If your dog loves chicken feed him. But make sure it’s healthy. And we know raw chicken isn’t. So what’s the best alternative? Obviously, it has to be a chicken meal.
Yes, a chicken meal is the only possible tasty and healthy solution to your concern and your dog’s taste buds.
There has been a lot of confusion when it comes to feeding chicken meals to dogs. We have seen pet parents often worried if Chicken meals are more nutritious for their dogs or not.
The truth has to be told, and so here it is, chicken meal is a healthier choice for your dogs compared to whole meat.
It contains more amount of protein and less amount of moisture compared to whole meats.
So a chicken meal is exactly the combination of all the proteins and vitamins a dog needs to grow healthier.
Knowing some facts about the chicken meal in dog food will help you get a clear idea about what it is and why you should feed your pooch chicken meal and not whole meat.
Contents
Why is Chicken Meal a Healthy Choice for your Dog?
So basically, a chicken meal in dog food is nothing but rendered chicken meat that contains clean flesh, skin, and bones of the chicken. As Stated By thehealthjournal, ” chicken is a safe, healthy and easily digestible form of protein, it is often the main source of protein in high quality dog food.”
To make a fine powder, chicken meat is dried, melted, and cooked for hours. This powder is further made into kibbles.
The reason it is considered a healthier choice is that, for rendered chicken, chicken is dried and grinned. This reduces the moisture level to 5% and eventually increases protein content.
On the other hand, if we feed raw or cooked chicken, it likely contains 75% of water content.
If you follow a similar procedure at home to make kibble out of chicken, it would likely be too watery and won’t exactly be the way it should, while being too time-consuming as well.
This leaves us with only one option, to trust the manufacturers and invest in high-quality dog foods available in the market.
The quality of chicken used to make the chicken meal in dog food matters the most. It decides the amount of protein it contains that is essential for your pet friend.
If your dog loves chicken, you would always see him excited about his meals with shiny brown eyes and a smile as soon as you place a bowl full of chicken meal.
Your dog won’t only love it, but is likely to enjoy a lot of benefits that other dog foods fail to provide. And so here are a few benefits of including a chicken meal in your dog’s diet.
Benefits of Chicken Meal for your Dog
There are numerous benefits of replacing chicken with chicken meals for your dog.
Also, it is extremely easier to feed and is also less time-consuming than homemade chicken.
Improved Digestion
Chicken meals in dog food contain a high level of protein compared to chicken which eventually increases the amount of protein in the dog. It is an easily digestible protein.
The accurate amount of protein in dogs leads to a healthy digestive system. This eventually improves the dog’s immune system, skin, and coat.
Healthy Joints
Chicken meals increase the amount of glucosamine in dogs. Glucosamine improves the bone density of dogs.
It alleviates joint pain and fastens injury recovery. This helps maintain healthy joints, which keeps your dog healthy and active.
Improved Skin Health
Chicken meals have a larger amount of protein compared to chicken which contains a lot of moisture.
Protein intake on regular basis improves your dog’s skin with a healthier and shinier coat, reducing chances of hair loss and skin allergies.
Reduced risk of obesity
Since chicken meal contains lower fat compared to chicken meat, it reduces the risk of obesity in adult dogs.
The amount of fat in raw chicken is way more compared to chicken meals in dog food. This keeps your dog physically active and fit. This reduces the chances of obesity.
Strong Muscles
Due to an adequate amount of protein content, it also helps dogs build strong muscles as they grow.
It fulfills the overall needs of protein, minerals, and vitamins hence chicken meal is extremely helpful for dogs’ healthy growth.
So we hope that you know why your dog is more in need of chicken meal than raw or cooked chicken.
But when you step into a pet food shop you will come across two types of chicken meals. The First will be a regular chicken meal that we discussed and the others will be the chicken by-product meal.
So before you get confused it is necessary to know what chicken by-product meal is.
Chicken Meal Vs Chicken By-Product Meal
Chicken by-product meal is nothing but just leftover parts of chicken after being used for human consumption.
In more simple words chicken parts that are not consumed or healthy to consume for humans are fed to dogs. This could be anything such as the lungs, liver, spleen, or kidneys of chicken.
These parts are not fit for human consumption, but works extremely fine for dogs and won’t lead to any side effects. It also is as beneficial as chicken meals for a dog and provides similar nutrition.
As chicken by-product meals contain chicken feet, bones and muscle covering it, despite being harmful to humans are pretty good dog foods.
