Can Dogs Eat Pig Feet?

Can dogs eat pig feet, is it ok for them to eat? Does it contain any harmful or toxic substances? What about horse hooves? This article is all about dogs that live on farms, and what you can feed them

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Yes, dogs can eat pig feet as long as it is adequately sourced and is in raw form. Pig feet contain 6.6 g of protein per ounce and many other nutrients suitable for your dog’s health.

Dogs love the taste of raw meat, but pet owners often get worried about feeding their dogs raw meat because of the harmful bacteria. But when it comes to feeding them pig feet, raw is what they should go for.

Dog owners get very cautious while trying out new food and treat for their dogs, and when it comes to pig feet, they wonder whether feeding them to their dogs is okay or not. Let us look at whether or not you should feed pig feet to your dog.

Yes, like we said, pigs feet are delicious as well as nutritious for dogs.

Dogs are carnivorous animals by nature and thus eating pig feet is completely safe for them. By eating raw meat and bones, dogs can get their required amount of nutrients and proteins.

Giving your dog raw pig feet helps make its digestive system healthy. Also, chewing on pig feet offers dental benefits to your dog by cleaning up some of the tartar buildups and strengthening their teeth and gums.

If your dog is a furry ball of energy, giving it a pig’s feet as a treat is great. An uncooked pig’s feet are essentially a big piece of bone which will keep your dog busy for a while.

Pig feet also are easily available at your local pig farm so you don’t have to worry about its source. These don’t cost much and your dog will love them, and thus make a great replacement for some of the costlier dog treats available commercially.

While pig feet is an excellent treat for dogs, there are some health risks associated with eating pig feet.

Risks Associated With Pig Feet

Pig feet are generally suitable for your dogs, but they are not free of health risks. Before you go feeding your dog pig feet, let us look at some of the health risks associated with pig feet.

Pig feet are high in calories, so don’t go overboard feeding your dog pig feet. Feeding a higher quantity will leave your dog overweight.
There is a chance that the pig feet may contain some harmful bacteria that will be dangerous for your dog. Make sure that you source the pig feet from a trusted farm.
If you cook the pig feet, the bones will get soft and catch easily when your dog tries to chew on them. There is a chance that your dog may ingest some of the bone splinters, which can pierce the internal organs of dogs or get stuck in their throat or digestive tract. It can lead to serious health issues and may require surgery.
Dogs usually digest pork meat very quickly but not every dog is the same. Some dogs have sensitive stomachs, and they may not be able to digest pig feet. Puppies and older dogs will face the most trouble in digesting pig feet. It is best suitable to feed pig feed to an adult dog if they don’t show any allergic reactions to it.

How To Feed Pig Feet To Your Dogs

Now that you know the risks associated with pig feet let us take a look at some of the safest ways to feed pig feet to your dogs.

Get the pig feet locally from a reputable farm. That way, you can be sure to get fresh pig trotters for your dogs that are safe to eat.
Raw is the key to feeding pig feet to your dogs. You may feel that cooking the pig feet will kill any harmful bacteria in them, but all it will do is create more problems. Cooking the pig feet will soften the bones and increase the risk of bone splinters. Sharp edges of broken bones can rupture the internal organs of dogs. Never cook the pig feet, always feed them raw to your dogs.
Always use fresh pig feet. Once you get pig trotters, keep them in the fridge, and they will remain fresh for three days. You can also put it in the freezer and use it for a long time.
You may have seen smoked or dehydrated pig feet available commercially as dog treats. Make sure to steer clear of these, as essentially both of these are cooked pig feet, which is not suitable for your dogs.
Consider the regular diet of your dogs, and if they are eating a high-calorie diet, you should cut back on the treats. Giving too many treats per week can lead to your dog gaining weight.
Watch out for any allergic symptoms in dogs after feeding them pig feet for the first time.

Can dogs eat horse hooves?

No, it is not necessarily safe for dogs to eat horses’ hooves.

Dogs are attracted to the smell coming out of the horse hooves and want to eat them. Hooves trimmings have always been a treat for barn dogs. As soon as the blacksmith has done its work, you would see your dogs running to find the hooves trimmings too much on. As long as our dogs are fine, we don’t seem to mind what they are eating, but is it really safe for dogs to eat horse hooves?

Mud and Fungi

The answer is no. It is not. While the horse hooves are not harmful to dogs, since the horse’s hooves’ trimmings make contact with the bare ground, there is a high chance that it contains mud, manure, and fungus. Eating all these can result in your dog falling sick.

If your dog eats small chunks of freshly cut hooves, then they won’t have any trouble chewing or swallowing the hooves. But if the hooves are a day old, they can become hard. Eating such a piece can harm your dog’s internal organs and cause severe health issues.

Horse Protectants

Also, horse hooves, when freshly cut, are soft and tender, but they get dry within a day.

If you have recently treated your horse or sprayed some protectant on your horse hooves, the shaved hooves trimmings will also contain some chemicals. It can be hazardous for your dog to eat hooves trimmings after that.

Not easy to digest

Some dogs would have no trouble eating horse hooves, but some may have difficulty digesting the hooves or develop other issues. Eating freshly trimmed hooves generally doesn’t have any negative impact on dogs.

It is the older and dried hooves that cause problems. The dried hooves become brittle, and there is a high chance of your dog getting injured from eating a sharp and hard piece.

To conclude, you can give your dogs some freshly shaved hooves trimmings in small pieces if they insist. However, you should never give dried and hard hooves trimmings to your dogs as they can hurt themselves while swallowing the sharp pieces.

A Few Final Words

New and inexperienced dog owners often get worried about feeding their dogs anything new. One such treat is pig feet. It is perfectly safe for a dog to eat pig feet as long as it is sourced from a trusted farm and is in raw form.

Pig feet are full of many beneficial nutrients for dogs, but moderation is the key here. As long as you feed your dog fresh and raw pig feet in a limited quantity, your dogs will love having them as a delicious treat. Thank you for reading, we hope you got the answers you were looking for. You might also want to learn about other things that dogs eat. For example My Dog Ate Curry What Should I Do? and Can Dogs Drink Hose Water? Is it Safe For Them?