Can Dogs Eat Turkey Necks?
Adding turkey necks to your dog’s diet provides nutritional benefits such as protein, calcium, and phosphorous for strong bones and overall health. These healthy and fully digestible chews also support joint health with glucosamine and chondroitin, while also improving canine gum and dental health.
4 Benefits of Turkey Necks for Dogs
1.Nutritional Benefits
Dehydrated turkey necks provide dogs with high quality protein, glucosamine, chondroitin, calcium, phosphorous, and trace minerals, offering numerous nutritional benefits. They are a safe and healthy addition to any canine diet, supporting joint, bone, and overall health.
Nutritional Benefits of Raw Turkey Necks
Here is the main nutritional information of raw turkey necks presented in a table:
| Nutrient | Amount per 100g |
| Protein (%) | 16% |
| Fat (%) | 9.5% |
| Moisture (%) | 70% |
| Calcium (mg) | 1190 mg |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 670 mg |
| Potassium (mg) | 270 mg |
| Sodium (mg) | 90 mg |
| Magnesium (mg) | 134 mg |
| Chloride (mg) | 76 mg |
| Zinc (mg) | 3.8 mg |
| Vitamin A (iu) | 216 iu |
| Vitamin D (iu) | 7.54 iu |
| Vitamin B3 (iu) | 2.8 iu |
| Vitamin B9 (mcg) | 2.9 mcg |
| Choline (mg) | 34.6 mg |
| Taurine (mg) | 128 mg |
| Purines (mg) | 121 mg |
This table summarizes the key nutrients and their amounts in 100 grams of raw turkey necks.
2.Joint and Mobility Benefits
Turkey necks provide a powerful and natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin that promote joint health while reducing arthritis symptoms in both dogs and cats. These digestible and ready-to-use treats are often recommended by veterinarians as an effective remedy for improving mobility thanks to their bio-available form of connective tissue supplementation found in nature.
3.Dental Benefits
Dental disease is a common disease in dogs that affects 76% of canines in the United States as of 2006, with a 23.3% increase each year. Untreated, it can lead to bad breath, inflamed gums, and compromised teeth, which may spread infection to the heart, liver, and kidneys.
Regular brushing of your dog’s teeth, using special toothpaste, is important, but for those that struggle, turkey necks can act as healthy dental chews. They naturally aid in plaque and tartar build-up removal that offers a natural chewing process to protect your dog’s dental care.
4.Mental and Overall Health Benefits
Keeping a busy dog entertained with Kong toys filled with cream cheese or peanut butter prevents undesirable things while adding turkey necks to their routine provides fun, strengthens jaw muscles, neck, legs, shoulders, and promotes overall canine health. This mix of chew toys and varied diet prevents a monotone diet and ensures better nutrition and physical exercise.
How to Feed Your Dog Turkey Necks
There are a few different ways to feed your dog raw turkey necks. You could offer them whole or as part of a balanced raw meal by using the ground option for easier feeding. Turkey necks are ideal for making nutritious bone broth, which would fit well into your dog’s weekly dental cleaning routine.
For convenience, you may choose to include pre-made raw dog food from brands like Raw Paws Pet Food. Turkey necks, usually weighing between 8-13 oz with around 40% bone content, would provide a great combination of bones and muscle meat for your raw meal prep and meat allowance. You might also mix them with kibble to diversify your dog’s diet.
Feed Turkey Necks Whole
Feeding raw turkey necks to dogs like Wally, Missy, and Buzz is a great way to provide a balanced meal with whole muscle meat, secreting organs, and plant matter like veggie and fruit smorgasbord such as pureed spinach, celery, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, and blueberries.
In their bowl, I combine whole turkey neck, beef green tripe, a raw duck egg, ground turkey, venison meat, lamb brains, and beef liver to make a nutritious homemade raw dog food they love.
How to Feed Turkey Necks to Gulpers?
When feeding turkey necks to gulpers, giving them the whole neck helps slow them down and prevents them from inhaling large pieces. Holding one end while they chew keeps things under control and ensures a safer way of feeding.
1. Hold One End
When feeding a gulper, it’s best to hold one end of the raw turkey neck while your dog chews the other. This slows down eating, prevents swallowing the entire neck, and encourages polite behavior with high-value food items.
One of my newsletter readers, Jennifer, suggested a turkey neck holder as an alternative. Though a holder technically doesn’t exist, you can use a bully stick holder or a KONG Extreme, with the largest size working for bigger bones like turkey necks.
2. Feed Them Ground Or Cut Up
For dogs with weak teeth or those who miss several teeth, cutting or grinding turkey necks is a good solution. Using a sharp serrated bread-knife to cut them into pieces ensures your pup has no issues chewing safely.
