Goody 4 Paws

Chicken Bones

Raw chicken on the bone is without doubt the very best form in which to feed your dog most of its requirements of meaty bones. Most people, when I suggest they feed their dog chicken bones (I often recommend chicken wings) reel back in horror and surprise and say, "But I thought you were not supposed to give chicken bones to dogs". The answer is, of course, that it is most certainly not a good idea to feed COOKED chicken bones to your dog.

There is an incredible difference between cooked and raw chicken. Have you ever tried to chew on raw chicken? It is tough. The bones on the other hand, coming from ten week old birds, are extremely soft. Once your dog has crunched through that flesh, the bones are very safely crushed. Contrast this with the cooked chicken. The flesh is beautifully soft, whilst the bones have gone brittle and sometimes quite splintery. These are dangerous!

Chicken pieces, the carcases, the wings, the necks, whatever, I now consider to be the most important raw meaty bone for our dogs. Of all the meaty bones available, chicken carcases would undoubtedly be the most nutritious and safest. They have the best fatty acid content of all animal bones. They are beautifully balanced with respect to their bone to flesh ratio, and when raw, they are soft and safe.

Some larger dogs will get into the habit of swallowing chicken carcases whole, which means that many of the benefits of bone eating are denied the dog. For that reason, and because variability is important when it comes to feeding dogs, it is wise to also feed both lamb and beef bones on a regular basis. Dr Ian Billinghurst