Providing your dog with the appropriate nutrients can be a challenge.
Many dog owners only give their pup store-bought pet food while others swear by homemade cooking.
Chicken is one of the ingredients most commonly found in dog food.
If you’re wondering whether your dog can eat chicken mince, read this article to find out.
Can dogs eat chicken mince?
Chicken is one of the best and most widely available sources of protein for both humans and dogs.
It also contains vitamins and minerals most needed by dogs including vitamins E, K, and B3, and minerals such as sodium, magnesium, and iron.
Chicken is also very easy to serve.
Serving chicken in the form of chicken mince makes it easier for your dog to swallow and digest it.
Adult dogs can eat raw chicken mince and for dogs with a sensitive stomach, you can simply boil the chicken mince.
To ensure that you only give the best nutrients to your beloved pup, trim the skin of the chicken because it’s very high in fat and cholesterol.
Keep in mind that chicken bones can have negative impacts on your dog’s digestive system.
Remove the bones from the chicken meat before mincing it for your dog.
What is the nutrition in chicken mince?
As we all know, chicken is a good source of protein. For dogs too, chicken is one of the most popular homemade food packed with nutrients.
100 grams of chicken contains 143 calories, 8.1 grams of fat, and 17 grams of protein.
Chicken meat has a high vitamin content, including vitamin B3, B6, vitamin K, and many more.
Chicken is also an adequate source of minerals, with 100 grams of chicken containing 522 mg of potassium, 60 mg of sodium, 21 mg of magnesium, and many more.
One of the nutrients most abundant in chicken is Niacin (Vitamin B3), 100 grams of chicken contains 5.575 mg of Niacin.
Vitamin B3 is one of the most needed minerals for dogs because it improves metabolism and cognitive function.
Sodium and magnesium, both contained in a generous amount in chicken meat, are key macro minerals for dogs.
Sodium maintains cell health, preventing them from swelling or getting dehydrated. Magnesium plays a key role in energy production in each cell.
Both sodium and magnesium are important for muscle movement.
Chicken is also a good source of iron with 100 grams containing 0.82 mg of it. Iron is a crucial mineral, needed to perform important tasks such as helping carry oxygen in blood cells.
Dogs with iron deficiency experience anemia or a low count of red blood cells, inducing low energy and a tendency for sickness.
For dogs, the recommended daily intake of iron is 0.5 mg per kg of body weight.
Why is chicken mince good for dogs?
As we’ve previously established, there are many nutrients contained in a chicken.
Protein, vitamin B3, phosphorous, vitamin E, and vitamin K are just some of the most needed nutrients by dogs readily available in chicken meat.
For those of you who want to feed chicken to your dog, the best way you can serve it to them is in the form of minced chicken.
This way it’s easier for them to eat and you can avoid the risk of choking.
Minced chicken is also more tender and easy on the belly.
Why is chicken mince bad for dogs?
While there are benefits of feeding your dog chicken mince, there are parts of it that may not be so good for your canine family member.
Chicken skin contains fat and this can induce metabolism problems or pancreatitis. Before mincing chicken for your dog, make sure to trim the fat.
It should also be kept in mind that home-cooked meals aren’t the most nutritious for dogs.
Store-bought pet foods are specifically made to pack in all the key nutrients that dogs need.
Keep your pup’s diet balanced by mixing it up by giving home-cooked meals once in a while and dog foods the rest of the days.
Dangers of raw chicken mince
The tricky thing about giving any raw food to your pup is the risk of bacterial infection, such as Salmonella and Listeria.
However, a dog’s digestive system is tougher than humans, they can stomach a good amount of bacteria.
It’s also normal for dogs to have a little pathogen in their system.
Another danger is the possibility of an allergic reaction because raw chicken is one of the top 10 ingredients that trigger allergies in dogs.
In the end, it depends on your dog’s capabilities.
If they’re used to eating raw meat, then it’s okay to feed them raw chicken mince. If not, boiling the chicken mince is the best option.
Is raw chicken mince more dangerous for puppies?
Adult dogs are more capable of fighting off pathogens and are more resilient against bacteria.
Puppies on the other hand are more susceptible to digestive issues like diarrhea and other illnesses.
It’s better not to feed your puppy raw chicken mince.
Other than puppies, adult dogs with bad immune systems or sensitive digestive systems shouldn’t be given raw meat either.
How to cook chicken mince for dogs?
The best way to cook chicken mince for your dog is by simply boiling it.
Boiling chicken meat at a high temperature makes sure that all the bacteria are killed off.
Mince the raw chicken first before boiling it in water.
Another good way of cooking it for your dog is to roast it.
How much should you feed chicken mince for your dog?
Give your dog ¼ to ⅓ cup of chicken mince for 10 kg of body weight. Aside from their weight, how much you should feed a dog also depends on the dog’s age, health, and daily activity.
It’s better if you only give chicken meat as an additional treat instead of a meal. As a treat, don’t give your dog more than 10% of their daily intake.
Do not feed only chicken to your dog and don’t feed them chicken every single day. A healthy diet always consists of a balanced combination of various nutrients. If your dog has formed an affinity to eat chicken all the time and refuses to eat other foods, try mixing chicken with other ingredients that chicken lacks.
Chicken mince vs beef mince
Other than chicken, another extremely popular natural source of protein for dogs is beef. Minced chicken and beef pretty much contain the same amount of protein, both amounting to around 17 grams of protein per 100 grams of serving.
Beef trumps chicken in terms of iron content, with 100 grams of beef containing 2 mg of iron while the same amount of chicken only contains 0.8 mg. Beef contains more minerals in general including calcium, potassium, and copper.
On the other hand, chicken has more vitamins such as vitamins B1, B3, E, and K. Of course, this depends on the chicken part as well. For example, chicken breast contains way more vitamins and minerals than its wings or skin.
Chicken is generally known to be the cheaper meat compared to other popular meat such as beef and pork. They’re also more widely available because they’re easier to raise and breed.
All in all, both chicken mince and beef mince are good natural sources of protein to give to your four-footed friend. What’s better for your dog depends on their weight, age, and activity. Working dogs need more fat and protein therefore they’re often given beef, while chicken might be more suitable for dogs with a lower level of activity.
Can dogs eat raw chicken bones?
As a dog owner, one of the things you’re probably already familiar with when it comes to feeding is the choking hazard. Dogs naturally don’t chew their food while eating, let alone sort out and filter what’s inside their mouth–they just swallow it in one go. Because of this, they would often choke.
To avoid choking hazards, it’s better to feed your dog raw chicken bones as opposed to cooked chicken bones. In fact, you should never give your dog cooked bone, whether for chewing or digesting. Cooked bones tend to break apart, increasing the chance of the splinter getting lodged inside the throat.
Other risks of dogs eating cooked chicken bones are:
- Mouth injuries
- Windpipe blockage (blockage of the respiratory tract)
- Broken teeth
- Constipation
- Internal bleeding
Even when raw, digesting chicken bones can be dangerous for dogs. There’s the risk of choking, bacterial contamination, and constipation. However, raw bones are still safer for dogs to digest. They’re soft enough to chew and digest without being too fragile or prone to splintering.
If you’re going to give your dog chicken bone, let them eat it under your supervision. Do not give your dog chicken bone if:
- They have had restorative dental work (high risk of tooth breakage)
- They have pancreatitis (bone marrows are high in fat; they can potentially cause a flare up)
Photo credits
¹ Photo by Michael Saechang on Flickr