You can use powerful meat grinders to grind the raw turkey necks and store them in individual raw food containers. Offering small or large raw meaty bones serves as a natural toothbrush and a great boredom buster while they chew.
3. Use Turkey Necks To Make Nutritious Bone Broth For Dogs
A nutritious bone broth from raw whole turkey necks offers joint support with glucosamine and chondroitin, detoxifies the liver, soothes an upset stomach, and serves as a delicious meal topper for picky eaters and any pup or dogie.
4. Add Raw Turkey Necks to Your Dog’s Dental Health Routine
Adding whole, raw turkey necks to your dog’s weekly oral health routine is a great way to provide a natural tool for scraping plaque off teeth, massaging gums, and exercising their jaws. Chewing on real bones mimics natural behaviors, acts as a homemade alternative to dog treats, and helps to battle boredom.
When Not To Feed Your Dog Turkey Necks?
If your dog has food sensitivity, be cautious when you feed them turkey necks or other raw meaty bones like duck necks or chicken necks. Some animals may struggle to digest turkey, so always introduce it slowly and watch for any reactions.
Aren’t Poultry Bones Dangerous for Dogs?
Poultry bones from cooked, boiled, or fried foods are dangerous for dogs. They become hard, brittle, and break into sharp splinters, leading to serious injuries when chewed.
In contrast, raw, freeze-dried, or dehydrated bones like turkey necks are safe. These bones are soft, nutritious, fully digestible, and make great dog chews for a healthy canine diet.
How to Cook Turkey Necks for Dogs?
When feeding your dog turkey necks, always choose raw meaty bones as cooked bones become brittle, break, and cause intestinal damage. Never feed cooked turkey necks. Cooking makes them not safe due to changes in bone structure and pointy edges, while raw ones stay soft.
Why Are Raw Turkey Necks Safe For Dogs?
Feeding your pups raw turkey necks, aka meaty bones, can feel intimidating for new raw feeders. I remember worrying about horror scenarios like choking or a miserable death, but none of that ever happened!
For a balanced raw diet, it’s important to include the right proportions of different food types. Here’s a simple breakdown:
- 70-80% muscle meat
- 10% secreting organs
- Raw meaty bones (RMBs)
- No plant matter in those quantities
Turkey Necks are Raw Meaty Bones
Incorporating turkey necks into a raw dog food diet offers a perfect balance with 40% bone and 60% muscle meat, providing essential nutrients naturally. The soft and pliable bone is easy to chew and digest that makes DIY homemade meals both nutritious and convenient.
Turkey Necks are Soft and Pliable
Dogs can safely eat raw, soft, and pliable turkey necks because their acidic stomach environment is designed to digest raw meat and soft raw bones without problem.
An Alternative For Raw Turkey Necks
For a safe and convenient alternative to raw turkey neck and try to freeze-dried turkey necks, where the water content has been removed for easier storage. This option is available at select pet retailers like Vital Essentials that allows you to feed your dog without the risks of cooking, while also supporting your local community.
Dehydrated Turkey Necks
- Rich in glucosamine and chondroitin, promoting joint support and improved mobility.
- Serves as a nutritious dental chew, naturally helping to remove plaque and tartar.
- Contains no antibiotics, hormones, additives, colors, fillers, or preservatives.
- Sourced and made in the USA for quality and safety.
Can Dogs Eat Raw Turkey Giblets?
Dogs can safely eat Turkey giblets, which is a collective term for parts like hearts, livers, and gizzards. These muscle meats and secreting organs from the turkey that includes the muscular stomach and provide essential nutrients for your dog’s health.
Where can I buy Turkey Necks for my Dog?
You can buy raw turkey necks, fresh, frozen, or dehydrated, at farmers’ markets, butcher shops, grocery stores, or online. Avoid products imported from China and choose dog treats from the United States for better quality control.
Turkey Necks For Dogs: Bottom Line
Raw turkey necks, typically weighing between 8-13 oz, contain around 40% bone content, rich in calcium, phosphorus, glucosamine, and chondroitin. These nutrients support strong bones, healthy joints, and help clean dog teeth while providing a jaw workout and mental stimulation.
Feeding raw turkey necks that are soft and pliable allows for easy digestion by your dog’s acidic stomach. Be cautious not to feed cooked bones, which can become brittle, break, and turn dangerous, but consider freeze-dried options or use turkey neck bones for homemade bone broth.
FAQS
1.Can dogs eat cooked turkey necks?
No, cooked turkey necks are dangerous as the bones can become brittle and cause injury.
2. Is it safe to give dogs neck bones?
Raw neck bones are safe, but avoid cooked ones as they can splinter.
3. Can dogs eat turkey bones?
Only raw turkey bones are safe; cooked bones are harmful.
4. Is turkey neck safe to eat?
Yes, raw turkey neck is safe and nutritious for dogs.