# Feeding dogs raw chicken



## Lucylewis0 (Aug 4, 2009)

This may sound like a really silly question but hey........

I have always only fed my dogs on complete dried food, and maybe mixed in cooked chicken,fish etc........

I have been reading several posts and am I right in thinking that you can give dogs raw fresh chicken wings, thighs and drumsticks?? and its completly safe for them to eat everything? all the small bones and everything? 

I have never fed my dogs raw meat as im always paranoid about food posioning


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## katiefranke (Oct 6, 2008)

Yes that's right! depends on the size of your dog to what you would give though - for instance a drumstick or wing would be way too small for anything but the small breed dogs. for a medium size you would be better to give a chicken thigh and leg quarter, or a wing and breast quarter instead. for larger dogs a half chicken or whole chicken.

I guess that it is just that for years we have been told by vets (who sell commercial pet foods) that chicken bones are bad, so we are worried about it....but once you start you realise it is easy peasy and nothing to worry about (or nothing more than them eating anything else).

You would want to supervise, especially in the beginning to ensure they crunch it properly and dont try and swallow too much in one go.

if you want more info on raw feeding, there is some useful info in the links in my signature about how to feed raw and myths or raw feeding . the myths site is especially good for giving you info on things like the worries you might have about bacteria and the bones etc: http://rawfed.com/myths/index.html


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## Lucylewis0 (Aug 4, 2009)

katiefranke said:


> Yes that's right! depends on the size of your dog to what you would give though - for instance a drumstick or wing would be way too small for anything but the small breed dogs. for a medium size you would be better to give a chicken thigh and leg quarter, or a wing and breast quarter instead. for larger dogs a half chicken or whole chicken.
> 
> I guess that it is just that for years we have been told by vets (who sell commercial pet foods) that chicken bones are bad, so we are worried about it....but once you start you realise it is easy peasy and nothing to worry about (or nothing more than them eating anything else).
> 
> ...


Thankyou hunni xxxxx


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## Dirky47 (Oct 20, 2009)

Chickens are never been good in dogs. They can cause allergy so be careful.


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## Lucylewis0 (Aug 4, 2009)

so does the same apply for all meats, I could buy say, pork chops, lamb chops, beef brasing steak etc...... all can be feed raw straight from the packaging???

I would of course introduce very slowly to avoid upset tummies


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## katiefranke (Oct 6, 2008)

Dirky47 said:


> Chickens are never been good in dogs. They can cause allergy so be careful.


a lot of dogs are allergic to chicken, yes but only because it has been overused in dog foods for so long. but true food allergies are actually relatively rare as allergies go... obviously the signs to look out for would be sudden itching/ear wax or infections etc...but it is quite unlikely if the OP has already fed her dog cooked chicken previously


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

Lucylewis0 said:


> so does the same apply for all meats, I could buy say, pork chops, lamb chops, beef brasing steak etc...... all can be feed raw straight from the packaging???
> 
> I would of course introduce very slowly to avoid upset tummies


Pretty much yes, although i dont feed mine pork (but plenty do). I dont use lamb chops as such but i do feed the ribs (i just dont feed the knobbly end - but my dogs are small dogs).

Are you doing this food as a treat and supplement or are you considering a totally raw diet?

If a totally raw diet you need to do some more research to make sure you are feeding a balanced diet, and decide which feeding programme you want to follow.


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## katiefranke (Oct 6, 2008)

Lucylewis0 said:


> so does the same apply for all meats, I could buy say, pork chops, lamb chops, beef brasing steak etc...... all can be feed raw straight from the packaging???
> 
> I would of course introduce very slowly to avoid upset tummies


yep that's right. if you are only using it to supplement their normal food a few times a week, i would suggest keeping the raw meals completely separate, as it can upset their stomachs and the dried foods can 'hold up' the raw food in their intestines longer than it would naturally be there. but i know a lot of people who feed biscuits in the AM and raw in the PM with no issues.

if you are thinking of going completely raw, then it needs to be along the lines of the following:

80% meat, only around 10% bone (within some of that 80% meat, not standalone) and 10% offal - made up of half liver and half other organs like kidney and lung etc. just FYI, heart is counted towards the meat allocation in this instance as it is a muscle.

