Can Dogs Eat Raw Chicken Safely? What Are The Risks

While many experts boast about the health benefits of feeding your dog raw chicken, you may wonder can dogs eat raw chicken safely? If you’re planning on feeding your dog raw chicken or it has snuck a bite while you were prepping a meal, don’t worry. Dogs have very strong digestive systems, which can help ensure they survive in the wild.

Although dogs are still at risk for foodborne illnesses, even with their strong digestive tract. Understanding all the risks and benefits of giving your dog raw chicken is important to prevent harm. If you’re interested in learning more, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know so your dog can eat chicken safely without any risks.

Issues With Dogs Eating Raw Chicken

Salmonella

Dogs infected with Salmonella often don’t show symptoms, which can cause more issues, as the bacteria is excreted in their waste and can spread to other animals. Aside from that, infected dogs can also spread Salmonella by licking around the home, including licking you and other surfaces. Symptoms of salmonella, according to the CDC, include the following:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever 
• Loss of appetite
• Reduced energy 
• Blood or mucus in stool
• Excessive salivation

If left untreated, salmonella can cause serious harm and lead to disorders such as septicemia, gastroenteritis, and spontaneous abortions. However, most of the time, salmonella will resolve on its own. The highest risk for death includes dogs with poor gut health, old, and other illnesses that compromise their immune system.

Clostridium

Clostridium is a strain of bacteria that can cause dogs to have severe diarrhea. There are mainly two types of clostridium bacteria called Clostridium perfringes and Clostridium difficile. Clostridium can cause mild to severe diarrhea, which may inflame the dog’s gastrointestinal tract.

The more bacteria, the more the dog may hemorrhage and die in rare cases. The most common symptoms of Clostridium are diarrhea with either mucus or blood, and the dog may be constipated. Otherwise, it is common for dogs to have small-bowel diarrhea, which is watery and loose.

Unfortunately, Clostridium can be passed to other animals, which can be a huge issue if you have more than one pet. Aside from that, the bacteria can also be transferred to humans, requiring antibiotics to treat.

Listeria

While listeria can be found in raw chicken, it usually doesn’t cause dog diseases. Listeria is a mild infection of bacteria in the guts. In dogs, the bacteria only causes mild or no symptoms.

Splintered Bones

Another risk of feeding your dog raw chicken is that it may contain bones. While you can purchase raw chicken without the bones, it’s not always guaranteed that there won’t be any splinters. Raw bones are good for a dog’s dental health, but that doesn’t mean the bone doesn’t pose a risk. 

Choking

Small bites of bone can become a choking hazard for your dog. If you’ve ever seen a dog eat, you know that they don’t take any precautions when eating food. Instead, they scarf down a meal as quickly as possible. If there are small pieces of bone that are hidden in the meat, this can cause them to choke on the food. Also, if the bone gets swallowed, it can cause tearing inside the esophagus. 

Gastrointestinal injuries

Bones will pass in the stomach, gut, colon, and rectum, which can cause an internal puncture wound. Once punctured, it can cause permanent damage and will be fatal. Even a small splinter of a bone can cause this due to its sharp edges. 

Intestinal blockage

Bones can also cause a dog to strain to poop. Due to bones shattering when eaten, the digestive tract can become painful to push out waste. Intestinal blockage is difficult to identify because it looks like constipation, which can be fatal if not treated.

Teeth fractures

Teeth and bones are similar in density, but a dog’s jaw can bite with extreme force. Since the bone is just as strong, it can chip and fracture a canine’s teeth. Sharp shards can slash gums if bitten at the wrong angle, causing bleeding.

Zoonotic

Remember how we discussed that bacteria from raw chicken could spread to other animals and surfaces? Well, bacteria can also spread to humans as well. If your dog is infected with any of the above-mentioned bacterial infections, it can spread to you through their kisses and drool. 

Salmonella may not be dangerous to most healthy adults. However, the bacteria can be fatal for infants, young children, and even older adults. Anyone with a weak immune system or pregnancy will have a higher risk of contraction and symptoms.

So, if you give your dog raw chicken, it’s recommended to use safe food practices. This includes wearing gloves when handling raw meat and wiping down counters and surfaces with disinfectant wipes. Otherwise, you and your family could be put at risk.

The Benefits of Giving Your Dogs Raw Chicken

After reading all that, you’re probably wondering, “are there any benefits to giving your dog raw chicken?”. Despite all the risks, feeding a dog raw chicken has a few benefits.

For starters, chicken is very high in protein, has no sugar or carbohydrates, and provides vital vitamins and minerals. Chicken meat is high in potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and B12.

Dogs who suffer from health conditions or obesity could benefit from the high nutritional value of raw chicken. Chicken is often inexpensive and a great alternative to other high-protein dog food products.

What to Do If Your Dog Eats Raw Chicken

The best thing you can do for a dog that has consumed raw chicken is to get them to the vet. While this sounds like a stretch, this is because many bacterial infections don’t end up causing any symptoms.

During this time, the dog can spread its illness to humans, other animals, and on top of surfaces. If you want to avoid getting infected, it’s best to get your dog tested at the vet and have them put on antibiotics to help prevent the bacteria from spreading.

How to Prepare Raw Chicken For Your Dog Safely

That being said, your dog can still benefit from eating chicken. Instead of feeding your dog raw chicken, you can alternatively cook it. Cooking chicken doesn’t lose any nutritional value, so it’s just as nutritious. Additionally, it eliminates the risk of any bacteria that could harm your dog.

Other benefits of cooking raw chicken include it being easier to digest. Plus, your dog won’t notice much difference and will still eat the food. If your pup doesn’t like cooked chicken, then there are also plenty of other forms of safely cooked chicken. You can buy chicken jerky with the same high protein content that would benefit your dog’s nutrition. 

The Bottom Line

So, can dogs eat raw chicken? While raw chicken is high in protein and can be a good source of other minerals and nutrients, it can also harm your dog and your family. If you feed your dog raw chicken, you must take safety precautions to help prevent any injuries or illnesses. However, cooking chicken can drastically reduce risks and provide the same nutritional benefits without much extra effort.

As much as dogs enjoy raw meats, giving them a well-balanced diet is best. Dog foods are formulated to help them get all the vital nutrients and minerals in their diet. So, while chicken can be an occasional treat, it should be limited.