This is because we cannot digest bones, but dogs can. These parts contain a certain amount of calcium and phosphorus making them beneficial for dogs.
So even if the label says chicken by-product meal it can contain wonderful nutrients. But it can also be a mixture of unhealthy cheap ingredients.
The choice will always be yours depending on your budget and the brand you choose for chicken meals for your dog.
Now you exactly know what chicken by-product meal is, but there are still things you need to consider while feeding your canine chicken or chicken by-product meal.
Things to Consider while feeding your dog Chicken Meal
Not all dogs are the same and hence don’t require a similar proportion of chicken meal or chicken by-product meal in their diet. As per wellpet “Chicken meat meals can either be of good or bad quality, depending on the way it is processed as well as the handling.”
Over-feeding your dog can do more bad to his health than good and we know it’s the last thing you want.
So before you invest in any chicken meal available in the market, consider visiting a vet.
Dietary changes often are more beneficial for dogs when suggested by veterinarians as they administer their age, breed, weight, and physical activity better than you.
There are chances your dog might be allergic to few ingredients. Also, it’s not always advisable to feed your dog only a particular meal. A vet might suggest feeding a chicken meal or chicken by-product meal in combination with rice or whole grains.
So know what amount of chicken meal your dog needs, whether it should be divided into specific time intervals, and if it should be just chicken meals or in combination with something else before you switch your dog’s diet.
Also, it is always advisable to switch your dog’s diet slowly and not all at once as it might affect his digestive system.
To make it easier for you here are the best dog foods you can include in your dog’s diet.
Best Chicken Meal Dog Food
1. Blue BuffaloDry Dog Food
The Blue BuffaloDry Dog Food is one of the best dog food with a chicken meal that you can include in your dog’s diet. It will improve the skin health, digestion, muscle power, and immunity of your pooch.
This is a chicken meal formula in combination with brown rice. Brown rice has carbohydrates that dog needs for their overall growth.
As it is one of the best dog food brands you do not really need to worry about quality. So feed your pooch the healthy recipe he deserves.
2. Rachael Ray Dry Dog Food
If you are looking for a healthy homegrown brand of dry dog food, Rachael Ray Dry Dog Food is one of the best choices you can make.
It contains both chicken and chicken meal along with other nutritional ingredients that increases the nutritional value.
It is gluten-free and hence is even good for dogs with allergies. It contains some amazing veggies your pooch will love.
All in all, it is a pretty good choice if you want to feed your dog nothing but only the best chicken meal dog food.
FAQs
Is Chicken or Chicken meal better for dogs?
Chicken meals are prepared to keep in mind the protein requirements of dogs. Hence, contain more amount of protein as compared to chicken. Hence, Chicken meals are a better choice for dogs. It has an adequate amount of protein and fat present in them for the healthy growth of your pooch.
What is the difference between a chicken meal and Chicken by-product meal?
Chicken by-product meal is made using the remaining part of the chicken that is not good for human consumption, whereas the high-quality chicken meal contains clean flesh, skin, and bones of real chicken.
What are Chicken by-products in dog food?
Chicken by-products in dog food are the parts of the chicken that remain after the meat is removed. It could be the lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen that are not harmful to dogs but for human consumption.
Conclusion
We hope now you exactly know what you want to feed your dog for his next meal, which is healthy as well as something your dog craves the most. Also, we are sure knowing the truth about the chicken meal in dog food was helpful.
If you are not sure about how much chicken meal or chicken by-product meal you want to feed your pooch, we advise meeting your local vet for some advice depending on your dog’s breed, age, weight, and physical activities.
Resources:
- Staff, A. (2022c, March 2). How to Switch & Transition Dog Foods. American Kennel Club.
- Biel, W. (2022, March 9). Detection of chicken DNA in commercial dog foods – BMC Veterinary Research.
- Kim, H. (n.d.). In Vitro Protein Disappearance of Raw Chicken as Dog Foods Decreased by Thermal Processing, but Was Unaffected by Non-Thermal Processing. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from MDPI.
- Dr Nerissa Hannink, University of Melbourne. (2022, November 16). Raw chicken linked to paralysis in dogs. Pursuit.
Julia is a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist, practicing veterinarian in a non-profit animal hospital and feline sanctuary located in Rochester, NY. She is also a full-time veterinary advisor at DogLikesBest. She focuses on writing healthcare-related topics including dog foods, treats, veterinary diets, food for specific healthcare features, etc. Moreover, any article on DogNeedsBest that has to concern feline health in any way, goes under her scrutiny before being published.