I feed steaks of beef, shoulder, neck or ribs of lamb, shoulder, neck or ribs of pork, 1/4 or 1/2 duck, 1/4 or 1/2 chicken, turkey legs (the massive ones), 1/4 or 1/2 rabbit, even some venison on special offer - plus the occasional raw egg and raw oily fish! with the pork chops make sure you give them joined together in a slab of a few though, not one at a time as they are too small and could be swallowed the wrong way. the bigger pieces the better for them to rip a nd tear and chew and crunch!! great for their teeth and their gums.

it is best to start with one meat protein and stick to it for a week or so before then introducing the next as well (so then you would be feeding 2 proteins) and then add the next and so on...

There is loads of great info on the links in my siggie, so do have a look on them if you are interested...there are quite a few people who raw feed on here too, so ask away with any questions!


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## Lucylewis0 (Aug 4, 2009)

WOW........ Thanks for all the info guys, it's so helpful

I am not thinking of going completly raw at the moment, Im just going to give it maybe every other day or so.......... 

I have always stuck to dry food (royal canin) and add in a bit of natures diet to make it more appealing to them.I sometimes cook up chicken breasts for them too, I have never looked into raw feeding until now and it really really fasinating

Well....... i brought chicken thighs this afternoon for my two (tibetan terriers) i made them go out in the garden (im paranoid about raw meats contaminating the kitchen floors, dog beds, etc.... (my kids lay in the bed with dog sometimes)
Well anyway, i gave them a thigh each, puppy (5months) just looked at it for 5 mins, older girl held it in her mouth for 10 mins, then i think they must of realised what it was and then 10 mins of bones crunching and lots of chewing they finshed everything!!! they loved them and then sat by the fridge waiting for more


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## katiefranke (Oct 6, 2008)

awwww, great! thats brill...he he, you will be converted soon  you will find the more you feed it raw, the less you think about the potential germs and worry of bones etc!

the dogs sound like they loved it! yeah when maggie had her first raw meal it took her AGES to eat it...now she is quite a bit quicker, but still doesnt gulp it and chews the bones nicely...

well good luck with it


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## RachyBobs (Oct 18, 2009)

My dogs get raw, they are fed raw chicken, heart, liver and kidney  The amount of crap they pack into those 'meaty chunks' is mad.. if you think back to a dog being a wild animal - it ate raw flesh, then think what there teeth are designed for? Ripping flesh. Sounds awful but we are all so eye glazed by the commercial food trade we easily forget that its a dog and not a human. Always makes me laugh when you see tins with 'sunday dinner flavour' or something on 

So yes you can feed raw chicken


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## katiefranke (Oct 6, 2008)

RachyBobs said:


> ... heart, liver and kidney ...


Oh yes I forgot to mention what other bits I feed like that in my earlier post! I feed lamb or beef heart, lamb, beef or pork liver and lamb beef or pork kidney! Liver can give a dodgy stomach VERY easily, so I wouldnt recommend giving that until you have tried other things and start with the tiniest amount! Kidney is not so bad I have found and heart is like most other meat as it is quite tough, so you could feed this as a cheap raw meal too!


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## Dirky47 (Oct 20, 2009)

katiefranke said:


> a lot of dogs are allergic to chicken, yes but only because it has been overused in dog foods for so long. but true food allergies are actually relatively rare as allergies go... obviously the signs to look out for would be sudden itching/ear wax or infections etc...but it is quite unlikely if the OP has already fed her dog cooked chicken previously


You are right. If you only know how to balance feeding your dog when it comes in Chicken.


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