How to prepare chicken feet?

[grayxie]

Thanks alot lara!

[txshopper73]

I found this from another forum about Chicken Feet...Don't know if it'll help...

when I bought the chicken feet the guy selling them said, "Oh they are great if you boil them.." and I said "Oh these aren't for me, they are for my dogs!" LOL But when I got home and looked up chicken feet on google it came up with a recipe for some chinese dish with chicken feet in it!!

I couldn't see it causing any issues at all.

Then, there's this page...look under "Where can I buy this stuff"

http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html

Here's another...

http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Fo.../thread/448565

[txshopper73]

Some more...

http://www.hare-today.com/product_re...&reviews_id=28

[kalina82]

chicken feet are GREAT for dogs when fed raw. Lara is right. They are an excellent source of chondroitin and glucosamine.

[Magneticgal]

I have heard that chicken feet ARE a great source of glucosamine. This is supposed to really help with arthritis. I am going to get the actual glucosamine tabs and try those, as opposed to cooking the chicken feet.
Lex was just diagnosed with a luxating patella (VERY mild) and I want to help strengthen her joints as much as I can, to prevent it from becoming worse. I think THIS is where the whole chicken feet thing started- that is good because of the glucosamine.

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by grayxie

So I finally remembered to get Chip some chicken feet for him to try. Now my question is how do I serve it to him? Normally when I clean chicken parts for dinner I scrub it with some salt an then rinse. After I wash the feet should I freeze them or just refrigerate and then serve?

Hi Glad you ummmm....took the chicken by the foot <smile>. Chip will love you for it. Prepare the rest of the chicken however you need for your family; but it is unadvisable to salt any meat you feed your dog. Remember: dogs are not people. I do freeze mine; but, just because Mozart prefers all his meals frozen or partially/frozen. I thaw them for Abigail, because of concern about sudden drop in her inner core temp. Try Chip both ways. I think Mozart enjoys them as chickenfoot sicles . Oh...and, don't worry about the nails. Don't bother clipping them off, as they will digest with no problem, just like bones do.

Originally Posted by grayxie

Would like to get back to the main topic at hand not your related stories, thank you.

We can thank all the "icking", and "gacking" for bumping your thread up, else I probably would have missed it. So, thanks, everyone! Oh! Can you stand one more funny chicken story? 'Cause I have a good chicken foot story . A friend brought her two Yorkies over (she knows I feed RAW), and we tried them on the chicken feet. They scarfed them down, like they hadn't eaten in a week!

Originally Posted by Magneticgal

I have heard that chicken feet ARE a great source of glucosamine. This is supposed to really help with arthritis. I am going to get the actual glucosamine tabs and try those, as opposed to cooking the chicken feet.
Lex was just diagnosed with a luxating patella (VERY mild) and I want to help strengthen her joints as much as I can, to prevent it from becoming worse. I think THIS is where the whole chicken feet thing started- that is good because of the glucosamine.

Right, again. They are rich in Glucosamine and Chondriotin, according to the experts I have been reading, that have fed RAW for many years. But do NOT COOK them. Cooking will destroy what nutritive value they have in their raw state. I feed them maybe twice a week, but not as a meal in themselves. When I feed chicken feet, I make it an organ/feet meal, as they definitely need the organs in a prey model diet. BTW, both my dogs LOVE them! You may have seen where my Mozart (in his 12th year) was dragging his hind quarter before we switched to RAW about 5(?) years ago. He had stopped even trying to get up on the furniture. He's watching me from the sofa, now , and he got on our bed twice last week - by himself. I'm not saying that RAW is a cure-all for everything. But, from what I have experienced, and read from other people, it does seem to take care of many things we're told to just expect.

[lara2913]

Lol I only said clip off the nails because a friend of mine says her dog spits them out and leaves them lying around the house

I know some RAW feeders don't freeze, sometimes I don't however I always advise that others do because I don't want to misinform them as far as neosporum caninum. I always defrost before feeding though as my Benjamin will bury frozen ones!

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by lara2913

Lol I only said clip off the nails because a friend of mine says her dog spits them out and leaves them lying around the house

Oh! LOL I didn't even see where you said that! I just figured it might be a concern, as when I first started, I could barely touch the things; much less think of giving the toenails! Can we all say "gack", again?

Originally Posted by lara2913

I know some RAW feeders don't freeze, sometimes I don't however I always advise that others do because I don't want to misinform them as far as neosporum caninum. I always defrost before feeding though as my Benjamin will bury frozen ones!

Yes, better to be on the safe side. I hadn't seen any concerns, though, on our 'other' forum, except for freezing salmon that comes from certain oceans? May be wrong. Certain things I freeze automatically, too. Like pork and salmon. And, since Mo won't eat anything unless it's partially frozen, I just freeze everything, then thaw for Abbie.

[lara2913]

Well neosporum caninum is very rare and it usually only affects farm dogs who are eating wastes from cows births (placenta etc) however in 1995 a boxer died from it after eating fresh ground beef. So seen as the parasite dies within 24-48 hours of freezing, better to be safe.

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by Oscar's Mom

Some people are worried about their dog choking on bones. While such incidents are very rare (far more incidents occur with dogs choking on kibble), I encourage the feeding of bigger portions of meaty bones, or if available, whole carcasses, such as whole chickens or rabbits.

So could a raw chicken bone kill a dog? Well I guess that anything is possible. Certainly scientifically you can't prove a negative argument. However what we do know is that dogs have died from inhaling kibble the wrong way and choking and suffocating to death.

Feeding your dog is about management of risk. No matter which path you decide to take there is always risk. There is always someone who will criticise your decision. However you, and only you can decide what is best for your dogs. Weigh up all the benefits and risks. Do your own analysis. Do your research. Do what will have the greatest overall benefit for your dog.

I really like this. It's completely acceptable that a certain amount of risk comes with feeding dogs kibble; yet, most people are unwilling to try RAW feeding because "something might happen".

[lara2913]

I completly agree, on another forum i'm on probably 90% of the members feed RAW and there have yet to be any stories of any of the dogs getting sick from it or choking. However there were members affected by the recall and one members puppy died choking on kibble

[soccbydo]

Hey hey hey, stop knocking chicken feet . I had some nice crunchy chicken feet while in Asia and it was like eating corn curls

[abbie's mom]

Originally Posted by soccbydo

Hey hey hey, stop knocking chicken feet . I had some nice crunchy chicken feet while in Asia and it was like eating corn curls

In some cultures, the feet of the fowl is actually considered a delicacy. While in Mexico on a missions trip, my sister was given the rooster's foot. Knowing she could not offend her host by refusing (or, barfing in his stew ), she 'blessed' her co-worker with it . I must say this is one 'delicacy' I will reserve for my dogs.

[soccbydo]

Originally Posted by abbie's mom

In some cultures, the feet of the fowl is actually considered a delicacy. While in Mexico on a missions trip, my sister was given the rooster's foot. Knowing she could not offend her host by refusing (or, barfing in his stew ), she 'blessed' her co-worker with it . I must say this is one 'delicacy' I will reserve for my dogs.

Yes, at noted in my post above. I have also had it stewed in Baton Rouge USA too

But they stew it down in Louisiana also

[grayxie]

Originally Posted by abbie's mom

Prepare the rest of the chicken however you need for your family; but it is unadvisable to salt any meat you feed your dog.

I didn't salt them to add any flavor, just used it to scrub any remainder gunk off and rinsed well before I froze them. I also chopped off the nails, more for peace of mind than anything. I just put them in the freezer last night, so in another day or so I will pull one out for him.