A Guide to Chicken Wings for Dogs


 

The majority of pet owners feed their dogs kibble or wet food. However, more and more dog owners are shifting to a raw food diet. In addition to those feeding a raw food diet, some owners are learning about the benefits of providing occasional raw food as a supplement to their dog’s regular diet. 

My dogs are generally fed kibble but supplemented with raw vegetables, e.g. broccoli, carrots, cauliflower stalk and then toast and marmite and roast dinner...it's ok in moderation it's called being normal in my book!

To be fair chicken is a staple of the modern dog’s diet but normally in it's cooked form but  is it safe to feed your dog raw chicken? 

It’s often claimed that chicken bones are brittle, liable to splinter and are thus dangerous for a dog to eat. That’s certainly true of cooked chicken bones, but raw chicken bones are rubbery and make ideal food for a dog whose digestive system is perfectly adapted to digesting them.

What about raw chicken wings for dogs?

Raw chicken bones come from 10-week-old birds so are extremely soft. Once your dog has crunched through the flesh, the bones are very safely crushed. Contrast this with cooked chicken, where the flesh is beautifully soft, but the bones have gone brittle and sometimes quite splintery. These are dangerous!

Raw wings 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.

What are chicken wings?

Chicken wings come from  chickens, which have been slaughtered at a young age. The age of slaughter varies slightly, with intensively reared chickens being slaughtered at around six weeks old, free range chickens at around eight weeks old, and organic chickens at around 12 weeks old. Chickens are sexually and skeletally mature at around five to six months of age, and therefore since they are slaughtered younger than this age, their bones are generally softer than mature chickens.

The structure of a chicken wing can vary considerably. They are generally divided up into three parts: the wing tip, the wingette (or flap), and the drumette. Each contain bones, but the closer you get to the body (the further away from the wing tip), the bigger and thicker the bones are. It is possible to buy chicken wings for dogs which contain all three parts, or just the wing tip and wingette, or just the tip.

If you purchase raw chicken wings for raw food feeding, they’re most likely to come as an entire wing, or at least the tip and wingette. However, if you’re interested in chicken wing treats, which are usually dehydrated, the tips are often the only part which is used.

Dehydrated wing tips only contain a tiny bone, and dehydration in a commercial dehydrator, at a low temperature makes the bone become crumbly. It is also possible to dehydrate chicken wings in a home dehydrator, however this is more dangerous, as they are often not powerful enough to fully dehydrate a wing, leaving the bone susceptible to splintering, rather than crumbling. 

Chicken wings can vary in size, obviously depending on what part of the wing is used. The most popular treat option, the wing tip, is usually 5-10cm in length and 5-10g in weight.

Key facts

  • Chicken wings can be given as a treat, raw or dehydrated. They usually include just the wing tips, but sometimes include the wingette and drumette.



  • Chicken wings are great for improving dental health and joint health, as well as being full of calcium, vitamin B’s and protein.


  • There are quite a few risks associated with chicken wings, including diarrhoea, acute polyradiculoneuritis, and choking.


  • To minimise the risks, supervise your dog at all times, and source your chicken wings from reputable suppliers who ensure their chicken products are pathogen free.


  • Chicken feet, antlers, rabbit ears and ostrich tendons are good alternatives to chicken wings.

Key Benefits

  • Joint Health - Chicken wings are full of connective tissue, ligaments and cartilage, which are a great source of glucosamine and chondroitin. These are precursors for the components which make up joint cartilage and joint fluid, thereby improving the quality of both.  In dogs, glucosamine alleviates pain and joint wear caused by hip dysplasia or other structural changes, it aids in the treatment of spinal disc injury and eases recovery from joint surgery.

  • Dental Health - The bone(s) in the chicken wing is the main source of calcium, but it also has another benefit. When your dog crunches through the bone, it provides an abrasive action on the surface of the tooth, resulting in removal of plaque and left over food material. This is a similar concept to that of dental chews, but chicken wings are significantly more natural, and crunchier, resulting in a better end result. In addition to this, they are much lower in calories than dental chews

Disadvantages & Risks of feeding chicken wings to dogs

Unfortunately, the answer is not as clear as black and white. Chicken wings are certainly not risk-free, but under certain situations, they can be eaten by your dog safely.

Chicken wings contain bones, and as long as they are not cooked, they should not pose any risks. Cooked bones can shatter and cause internal damage to your dog’s intestines. However, raw bones (particularly non-weight bearing bones such as wings) are soft. Bones which have been commercially dehydrated at a low temperature tend to crumble, so these are also fine. However, bones dehydrated in home dehydrators or ovens, or bones which are cooked, tend to splinter and should be avoided at all costs.

When your dog is eating chicken wings, he needs to be carefully monitored. Chicken wings are small in size and can easily be eaten whole by accident. This shouldn’t cause a blockage if it reaches the stomach, because chicken wings are digestible, however, it can get stuck in the throat and cause damage or choking.

Some owners suggest holding onto one end to ensure your dog crunches it before swallowing, however this could pose more problems if your dog panics, as he might think you’re going to take it away, which encourages him to eat it faster than usual. In the end, what is best is careful supervision. 



Comments

  1. I will be so interested in your results and will watch for any comments from others

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