Fried Chicken Dog Guide – Is it Safe for Puppies to Eat?
Many Americans love sitting down for their dinner to have a home-cooked meal. And one of those meals ends up being a classic southern dish – fried chicken. Regardless of whether or not you go to get KFC, or you end up having at home, you know how the story goes – you’re sitting there eating with your family, and then your dog starts sitting nicely and waits for you to drop something. More importantly, they’ll even beg a bit, and if you have a pet that’s a true member of the family, you may want to give them some. But should you?
Fried Foods Are a No Go
In general, even the AKC tells people not to give their dogs fried foods because it can cause them to have higher cholesterol levels, and cause them to be overweight, or develop heart disease. Your dog isn’t supposed to eat fried foods (but then again, neither are we really). So while your dog may be okay, you may be shortening their lifespan if they eat too much of it.
Along with being high in fat, many people often put other ingredients that can cause toxicity in dogs. For example, seasonings like garlic and onion powder can be harmful to your dog’s blood. Garlic can be considered safe if it’s not consumed as regularly (and in smaller doses), but onions can harm them very badly – leading to toxicity and digestive issues.
Salt is also extremely harmful to dogs over time, because it can cause them to have higher cholesterol, lower water levels in the blood, and cause heart disease. When a dog eats enough fried foods, and begins gaining weight because of it, they can have a slew of other problems.
Obesity
A dog that is obese can have a lot of health problems other than just being overweight. They can actually end up becoming diabetic, and their health can diminish quickly as they’re not digesting their dog foods as well. Aside from this though, dogs are meant to run. When a dog is overweight, they won’t be as active as they need to be in order to thrive.
Choking and More
One of the biggest concerns with fried chicken, is that it’s often made with the bones in it and cooked. This is a huge problem for dogs. While some people can give a chicken leg to a cat (since their teeth are more designed for chewing meat and bones), bones become more brittle and can actually cause splintering. Aside from being a choking hazard for dogs, when bones splinter inside of your dog’s intestines as it swallows them, this can cause their esophagus to be cut, scratched, punctured, or worse – this can cause intestinal blockage and end up literally cutting their way down throughout the stomach and intestines when they aren’t absorbed and dissolved.
Upset Stomach
This is something that dogs will frequently have throughout their life, but when a dog eats fried foods, the digestive track can have more problems as well, and the more they consume of the tasty meat and vegetable oil, the higher the chances of them to experience upset stomach, diarrhea, and vomiting issues (which can harm them even more – especially if there are bones involved).
So, I Can’t Give My Dogs Fried Chicken?
Of course, it’s not recommended. But if you are going to give your dog some fried chicken, or even pieces of chicken tenders, the best and first thing you need to do is remove the super-salty and seasoned skin, and then make sure that you take it off the bone. This way, they’re just getting the meat of the chicken. While it’s not as healthy when it’s fried, it is much healthier and safer for them to eat than it would be if it was on the bone and with all of the seasonings.
There are Better Ways to Feed Them Chicken
Chicken itself is actually extremely healthy for dogs, and provides a lot of protein and nutrients for them. You can find that most dog food brands are high in chicken as their source of protein. If you’re going to give your dog actual meat, then you can opt for giving them a baked, and unseasoned chicken breast. This is an ingredient that’s often in a “bland” diet for your dogs.
Another option that you can choose is to give your dog raw meat. While this is controversial in a sense, raw puppies can even eat raw chicken, and it’s a lot safer. There are many programs out there that offer raw food diets for your dog, and if you are going to give your dog a raw piece of meat.
Conclusion
Of course, the safest option is to feed your pet before your meal. This means that you can give them their meal just before yours, so they’ll be completely full. And it also probably doesn’t hurt to train your pet to not beg – as many owners do. Another way to do this is to remove your pet from the room. Otherwise, as long as it’s done safely, your dog can eat chicken (only the meat) in moderation with no problems.
