Raw Chicken for Dogs: Nutrition Guide
Feeding dogs with raw food has always sparked controversies as some sources have declared them safe, but there are still many that have raised concerns about such conditions as vomiting, indigestion and many more problems that can emanate from raw food consumption. The question we need to answer here is “is it safe for dogs to consume raw chicken or not”.
There are many whose dogs are already used to being fed with raw chicken; this may be due to the fact that chicken is relatively cheap, and always available. However, recommendations from experts are that we should give the raw chicken a skip, and go for other types of animal protein for dogs. The reason is that considerable canine nutritional problems have emanated from the consumption of chicken. If your canine companion is already on a raw chicken diet, then you need to read on to get some facts that will make you discontinue uncooked chicken, and look for alternatives.
Health Risks Associated With Raw Chicken In Dogs
We don’t need to be told that bacteria can thrive on raw meat. What people don’t know are the consequences that can come from consuming them. Many dog parents think it is good to feed dogs with uncooked chicken, while many believe it to be unsafe for both dogs and their adopters.
Several studies have been conducted on this issue, and the resultant findings have established that bacteria found on raw meat portends more danger for humans than for their dogs. Humans are affected to a significant extent, thus it may not always be right for you to feed your dog with raw meat as your own health is also on the line. Even the processed beef we normally buy off the stores are known to have about 86 percent of it contaminated with bacteria, so it is also harmful as well.
You run the risk of getting contaminated when your pet is infected since you will still get to clean out their bowl, and waste. Avoid being licked by unknown dogs, because if they happen to be infected, the pathogens will definitely transfer to you.
When a dog eats raw chicken for a long time, their balanced diet will be ruined, and the unwanted pieces of bone in the meat might choke your pooch and, besides, if the dog does not see it coming, bones can result into tooth breakage, and the risk of canine paralysis increases up to 70 percent.
Many dog parents have tried feeding their pets with pork in place of chicken, but it is a bad idea. In fact, meat from pig is just as bad as that of chicken. Findings have shown that the concentration of omega-6 in pork is 24 times more than omega-3, and the explanation is simple – pigs are reared in the same way as chickens.
Cooked Vs. Raw – Which is Better
Chicken might be a source of essential protein for your canine companion and it turns out it is exactly the type of diet a dog would be exposed to in the wild. Many veterinarians have spoken up against feeding raw chicken to dogs because of the high risk of salmonella, or even contamination from other bacteria.
Therefore, cooked chicken has been declared safer for dogs, but then, the concentration of stomach acid in canines is high, much more than for us humans, and this fortifies the entire canine population against contamination from bacteria. What this means is that you are taking a gamble when you feed your dog with raw chicken. If you have already decided to go on the raw chicken for your pooch, always check the purchase date to ensure that it is as fresh as possible. People have been known to take the extra precaution of rinsing the chicken in clean water before giving it to the dog.
Benefits of Feeding Dogs with Raw Chicken
- Everything about raw chicken is not all bad for the canine population; some good can still come out of feeding your dog with raw chicken.
- Chickens are a significant source of energy for dogs.
- It is low in calorie count and high in protein, which makes it beneficial for your pooch.
- Omega 6 fatty acid is not completely bad as it engenders a healthy skin as well as aid to succour shiny coats.
- Bone health can be stimulated by amino acids and glucosamine, which are found in chicken.
- Five findings have established that the consumption of raw meat can prevent some kind of cancer in many dogs.
- Dogs with chronic digestive conditions will benefit from raw chicken.
- Raw chicken can freshen up a dog’s breath and aid in fighting health problems that come from old age.
What to Pay Attention to When Feeding a Dog With Raw Chicken
When you have taken the conscious decision to feed your dog with chicken, you should bear in mind that, “you are what you consume,” technically speaking, the diet that chickens eat at the poultry is exactly what your dog is consuming. In explanation, this means that anything the chicken eats, whether it is bad or good is passed down to your pooch through the age-old food chain. The chicken is just the conduit pipe or an intermediary.
With that said, you would probably know about the very poor diet that chickens survive on, like; dehulled soybean meal, dried bakery products, whole pressed safflower meal, wheat middling’s and many more. These are what you would likely see on the ingredient labels of poultry feeds, and it becomes glaring that these are the chaff from plant after the manufacturing companies have finished processing and taken out all the nutrients from them. If you are wondering about the dried bakery products – it only means mixtures from cake, bread, flour, and cookies which still constitute waste from manufacturing companies. And being waste materials, these base ingredients hardly hold much in nutritional value for the chicks that consume them. They only function to add to the bulk feed and in the process supply just calories, which goes to fatten up the chickens. So it is becoming more glaring why giving your dog raw chicken may portend more bad than good.
Also, fat from raw chicken is not so good for your canine friend, many have described it as screwed as it would normally trigger chronic inflammation in your pooch, and those pet parents who have continued to feed their dogs with raw chicken will discover that their pet may develop an aversion to eating healthy food that is supposed to aid in their recovery. The reason experts have continued to condemn raw chicken as food for dogs is because, relative to omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, meat from chicken has only shown negative results right from time.When it comes to fatty acids, a lot of animals are reasonably balanced, but that of chicken is rather out of fraction; its range is very far from that of any other animal as it is so cluttered, thanks to the quality of food that chickens are exposed to.
If your mind has started running to beef as an alternative, remember that cattle also eat grain as well as waste products, but they are not as high in omega-6 fatty acids as the chickens which give rise to the question why.In explanation, cattle, lamb, and goat consume loads of hay and grass during the major part of their life; they only get to eat grains a few days before they go into slaughter. But ducks, chickens, and turkeys get to eat food rich in omega-6 on a daily basis. The truth is that as you feed animals with more and more omega-6 fatty foods, the worse they become for it.
The obvious question now is, are dogs not supposed to consume chicken at all? The truth is that you cannot continue to feed your dog with chicken and expect it not to develop chronic inflammation. The concentration of omega-6 fatty acids in chicken is just too high, and exposing your canine companion to an excessive amount of chicken will affect its health negatively. It does not matter whether the omega-3 fatty fish you feed your pooch is in considerable measure, or maybe 50% of its diet, it will still end up having more of omega-6 fatty when compared to omega-3. It may turn out to be ten times more. For omega-3 to omega-6, the ratio that is considered healthy is 5:1 and it shouldn’t be more than that.
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You will find it impossible to control your dog’s hormones as well as inflammation if you continue to feed them too much duck, or chicken. If your pet’s major diet constitutes of chicken, there is no way that they will remain healthy, as their immune system can never function properly.
According to findings from U-Vet Weibel Animal Hospital at the University of Melbourne, raw chicken consumption is indeed lethal for the canine population. Relative to GBS or Guillain-Barre syndrome in human beings, raw chicken consumption can be a contributing factor to the high risk of paralysis in the canine population, which is estimated at 70%.
Sources:
- Raw Dog Food: How to Properly Store and Prepare – PetMD
- Raw Dog Food Diet: Benefits and Risks – Pet WebMD
