Can I add small pieces of chicken neck to JD's canned food diet?

[hazelrunpack]

JD evidently had a bad start in life--his teeth are already discolored and two of his incisors were removed last month because they were loose. He's probably about a year and a couple months old. Would it help to add some chicken neck to his diet to give him something harder to gnaw on? And if so, how much can I add without screwing up the nutrition mix? Right now he's on canned food--a mix of varieties from Merrick and Blue. At some point, I may look into switching him over to raw entirely, but I need to research it for a while longer before I'm comfortable with it. And I've found nothing about whether bone can be added this way to a canned diet...so I thought I'd ask for some opinions.

[Barkingdog]

How does the rest of JD teeth look does he have and chipped teeth that could get broken while chewing on bones ? How about adding supplement to his food? I would try very small pieces of raw chicken and watch JD while eating it . I bet your dogs are going to want some too ! I am glad JD has a good home now.

[hazelrunpack]

Our dogs have been known to steal whole chicken breasts off the counter and leave no evidence! So, yeah, they'll be jealous!

No chipped teeth--whatever is happening in there is physiological, not mechanical. The rest of his teeth were perfect except for the yellow staining. The two incisors were loose due to bone loss

I'm hoping that if he gets something to chew (which he doesn't have now) that it'll somehow improve the situation.

[Reg]

Hi Hazel:

You're right. Chewing will help to strengthen the teeth and gums. Years ago I had 2 Abbys that had Gingivitis and dental issues. It was recommended that I start them off with small amounts of raw meat - chicken, lamb, beef, whatever was at hand at the time - as well as to do a light massage on the gums with a finger to help stimulate blood flow in the gum area. This helped to relieve any inflammation. As time went on, give small pieces of raw chicken necks 2 or 3 times a week. I started by cutting the neck into quarter pieces and today I've upped it to into three pieces.

Something to remember is to warm the pieces up. Put them into a plastic poly bag in some warm water - it enhances the flavour and makes it more palatable for them. Do not use microwave for heating any animal food.

I was told years ago by one of our vets that using a microwave to warm or heat anything - even for humans - destroys the nutritional value of the food from the radiation.

We still have one kitty cat who loves to get her chicken neck pieces when we have them, and she is 9 years now. The bones are soft and you don't have to worry about there being any damage to the teeth, and the sinew works like floss to clean between the teeth. It's like giving dogs ox tails for their teeth for the same reason.

[Longblades]

Mine love a chicken neck every now and then. I got such a kick out of hearing the kittens growl at each other the first time. Ditto Reg on chewing and my Vet feels the same way about the microwave. LOL, it's much more rewarding to give a whole chicken neck to my cats. With the dog it's Gulp, Gone.

[Barkingdog]

I read it best not to feed a whole chicken neck to a pet they could choke on it . My dog would be wanting to eat it on my rug so I don't give any raw food . I was going to cook some of the chicken gizzard from a whole chicken I brought and there was no chicken gizzard in the chicken to give to Marty . I thought the chicken gizzard was part of the chicken .