Is feeding raw chicken head for dogs actually safe? Understand the facts before you give them.
Alright, so I decided to try giving my dog, Buster, raw chicken heads. Heard some chatter about it, some good, some bad, figured I'd see for myself. It wasn't like I just jumped in, did a bit of reading first, you know?
Getting Started
First step was actually finding the darn things. My usual supermarket butcher looked at me like I had three heads when I asked. Found a smaller, local butcher shop eventually, the kind that processes whole chickens. They sold me a bag cheap. Looked pretty gnarly, gotta be honest.
Brought them home. Gave them a quick rinse under cold water. Wasn't sure if I should, but felt better doing it. Decided to give Buster his first one outside on the grass, just in case things got messy. And boy, was that a good call.
The First Try
I put one down. Buster, he's a Lab mix, pretty adventurous with food. He sniffed it for a good minute, poked it with his nose. Then he kinda tentatively picked it up. The crunching sound was... something else. Took him a good few minutes to work through it. I watched him super close, heart kinda pounding, worried about choking. He seemed to chew it pretty well, breaking it down.
No gulping, which was my main fear. He managed the whole thing. Afterwards, he looked pretty satisfied, licked his chops for ages.
Observations Over Time
Been giving him one maybe once or twice a week for a couple of months now. Here's what I've noticed:
- Teeth: Maybe look a tiny bit cleaner? Hard to say definitively, but they don't seem worse. The chewing action must do something.
- Digestion: No problems there. His poops stayed normal, no runs or anything. That was a relief.
- Enjoyment: He definitely knows when it's chicken head day. Gets all excited.
It's still messy. Definitely an outside or easy-to-clean-floor kind of treat. And I still watch him while he eats it, just to be safe. I wouldn't give it to a dog that just swallows things whole, that seems like asking for trouble. But for Buster, who takes his time, it seems to work okay as an occasional thing.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, that's my experience. It wasn't as scary as some make it out to be, for my dog. Every dog is different, obviously. I just wanted to share how it went for us. It's cheap, he loves it, and his teeth get a bit of a workout. Just gotta use common sense and watch your dog.
