Is Dehydrated Chicken Good For Dogs?
Are you looking for a high-protein nutritious diet for your dog? Are you thinking is dehydrated chicken good for dogs or have you made a bad choice? Then keep on reading for our answer and suggestions.
The debate between whether you should give your dog cooked chicken or dehydrated chicken is a long debate and people have different opinions regarding it. We are in the favor of dehydrated chicken as it has many advantages.
These are not only budget-friendly but are also easily available. You can find dehydrated chicken in stores or you can use a dehydrator to make delicious dehydrated chicken at home.
What Is Dehydrated Chicken And How It Is Made?
Dehydrated chicken is a chicken that is made after removing all its moisture so that no bacteria can grow on it. It can be stored for a long time and has the same nutritional benefits as its counterparts. It even tastes the same as freeze-dried chicken.
This type of chicken is made by removing all the visible liquid from the chicken and then drying it with a paper towel. Then it is dried using a dehydrator at 145 degrees.
Is Dehydrated Chicken Good for Your Dog?
Just like how some pawrents would wonder if dogs can eat pork, there are also some dog owners who wonder if dehydrated chicken is good for canine? In general, dehydrated chicken is not harmful. In fact, it is more nourishing and beneficial. But it is recommended that you consult a vet before changing your dog’s diet as it will put your mind at ease and prevent risks.
Dogs love eating dehydrated chicken because how it is chewable and breaks easily upon chewing. These are not only great sources of nutrients but also give your dog better and healthier teeth.
Benefits Of Dehydrated Chicken
Now that you have your answer to whether is dehydrated chicken good for dogs, you must wonder if there are actually any nutritional value for your furry friend.
You will be pleased to know that there are in fact many benefits of dehydrated chicken for your dog but we will discuss some of the most important ones here:
1: A Natural Treat
As you may probably already know, chemicals added to the preservatives are dangerous and unsuitable for many animals. So, if you are worried that added preservatives in dehydrated chicken would make your dog sick then fear not because dehydrated chicken is a natural non-preservative treat. Your furkid will not have any health problems eating these.
2: Prolonged Storage Life
Cooking food for your dog is time-consuming and you will also not be able to keep it for long. Chances are, you’ll have to prepare homecooked food daily. It requires more effort than using dehydrated food that can be stored and used for long terms. This is the reason why many people prefer giving their dogs dehydrated food.
This dehydrated chicken, because of its prolonged storage life, requires a one-time effort for a week-long amount of food. If, however, you want a longer than normal shelf life then it is also possible with proper storage measures.
3: Easy To Carry
If you have a wanderlust and frequently travel with your dog then you will be happy to have dehydrated chicken with you. It can easily be packed in your luggage, taking up the least space. It is convenient as all you have to do is open your backpack and give your dog its treat anywhere.
4: No Nutritional Loss
The slow-drying process of dehydrating chicken retains all the nutritional benefits without changing the taste of the chicken. These are much safer to give to your dogs because there will not be any added toxic substances. All the proteins, minerals, and vitamins are easily absorbable by your pet.
5: Less Expensive
Dehydrated chicken is easily affordable for anyone. Instead of buying expensive dog food items from the market, you can make your homemade dehydrated chicken. This will save you money as well as effort and your dog will be happy too.
Health And Nutritional Benefits Of Dehydrated Chicken
You can give your dog dehydrated chicken or bones, both are healthy sources of nutrients. Let us now check out some of the nutritional benefits of dehydrated chicken:
Healthy Amount Of Proteins
Organic and natural foods are best for all animals including dogs because of the natural nutrients they provide. The dehydrated chicken is 100% natural with great amounts of healthy proteins. These proteins are easily absorbed by your dog’s body, providing more energy and other benefits.
Along with proteins, your dog will also get a healthy amount of fiber that will enhance its metabolism and improve digestion. This dehydrated chicken is also a great source of Niacin and other healthy nutrients.
Minerals and Vitamins
Magnesium is an important essential mineral for your dog which is required for energy production along with pantothenic acid. Both of these are present in dehydrated chicken.
Along with these, your pet will also absorb other important vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C and Vitamin B12 (great for Immunity and Skin), Iron and copper (More blood/ healthy tissues), Calcium and zinc (Immunity, stronger bones), etc.
Now that you know it is safe for your dog to consume dehydrated chicken, you must be wondering where you can get a reliable dehydrator to make the dehydrated chicken on your own at home. We have listed the top two dehydrator products with great reviews for you so check out the next section.
Top-Ranked Dehydrators 2023
Let us discuss a few of the top-ranked dehydrators. These dehydrators are the most highly reviewed and among the best-selling.
The best among all the dehydrators is the COSORI Food Dehydrator. There are many reasons for this dehydrator to be the best-selling.
Human beings are forgetful beings so for that reason there is an inbuilt timer in this CASORI food dehydrator machine. You can set this timer from seconds to hours and it will automatically shut down once the time is up.
It comes with different tray sets which vary in price. There are 10 trays, 6 trays, and 4 tray sets from which the 4 tray sets cost the least. So, if you are only going to use this dehydrator for your dog then 4 tray sets will likely be sufficient for you.
You can use this dehydrator for not just chicken but for other food items too. In fact, you can use it for preserving your food items. It is 15 square feet so it can easily take herbs, meat, vegetables, and other food items.
