Can I give my puppy a raw chicken leg?

[Spotty528]

We’re taking him to the in laws on Boxing Day, he’s 15 weeks and I need something to keep him occupied in his pen whilst we’re eating. Kongs don’t take him long, I haven’t got time to go to the butchers for a bone and all he does with antlers/puppy chews is frantically try to find a good place to bury them. Oh and he doesn’t like kongs when they’re frozen.

Any suggestions?

[LochJessMonster]

Has he eaten raw meat before?
What breed/age?

Raw bones don't splinter like cooked, but you do have to make sure he won't choke, so he should be supervised.

[EnglishRain]

I would also ask if he had had raw before? If not I'd say he would need supervising. He could go crunch crunch gulp and then you'll be panicking all day.

Have you tried a kong wobbler (thinking amazon prime if no time to go out)?

[Bonkersblond]

Please be very careful, first time raw feeding with chicken legs and you should let them gnaw it out of your hand, I speak from experience, started DDog on raw food, 1st time with a chicken bone gave her the most awful colitis, ended up having an X-ray.

[adaline]

I wouldn't unless you're right there to supervise him, I'm afraid. I think if you're busy eating and distracted it could easily go wrong if he's never eaten raw food before.

Can you tire him out before the meal (short walk, play/training and lots of socialisation) so he's tired and more likely to sleep? Then pop his crate in a different room and put a blanket over the top to encourage him to just sleep for a bit? Mine slept an awful lot at that age and I doubt he would stay awake through a full Christmas meal if we'd tired him out enough beforehand.

[Namaste6]

NO absolutely not. Never ever ever give your dog - puppy or otherwise a raw chicken bone or flesh. Jesus.

[msmith501]

Isn't the latent salmonella an issue? Puppies have such delicate / fragile digestive systems and you run a huge risk. Unless you're from true US and the chicken has been lovingly treated with healthy chlorine?

[BiteyMcBiteFace]

Have you tried freezing a stuffed kong? It takes Biteypup 10 times longer to empty a frozen kong than an unfrozen one

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

My 5 month pup has just started on raw chicken wings, one every few days. He crunches them up very well, but they still don't take long - 5-10 minutes max? So I don't think it is worth the risk for the first time.
What we do for treat puzzle toys is pop some kibble inside a closed-up cardboard box, or we give him some sweet potato. He can fuss with those for a long time.

[adaline]

NO absolutely not. Never ever ever give your dog - puppy or otherwise a raw chicken bone or flesh. Jesus.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving dogs raw chicken - it just has to be done sensibly and with supervision at first, especially if the dog is not used to eating raw.

[Clymene]

@Namaste6 - my dog only eats raw meat and has done for years. It's perfectly fine (but I wouldn't start with a chicken leg )

[JoyceJames]

@Namaste6 most people would explain why, and without expletives. You haven't helped your cause, if you care about the dog, because the OP is none the wiser.

[PullingMySocksUp]

@Namaste6 are you thinking of cooked chicken bones? They not suitable for dogs, of course.

[JumpyLiz]

Our vet advised that if we're giving raw chicken we should freeze it first.

[bloodywhitecat]

@Namaste6 Why? My 13 week old pup has raw chicken (though not full bones yet)

[Chesneyhawkes1]

@Namaste6 my dogs only eat raw meat. And raw bones too. Nothing wrong with feeding raw

[Spotty528]

A controversial question then, I’ll leave it for now. I don’t want a choking/ill puppy for Christmas. Thanks everyone.

[ClientListQueen]

My cat eats raw chicken wings Namaste, obviously no cooked ones

[LazyFace]

I bet Namaste was sarcastic given the fact that dogs are meat eaters (scavengers really, but designed to eat raw stuff).

[MissShapesMissStakes]

What about a frozen carrot?

[bobisbored]

Get a nice meaty bone from the butchers. We raw fed at first and my dog loved chicken wings. We've switched to dry food now but he still loves a bone.

[bobisbored]

He likes an apple too!

[MalarkeyMouse]

Get one or two of these and spread with cream cheese/gravy/whatever will not upset his tummy. They take ages.

[Snufflesdog]

Our puppy is super into a carrot. Makes a right mess but holds her attention longer than the chews. Still not long enough for a whole meal.

What does pup normally do whilst you’re eating?

[MayorPrentiss]

Our puppy had chicken wings from pretty small and was fine with it. I also got him one of the Likimats linked to by MalarkeyMouse and it's been pretty good. They're worse than babies when they're little! So demanding but they hardly nap!

[ClientListQueen]

And definitely supervise - my cat saw me eating a snack in bed with a movie and promptly carried his raw chicken wing in "for bedtime snack, like mama"
I had to have a rule of no raw food in the bedroom which is not something I thought I would ever type