I. Feeding dogs raw chicken will paralyze them?

I wonder how many people still think that dogs like to eat raw meat owners? Although most of our friends have started to feed their dogs only with dog food and Wonder Pack, every day when we visit the market, there are still many of us who will buy chicken necks and chicken butts that no one wants as snacks for their dogs from the stores for the reason of feeding them. However, this is a very dangerous practice, researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia warned pet owners that eating raw meat for their dogs can significantly increase their chances of suffering from paralysis.

This paralysis is caused by the dog being infected by bacteria in raw meat, resulting in the dog suffering from acute polyradiculoneuropathy (APN for short). Dogs with this disease will first experience weakness in the hind legs, which can then develop into weakness in all four limbs. In more severe cases, it can affect the neck, head, and face. In the most severe cases, the dog's chest may become paralyzed, leading to death.

Dr. Matthias le Chevoir, a veterinarian at the U-Vet Werribee Animal Hospital at the University of Melbourne, who was responsible for the study, said: "Most dogs with this disease can recover by themselves, but severe cases require six months of treatment. Every year, about 30 cases are diagnosed in the hospital, and 30 percent of them, because of the severity of the disease, do not recover. These paralyzed dogs require a lot of time and energy from their owners to care for them. At the same time, they face the threat of abandonment by their owners."

What causes this disease to appear is a bacterium called Campylobacter jejuni (Campylobacter). This bacteria can reside in undercooked chicken, unpasteurized dairy products, and contaminated drinking water. The bacterium has molecules similar to nerve cells that can disrupt the immune system and lead to symptoms of paralysis.

The researchers analyzed seven days of fecal samples from sick dogs, in which Campylobacter jejuni was 9.4 times more likely to appear than in ordinary dogs. To further the study, they brought in 27 dogs with APN and 47 dogs without the infection to study their dietary habits and monitor various physical data. It was concluded that feeding raw chicken to dogs could potentially infect them with Campylobacter jejuni, leading to APN, a disruption of the immune system, and paralysis in dogs.

II. Symptoms of paralysis in dogs due to APN

In dogs with APN, their hind legs will first become weak, then the front legs will become weak, followed by the neck, head, and face, and if the dog's chest is also paralyzed, it may lead to death. Matthias Lechevole, a veterinarian with negative page research, pointed out that some dogs can heal on their own, but severe cases may take up to six months to recover. Pet hospitals receive about 30 cases of APN every year, and 30 percent of these dogs, because of the severity of the disease, are paralyzed for life.

APN is thought to be the canine counterpart of human syndrome (GBS), as Campylobacter spp. is also thought to be a trigger for the disease. GBS disease is a disease in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves, and early signs of GBS in humans include leg weakness, numbness in the fingers, toes, ankles, or wrists, pain, difficulty walking, and loss of bladder control. If left untreated, it can eventually lead to paralysis as well.

III. Benefits and disadvantages of chicken for dogs

The good things about chicken for dogs are that it can be supplemented with vitamins and proteins, which can increase nutrition for dogs; chicken tastes better, which can increase appetite for dogs with poor appetite or sickness; dogs that eat chicken regularly will be more robust than dogs that only eat dog food.

Chicken breast is rich in protein, and vitamin C, vitamin E content, and easy to be absorbed and used, has the effect of strengthening the body, is also very beneficial to dogs, can guarantee the quality of the dog's hair growth, so that the hair grows faster, can also improve the hair split, and can supplement nutrition to strengthen the bones.

However, eating too much chicken may cause your dog to be picky and not like eating dog food anymore, so it appears to refuse food and only eat meat. If you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll find that you'll be able to get a good deal on your own.

4. Don't give your dog leftover chicken bones either

In addition to raw chicken, our leftover chicken bones are also harmful to dogs. Many people like to throw leftover chicken bones at their dogs, but in fact, cooked bones are harder than raw bones, and they are not easily digested. This can easily make the bones get stuck in the dog's esophagus, and swallowing them for a long time can hoard them in the gut causing the risk of obstruction.

You may have questions, dogs used to hunt for a living, right? Why is it not okay to feed them raw meat and bones now? In fact, after years of human domestication, dogs have evolved into omnivores. If you eat raw meat for a long time, it will be a huge burden for the dog. In addition, once upon a time when the dog lived in the wild, it chewed on raw bones rather than cooked bones. Raw bones carry minced meat and are therefore less likely to get stuck.

Therefore, do not give your dog cooked chicken bones or skeletons. Due to the fine size, the dog may swallow it directly, causing the bone to get stuck in the esophagus. In addition, large bones with joints should not be given to the dog to chew, because there are ligaments connected at the joints, and the dog's teeth are easily set in the bone cracks when gnawing, resulting in broken teeth

V. What chicken can be given to dogs

Many multiple owners have chicken breasts in their homemade dog food, and there is no doubt that dogs can eat chicken breasts. I myself love drying chicken breasts for my dogs as a snack, tearing them into small strips, and usually as a reward during training, which is affordable and healthy. The same chicken breast, but different ways to do it, different effects on the dog. Boiled chicken breast, chicken breast jerky, and raw chicken breast, not all are suitable for dogs.

1, boiled chicken breast, is the easiest and safest way to eat it.

Boiling chicken breasts in chunks or strips is the easiest and safest way to do it. After a dog has diarrhea or vomiting, when the gastrointestinal digestion is poor, you can also give a little thin rice with chicken breast, easy to digest. Even for puppies or older dogs, you can eat some boiled chicken breast without worrying about indigestion. The broth from the boiled chicken breast can also be included in the dog food to increase the dog's appetite.

Can dogs eat chicken breasts? Of course, they can, but there is one kind of feeding that should be noted
2, chicken breast dried, dried, and given to the dog as a snack, but not suitable for puppies with the poor intestinal tract.

Dried or air-dried jerky is harder to digest than boiled chicken breasts, especially for puppies with imperfect digestive systems. Many of the chicken breast snacks sold online have too many additives and are not good to eat. If you have the conditions, you can buy chicken breasts at the market to dry at home, cheap and healthy without additional additives. But the chicken breast you make yourself is usually best to put in the refrigerator to avoid mold.

VI. Contraindicated diets for dogs:

1, grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure in dogs, and sometimes just one raisin can kill a dog.

2. Macadamia nuts can lead to deficiency, muscle spasms, and paralysis. Other nuts are also bad for dogs, nuts that have a high phosphorus content may lead to kidney stones, and should be avoided. Peanut butter is an exception, but such as feeding peanut butter, organic unsweetened peanut butter should be selected.

3, the avocado itself, the kernel, and the fruit tree are toxic. It can cause breathing difficulties in dogs as well as the thoracic abdominal cavity and fluid accumulation in the heart. According to the theory of some people, the oil of avocado is good for dogs.

4, apples, cherries, pears, or similar fruit seeds and kernels are deadly poisonous to both humans and dogs. They can also be present in the dog's intestines and kill the dog within 24 hours without any warning.

5, like eating fruit often can also be due to vitamin C, fiber intake too much to cause dogs soft stool or diarrhea, and even older functional abnormalities and stones.

6, onions and shallots contain disulfide, harmless to people, but will cause oxidation of red blood cells in dogs, and may cause hemolytic anemia and hematuria. Even heating, can not destroy the harmful substances, so do not feed your dog food with onions and shallots.