Pet owners like to share dehydrated and raw treats with their dogs. Here, the question arises, “Can dogs eat chicken feet?” Chicken feet are good for maintaining bone and joint health in dogs. They are rich in glucosamine and chondroitin, which benefit canines’ joints and bones.
Are these chicken feet perfect for dogs, or must they only be fed occasionally? You should seek your vet’s guidance to make an informed decision regarding your pet’s eating regimen. This blog will discuss all the aspects of feeding chicken feet to dogs.
Can Dogs Have Chicken Feet? Are They Safe?
Can dogs eat raw chicken feet? Vets have disclosed the fruitful components of chicken feet globally. They are rich in glucosamine and chondroitin. Chicken feet are a safe and healthy snack for adults and young dogs.
Dogs enjoy biting on these snacks, as chicken feet contain only bones and ligaments. These crunchy bites aid in tartar destruction, maintaining dogs’ oral hygiene. Moreover, the bone content of these chicken feet adds numerous nutritional values to a dog’s eating regimen.
Safety depends on the product type and feeding size. Dehydrated and cooked chicken feet are suitable for dogs, unlike hydrated or raw ones. Similarly, small feeding sizes are crucial to preventing choking risks in dogs, especially pups.
Also read: Can Dogs Eat Vienna Sausages?
5 Benefits of Feeding Chicken Feet to Dogs
Chicken feet can be a great source of joy for your furry friend. You can also make them a prize or reward for your pet. The following are some health benefits of giving your dog chicken feet.
1. Processed Meat and Chicken Feet
When we compare processed meat and chicken feet, it means that the calories in chicken feet are much fewer than processed meat. About the stats as per calorie, around 75 calories are present, roughly per foot. On the other hand, processed food has higher calories. Chicken feet contain tendons, tiny bones, cartilage, and skin, making chicken feet less calorie-consuming. Fewer calories than processed meat make them healthy for your pet.
2. Nutritious, Healthy Snacks
As mentioned above, chicken feet comprise cartilage, tendons, tiny bones, and skin. These are good sources of minerals and vitamins and give your pet strength and charm. The feet contain high levels of chondroitin and glucosamine, making this treat valuable. The high protein content is beneficial for growth factors.
3. Best for Dogs having Arthritis
Chicken feet are rich in bones and ligaments. Their glucosamine and chondroitin content serve as building blocks of proteins in dogs. They can regenerate cartilage loss and strengthen their bones. These components of chicken feet are helpful for dogs with arthritis or hip dysplasia. Thus, it could be a healthy joint supplement for dogs. It improves the mobility of such dogs.
4. Maintains Dental Health
Dog’s dental hygiene is as important as ours. Ignoring your pet’s oral health will lead to bad breath and plaque accumulation, and if left untreated, it can cause infections. Chewing on chicken feet is the best way to maintain their dental health. The crunchy parts of these bones help clean off plaque content and tartar development.
5. Maintain Mental Health
Biting on the crunchy texture of chicken feet helps improve your dog’s mental health. They are good for relieving boredom and anxiety in dogs. Chewing chicken feet could be a source of enjoyment for our furry friends.
Read more: Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Kidney Disease
4 Potential Health Risks from Eating Chicken Feet in Dogs
Every treat has pros and cons. Pet owners wonder, “Can dogs eat cooked chicken feet?” Cooked chicken feet are safe for canines but may carry several health risks.
1. Digestive Discomfort
Overeating chicken bones can lead to several digestive problems in dogs. It can cause GI irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other discomforts. This could be due to feeding raw chicken feet to dogs that contain bacterial residues.
2. Choking Risk
Large pieces of chicken feet could pose a choking risk for dogs. They can block the esophagus, which can lead to several consequences. Pet owners must be cautious while giving chicken feet to their puppies, as they are tiny and can get choked by medium-sized feet.
3. Bone Splintering
Check closely while feeding chicken feet to dogs. Remove pointed or splintered bones to avoid bruises and cuts in your pet’s oral cavity. You must detect the bones that are easy to splinter in the mouth. Try to give them solid bones or break them into fine, bite-sized pieces to avoid unwanted consequences for dogs.
4. Nutritional Imbalance
Raw chicken feet are not healthy for dogs due to their unsafe components. They also lead to a nutritional imbalance in dogs. Chicken feet are not an authentic source of nutrition for our canine companions. Regular biting on these crunchy treats can prompt nutritional imbalances and further health problems in dogs.
How to Feed Chicken Feet to Our Pets? 7 Precautions!
Can I feed chicken feet to my pet? Feeding chicken feet to dogs is not hazardous for them. Vets focused on the feeding method of chicken feet to canines. You must take precautions while adding chicken feet to your pet’s eating regimen.
1. Check for Raw Chicken Feet
Can dogs eat chicken feet raw? There needs to be more clarity between feeding raw or cooked chicken feet to dogs. However, chicken feet are full of bones and ligaments, which benefits our furry friends. Biting on those crunchy textures relieves anxiety and depression in dogs.
However, the concerns about raw foods remain the same. Raw chicken feet are more susceptible to being abundant with bacteria and parasites that could harm a dog’s health. It is best to ask your vet before adding raw chicken feet to your dog’s plate. You can also avoid these raw treats to sustain your pet’s health.
2. Pick Dehydrated Chicken Feet
Dehydrated chicken feet are safe and healthy for our canine partners. They are easy to digest, have a lot of nutrients, give intense chewing pleasure, and are devoid of harmful bacteria and parasites. Thus, they are healthier than raw chicken feet. Pet owners must pick up dehydrated chicken feet for their loved ones.
