Can I feed raw chicken wings?

[Suejay]

I'd appreciate some advice. My dog is 14 months old and has been fed kibble with occasional wet food. She has rabbits ears, chicken feet sprats and carrots. I'd like to introduce bones to her diet and have read that raw chicken wings are a start. If I have only fed her the above diet is it a good idea to introduce something raw and if so at what time in the day? She currently has 2 meals morning and evening.

 

[JudyN]

Yes, chicken wings will be great for her, and really benefit her teeth. When starting out, some people bash them with a hammer to break up the bones, and others hold the wings to discourage the dog from trying to swallow them whole - but you might not need to. Occasionally it can help to heat the wings just enough to sear some of the meat, in case your dog isn't sure about the texture of raw at first. And be aware that raw meat & bones can be so high value that they can trigger guarding behaviour - so be careful if holding the wing!

My preference would be to give them in the evening to start with, so the stomach has all night to digest the bones overnight before running around - but then my dog was never great at digesting bone. Most have no problems whatsoever.

 

[excuseme]

Chicken wings for a starter would be just fine.
There are many benefits to eating the raw wings. Please remember that they have a good food value, and an adjustment on the amount of kibble will be needed.
As JudyN has mentioned they will be very good for both the teeth and keeping the gums healthy too. Enjoy

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[Hemlock]

I used to wean my puppies straight onto raw, including chicken wings, so have no fear! JudyN and excuseme have given good advice as ever.

 

[Suejay]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. Feeling more confident about trying it now. There is so much confusing information online. She is a small 8kg dog on approx 120g of Kibble a day. Is anyone able to suggest how much I reduce this in order to feed her the chicken wing? She was spayed 2 months ago and I've already seen her weight creeping up. She doesn't look over weight and the vet nurse said she was just about where she should be. She gets 2 30-45 mins walks a day. I'm trying to find the balance in diet and exercise to keep her at a good body condition point.
Thanks.

 

[JudyN]

I do like an excuse to do sums when I'm meant to be working... An 8kg dog would need about 200g a day if fed 100% raw, and a single chicken wing, rather conveniently, weighs 90-100g. Assuming you're feeding two 60g meals of kibble a day, then I would replace one of those meals with one chicken wing.

This is a very rough estimate - it doesn't take into account the other food she gets, the size of chicken wings will vary (and may have relatively fewer calories than muscle meat as much of the weight is bone), and individual dogs can vary a lot in how much they need. So I'd use it as a starting point, see how she takes to it, monitor her weight, and adjust if necessary.

 

[Suejay]

Thank You so much JudyN. That's great. I would have probably given her too much kibble. Yes she usually has 2 x 60g meals. I'll have a go with her evening meal tomorrow. Many Thanks.

 

[JudyN]

Let us know how it goes!

 

[Suejay]

Well it seems a success! I gave her a tiny portion of kibble as a starter hoping she wouldn't just guzzle the wing. The wing was only 50g in weight. Set it in her bowl on a towel to mark out where to eat it. She got to grips with it slowly. It was good to hear her crunching the bones. Now we'll see what she's like tomorrow. Thinking maybe once a week is a plan. Thanks for all your advice.

 

[excuseme]

That sounds good.
If all goes well 2 or 3 times a week would be even better