Dogs love eating just about anything and everything. Some dogs love nothing better than to rummage in the kitchen wastebasket to see what goodies they may find! But what happens if they find and eat uncooked chicken?
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Has your dog eaten uncooked chicken? Are you worried the uncooked chicken will make your dog sick? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. We know it can be scary when your dog eats something he shouldn’t.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the uncooked chicken and whether or not it can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!
Chicken is a Safe Food for Dogs
First, we need to establish the fact that chicken is a safe food for dogs when it’s cooked. You’ll find chicken as the main ingredient in many types of dog food. So you know chicken is not toxic to dogs. That’s great news!
Raw Chicken and Canines
Next, we need to consider raw chicken. Wild canines have been eating raw birds for thousands of years. So, if eating raw birds was going to make canines sick, there wouldn’t be many of them running around today!
Dogs can eat raw meat more safely than we can. This is because their bodies have adapted to eating all kinds of raw meat, including birds. One such adaptation is that a dog’s digestive tract is much shorter than ours. This means that bacteria from raw meat don’t have as much time to make a dog sick. The meat is processed faster by the shorter digestive tract. The meat doesn’t stay around long enough for bacteria to get a major foothold.
In addition, a dog’s stomach has a higher amount of acid than our stomachs. What’s more, dogs have different gut bacteria in their intestines than we do. These bacteria in the dog’s digestive tract work to take care of harmful bacteria that may have been eaten with raw meat.
Having said all that, there are some dogs that can become very sick from eating chicken. These include dogs that are allergic to chicken, senior dogs, young puppies, or dogs who are sick. They are not as capable of dealing with harmful bacteria as healthier dogs.
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Ask a Vet Live NowRaw Chicken & Dogs
So, it is possible for a dog to become sick from eating raw chicken. If your dog has had one or two bites of raw chicken, then chances are he will be just fine.
On the other hand, if your dog scarfs down a larger part of the chicken, there’s a chance he may become sick.
Symptoms of Raw Chicken Ingestion in Dogs
You may notice these symptoms if your dog has eaten raw chicken:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
In most cases, your dog’s digestive symptoms may last a day or two. However, if they last longer or are concerning, then it’s time to call the vet. The problem is that continuous diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration.
It’s also possible your dog could have picked up a nasty bug from the raw chicken. If so, he may need to be treated with antibiotics.
So, in most cases, your dog will be just fine. But be sure to monitor his symptoms and call the vet about anything that worries you or if your dog’s symptoms don’t improve.
The prognosis is very good for dogs that have eaten raw chicken!
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Kyoko
Kyoko is from a family of 3 and moved to New York with her parents and siblings when she was 13. Kyoko is fond of spending a great amount of time with pets, specifically her beagle Luna and cat Missy. Her boyfriend often complains that she spends too much time giving attention to their animals. Kyoko has written dozens of articles concerning pets and is aiming at owning a pet shop one day!
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