella in factory-produce chicken since the 70s. It's the reason we cook it prior to consumption. If the chicken you're about to feed your pet was farm-raised, and you raised it and slaughtered it yourself, you have a lower chance of Salmonella being present, but even that isn't 100% assured, and only a test would prove otherwise.
If, on the other hand, the chicken you're about to feed your pet was purchased in a grocery store, it is highly likely that it is infected with the bacteria, and that you are about to infect your pet if you feed it to them raw.
And, yes, pets do most certainly get Salmonellosis, too.

Salmonella infection in dogs:
http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_salmonellosis#.UmHa40qUb40

Salmonella infection in cats:
http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_salmonellosis#.UmHa6UqUb40

Salmonella in dog food sickens 14 people in U.S.:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-04/dog-food-salmonella-outbreak/54748730/1

This is an old question answered by a series of uninformed opinions. However, being left unanswered by any authoritative source, these dangerous comments serve only to continue the potential for harm.
I truly hope no one has become sick, or that no pets have been lost to this gross misinformation.

Answer 7

There are many proponents of raw diets. Cooked or raw, watch the fat content as it can cause serious problems with a dogs pancreas. Also, chicken alone may not provide all of your dogs nutritional requirements. If you are planning to feed raw, read up! Search BARF diets (bones and raw food) on your favorite search engine.

Answer 8

I make my dogs' food according to recipes in Dr. Pitcairn's book, and I've also talked to my vet about it. They all get raw meat and are thriving on fresh food diet. Dogs do not get e-coli or salmonella from raw meat like people do. You do not, however, feed a dog raw pork or fish - those need to be cooked.

I would not feed my dogs chicken bones ever - the only raw bones they get are raw knuckle bones.

Answer 9

Really chicken as a whole is just bad news for dogs. Even if the chicken is cooked it brings with it diarrhea..... If u give him cooked chicken bones they will splinter in the dog's intestine... Raw chicken brings salmonella just a bad food choice all around.... If u want to give them something close to chicken that taste really good and vets even recommend it, is smoked turkey necks.... Of course a real good dog food is the best followed by pig ears and dog bone biscuits that promote dental care.....

Answer 10

Bad you should boil the chicken very well, before feeding'
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remember boneless, no chicken bones, or turkey bones, and do not feed turkey meat at all, it swells in a dogs stomach

Answer 11

Depends, would you eat raw chicken-NO! of course not, so the same is true for your dog. There is way to much bacteria on uncooked chicken to feed it to your dog. And remove the bones from the meat as well. Chicken bones are small enough to caught in the throat or digestive tract.