How do you feel about chicken bones for dogs?

Have you considered feeding them to your pups but were concerned that your dog might choke on them?

Did you love the price tag on a bag of discounted chicken leg quarters but passed them up because…they might cause internal bleeding?

Were you afraid that the nails on chicken feet might puncture your dog’s intestines?

I can’t blame you.

While chicken bones are fabulously cheap, there’s a stigma attached to them. And it’s not completely unfounded.

As a matter of fact, there’s a lot that can go southside when you’re feeding chicken bones the wrong way!

That’s why in this blog post, I’m going to talk about the ONE CIRCUMSTANCE when it’s OK to feed your dog chicken bones.

Do Chicken Bones For Dogs Scare You?

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links from Raw Paws Pet Food and Raw Feeding Miami. I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. FYI: I’ve ordered cuts of raw meat for my dogs’ raw meals from both brands since 2016.

Is It Safe For Dogs To Eat Chicken Bones?

That ONE CIRCUMSTANCE is feeding the chicken bones raw.

That’s when it’s safe for dogs to eat chicken bones because they’re pliable and soft.

It’s the cooked chicken bones that are harmful.

Why?

Because cooking changes the density of the bone structure and turns it hard and brittle.

I can tell you that I’ve fed my fair share of raw chicken bones over the years!

If you’re new to the blog: Hi, I’m Barbara and I’ve been feeding my dogs raw dog food since 2015!

But again, it’s really important to note the word raw.

Raw Chicken Bones For Dogs That Are Safe To Feed

You can feed the following chicken bones to your dogs as long as they’re raw and not cooked:

• Leg quarters
• Drumsticks
• Thighs
• Necks
• Wings
• Feet
• Heads

You can also feed chicken heads (including the beak), although you won’t find those at a local grocery store.

You can find them at Raw Feeding Miami (RFM):

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Can My Dog Eat Leftover Chicken Bones?

If we’re talking about cooked leftover chicken bones, the answer is NO.

Again, cooking makes the chicken bones brittle and sharp. That’s how they can easily splinter and hurt your dog’s insides.

The only cooked chicken bone “meal” that’s OK to feed your dog is chicken bone broth after you’ve discarded the bones.

Alternatives To Chicken Bones for Dogs

Some dogs don’t do well with chicken, regardless of the cut you’re feeding. Those are usually dogs who don’t tolerate grains well. And since most chickens are fed an abundance of grains, it’s going to trigger those dogs and make them itchy and scratchy.

So for those pups, you’re going to need to feed raw meaty bones from other animals, for instance:

• Duck heads, feet, wings and necks
• Turkey wings and necks
• Rabbit heads

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Tip: Use my referral discount link to get 10% off your order at Raw Feeding Miami!

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Raw Meaty Bones In Raw Dog Food

OK, now that you know how to feed chicken (and duck, turkey and rabbit) bones the right way – RAW – let’s talk about how they fit into raw dog food.

In raw feeding, raw meaty bones like chicken bones make up 10% of the diet.

It’s important to rotate the raw meaty bones you feed your pups on a regular basis to ensure they get all the nutrients they need.

I already mentioned several different choices such as heads, wings, leg quarters and feet.

Ideally, you’ll also want to switch it up between different animals, although that can be tricky with dogs who don’t do well with certain protein sources.

That’s actually the case with my pup Wally. He doesn’t do well with chicken, but he can have duck, rabbit, turkey and beef.

One word of caution regarding weight bearing bones from large animals like cows: don’t feed those!

They’re naturally a lot more dense than bones from smaller and much lighter animals like poultry and rabbits. It makes sense when you think about it since they don’t have to hold up 1000s of lbs of animal!

What Else Is In Raw Dog Food?

Besides raw meaty bones, you’ll also have to feed muscle meat and secreting organs.

Unless you’re feeding whole prey including the stomach content, you should feed a little plant matter as well. For example, puréed veggies and fruit, as well as some nuts & seeds.

This is the predominant raw feeding formula to follow in raw feeding: 70/10/10/10.

Here’s what it means:

• 70% muscle meat (including 10% fish)
• 10% raw meaty bones
• 10% secreting organs (5% liver, 5% other secreting organs)
• 10% veggies & fruit (8%), nuts & seeds (2%)

70/10/10/10 applies to adult dogs. Puppies need slightly different amounts while they’re still growing. So do pregnant and nursing dogs.

Do Chicken Bones For Dogs Scare You? – Bottom Line

I hope that the idea of feeding chicken bones to your pups no longer scares you!

As long as you’re feeding the bones raw, they’re soft and pliable and can easily be digested by your dog’s acidic stomach environment.

Remember, it’s the cooking process that makes them brittle and sharp.

However, you should still always supervise your dog while they’re eating their chicken or other bones to ensure they don’t gulp them down.

One more thing: The size of the bone you’re offering your dog should always be a little larger than your dog’s mouth. That ensures that they’ll chew on them.

For example, it’s fine to offer your Jack Russel Terrier a chicken wing or a chicken neck. But it would be better to give your Labrador a chicken leg quarter or a turkey neck instead given their size.

For more information on raw meaty bones, please check out the blog posts mentioned below! Happy raw feeding 🙂

Content Related to Chicken Bones:

• Raw Chicken for Dogs: How to Feed, Where to Buy & More
• Raw Meaty Bones: How to Feed & Where to Get Them
• What Does Balanced Raw Dog Food Consist Of?
• Your Raw Feeding FAQs Answered

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