3. Practice Moderation
Moderation is necessary. You must practice moderation whenever you feed your dog a new food variety. Start with a small amount and seek their response to that particular diet. If all things go perfectly, you can add more. Besides, these treats must be an occasional part of your dog’s eating regimen rather than a regular meal.
4. Serve in Bite-sized Pieces
Make sure to break those chicken feet into smaller, bite-sized pieces to avoid choking risks for dogs. Large pieces can block their food pipe and lead to several emergencies like breathlessness, nausea, coughing, etc. Always tear bones correctly and remove splintered ones, as they can damage a dog’s oral cavity.
5. Seek Out Insensitivities
Dogs may have allergic reactions to commercial or stored chicken feet. It is best to watch out for insensitivities and allergies by giving them chicken feet in small proportions. Consult your vet about your dog’s nutritional demands, and choose treats that align with your pet’s health.
6. Consider Vet’s Approval
Asking a veterinarian about a particular diet is essential to sustaining our pet’s health. Vets are specialized in diagnosing upcoming discomforts in dogs due to a specific dog treat. They can advise you based on your pet’s nutritional requirements and underlying medical problems. Vets also suggest portion control to avoid unwanted health outcomes.
7. Choose Healthy Alternatives
It is optional to give dogs only dehydrated chicken feet. You can choose other healthy alternatives if your dog gets irritated with this treat. If they love to bite on crunchy foods, offer them carrots and thigh bones. You can get guidance via online platforms or communities where numerous pet owners are willing to help each other.
4 Dog-Friendly Treats
There are many healthy and dog-friendly treats available on the market. In addition to chicken feet, you can serve them with other healthy supplements to maintain their gut and mental health status. Let us find some below.
1. Beef Jerky Chews or Pork Ribs
Beef jerky dog chews are a better option for our canine companions. They are picked from the family and baked to be an odor-free treat in a healthy environment, i.e., free from harmful ingredients or chemicals. They are good for canines‘ dental health.
Beef jerky chews benefit dogs of all ages, as they have naturally derived components. This makes them easy to digest and assimilate in the body, liberating all nutritional benefits at once.
2. Collagen Sticks
You can get commercial collagen sticks for your pet. It is best for adults who love to bite on large pieces for a longer time. These chews last 20% longer than other sticks. These collagen sticks help to maintain dogs’ joint, skin, coat, and gut health. These chews are far better than chicken feet supplements for joint health.
3. Pig Ear Treats
Pet owners are moving towards pig ear treats for their dogs besides natural chicken feet treats. These treats are meant to relieve anxiety and depression for longer, as they provide hours of chewing. These treats are best for their mental stimulation and long-term engagement.
Moreover, pig ear treats provide good protein content and maintain oral hygiene. They lack additives, preservatives, or other harmful ingredients, thus making them safe for our dogs.
4. Rabbit Ears
Rabbit ears could be another healthy alternative to organic chicken feet for dogs. These meaty snacks incorporate various essential nutrients and minerals that are helpful for our canine friends. You can check for kangaroo tails for an occasional dog treat. Seek a vet’s recommendation before feeding any new treats to dogs.
Can my dog have chicken feet alternatives? Absolutely yes. You can pick any of the dog treats mentioned earlier as an alternative to chicken feet for your dog. For more precise information, get an appointment with your vet and deeply discuss alternative chicken feet. They will suggest the best one that aligns with your pet’s nutritional demands and health status.
How Do You Prepare Suitable Chicken Feet for Dogs?
Dehydrated chicken feet are safe and sound for our furry friends. To make them, place the feet in an air dryer or any other drying machine and leave them for a few minutes. The drying process may take some time. Keep it slow drying. This step will help lock in all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in them.
Take them out and store them at the suggested temperature and RH conditions to avoid deterioration. For longer storage, keep them in an air-tight container and freeze them. Drying out the chicken feet leaves a crumble texture, protecting them from splintering easily in a dog’s mouth.
Where to Buy Chicken Feet for Dogs?
As discussed above about the safety of dehydrated chicken feet, we must also look for reputed brands. Search online for reputable companies or stockholders who claim to have the best-quality dehydrated chicken feet for dogs. It is best to ask your vet before purchasing any new food variety for your dog. You can get ideas from online resources or pet communities where you can learn from others’ experiences.
It is important to remember that after buying chicken feet from a reputable source or brand, you must take precautions while serving them to your pets. They must not be part of their regular eating regimen. With references, vets suggest giving 1 to 2 feet to your puppy or 2 to 4 feet to adults once a day. Each chicken’s feet comprise 75 calories, making them a healthy treat among others.
Last Words
People may ask, “Can dogs eat chicken feet?”. Chicken feet are beneficial for dogs in moderation. This blog has discussed every aspect of feeding chicken feet to our canine friends. Read again for a better understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Can a 3-month-old puppy eat chicken feet?
A: Dehydrated chicken feet in small amounts can be given to a 3-month-old puppy with caution. However, consulting a vet regarding this treat is essential to keeping your puppy safe and sound.
Q: Can dogs get salmonella from chicken feet?
A: Raw chicken feet contain a high amount of bacteria or pesticides. Thus, they can contain salmonella, which can lead to several infectious diseases in dogs.
Q: Can dogs eat chicken feet with nails?
A:.Dogs cannot have chicken feet with nails, as they can cause bruises or cuts in their oral cavity. Moreover, feet with nails have a high risk of bacterial infections in dogs.