All these features plus the ones mentioned below play a key role in making the COSORI Food Dehydrator Machine the best and first choice for many people.
Key Features:
Up till now you probably have learned a few things about COSORI Food Dehydrator. To give you a better idea I will discuss its stunning key features in detail.
This dehydrator is made up of stainless steel which is heat and fire-resistant. There are multiple trays in which large portions of food can be adjusted. It has an area of 15 square feet which is enough to dehydrate a lot of food at once.
Since the stainless steel used in this machine is free of any stains from heat or fire, it is very easy to clean. You can easily remove food stains with water and a sponge.
This item comes with a bonus recipe sheet designed by special COSORI chefs themselves. There are around 40+ recipes including Roasted chicken and dehydrated chicken strips. Equipment like mesh screens and roll sheets are also provided for free.
If you are someone who enjoys the quiet environment, then I recommend this dehydrator to you. It does not produce loud noises like many other dehydrators and keeps the level below 51dB. The timer does not beep for long and goes off when the time is up.
The COSORI Food Dehydrator comes with great precision settings so that different foods can be made using their preference settings. There are 1-degree temperature settings, a Timer ranging from seconds to hours, and auto-reset or manual reset Settings.
This product comes with a built-in tray rotator so you will not have to rotate trays every few minutes for the food to completely dehydrate.
The COSORI support team is very helpful if your product seems to have a problem. They will respond in time and change the product if required.
Pros
• Heat Resistant Dishwasher Trays
• 40+ Original Recipe containing Book
• Adaptable Temperature (95°–165°F)
• Glass Door and Touch Screen Display
Cons
• It has a heavy weight of about 40+ pounds
• Temperature does not rise to 225 degrees F
Next on the list is the OSTBA Food Dehydrator Machine. It was tough to choose between the two Dehydrators because both of them are considered the best and have great reviews.
As compared to the COSORI dehydrator, this OSTBA dehydrator is cheaper and has less weight. It is less than $70 in price now (after a 22% discount at the time this article is written) and has a weight of 5.74 pounds but it stores much less food at once than the COSORI dehydrator.
If you are looking for a space-saving machine that you can easily carry around then this product is for you. The overall size of this product is less than other dehydrators and its dimensions are 10.2 x 8.2 x 9.8 inches.
Many features make the OSTBA dehydrator the best choice and some of these are mentioned below:
Key Features:
The OSTBA Food Dehydrator Machine comes with amazing features all at low costs. It is cheap so you get to make delicious food and save a lot of money as well.
This dehydrator and its 5 BPA-Free stainless trays are easy to clean and store. These are fire-resistant and do not get easily stained. The dehydrator takes up very little space so you can adjust it anywhere in your kitchen or carry it around with you on trips.
It comes with a free complete OSTBA dehydrator cookbook, which provides recipes for DIY snacks, chicken jerky (missing in the COSORI cookbook), homemade dog treats, fruits, and much more. This provides healthy long-term storage of food without adding chemical preservatives.
This dehydrator can be adjusted at 95℉ to 160℉ temperatures with a knob and has a timer limit of 1-72H. It comes with an automatic turn-off switch as well. The product comes with a 1-year warranty and the support team offers replacement services for everyone as well.
These different temperature settings are beneficial if you and your dog enjoy eating versatile foods. It can dehydrate chicken, bones, herbs, bread, necks, and much more.
Whether you are a travel addict or have a lot of business travels, this dehydrator will provide fresh quick nutrition to keep with you no matter where you are. You can go mountain climbing with your dog while keeping this snack in your backpack.
Pros
• It is Lightweight and Safe to use
• It is made up of stainless steel
• Requires less voltage of about 120 Volts
• Compatible with many different foods
Cons
• Not flexible in temperature settings
Buying Guide For Dehydrators
Now how does one decide which is a good dehydrator to buy? You can take a look at the factors below to make sure you are buying a good product.
Timer
Overheating can be prevented if there is an auto-turn-off switch in the dehydrator. So, one should look for a product that comes with a digital timer that goes off by itself. The wider range a timer provides, the better. Usually, 30mins to 7 hours is a good dehydrator timer.
Different Tray Sets
The dehydrator should be well designed to adjust a different number of trays so that any quantity of food can be put into the dehydrator at once. A dehydrator that can add or remove 7 to 9 trays is recommended. If movable trays are also provided, then consider it a bonus.
Average Size
A great dehydrator should be of average size. It shouldn’t be too large and heavy weight because moving it around would be hard. It shouldn’t be too small either as there will not be enough food storage space.
Adjustable Thermostat
The first thing to consider in any dehydrator is its thermostat control. This is important because different foods require different temperature settings for safe dehydration. Some dehydrators come in fixed temperature interval settings which are long and unsuitable for some foods. You should look for a range of about 5℉ intervals.
FAQs:
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, dehydrated chicken is nutritious and very healthy for your dog. There is no study showing any side effects of feeding dehydrated chicken to your dog. With the right dehydrator machine, you can dehydrate delicious food for your dog or yourself which can be stored for weeks. Dehydrator machines are one-time investments that offer long time inexpensive meals!
Do let us know which dehydrated treats your pet enjoys in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!