As a dog owner, you want to provide your pet with the best nutrition possible to ensure a long, happy, and healthy life. There are plenty of commercial dog food options available on the market, many of which have unique ingredients, such as chicken meal. When reading the labels of different dog foods, you may notice that some include chicken while others include chicken meal. What’s the difference? Is chicken meal safe and healthy for dogs, or should it be avoided? Let’s answer these questions here.

What Exactly Is Chicken Meal?

Chicken meal is made up of parts of the chicken or carcasses that are not suitable for human consumption, which are high-heat processed or rendered, dried, and ground up. This includes chicken flesh, skin, feathers, and sometimes bone. All these parts of the chicken are known for providing concentrated protein and nutrients that dogs need to thrive, no matter their breed, size, or life stage. Chicken meal is different from chicken by-products, which are made up of things like the liver, spleen, lungs, neck, and feet.

How Is Chicken Meal Different From Chicken?

Chicken is the actual meat flesh on the chicken’s body and nothing else. A listing of “chicken” on a dog food ingredients list does not mean a piece of chicken breast like we might get on our plate at a restaurant. It could be any part of the chicken, including the legs, thighs, and wings. The main difference between chicken and chicken meal on a dog food label is that chicken meal is dehydrated and ground up, while chicken is not. Some dog foods include both chicken and chicken meal in the ingredients list.

Chicken is more commonly found in wet foods than chicken meal is because it still has water content. Chicken meal is used more often than chicken in dry dog foods because it’s more cost effective and easier for dry food formulation and to maintain kibble stability. When it comes to flavor and digestibility chicken meal is often more nutrient-dense, but fresh chicken may be more palatable to some dogs.

Is Chicken Meal Safe for Dogs?

By all accounts, chicken meal is safe for dogs and is accepted by the Association of American Feed Control Officials as a nutrient-rich ingredient for dog food. There is no reason to shy away from chicken meals when choosing a food for your dog. However, like all ingredients subjected to high-heat processing, chicken meal may contain advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the long-term effects of which in dogs are still under investigation. If you are concerned about how a chicken meal might affect your dog’s health as time goes on, schedule a consultation appointment with a veterinarian to discuss it.

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Conclusion

Chicken meal is made by cooking and drying parts of the chicken, usually the clean meat and skin, sometimes with bone, to create a protein-rich powder. Because the water is removed, it contains more protein by weight than fresh chicken. It’s a common ingredient in dry dog food because it’s cheap, nutrient dense, has a long shelf life, and works well in kibble. Some people are concerned about compounds called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, which can form during high-heat cooking. However, there is not enough research yet to know how they affect dogs. If you have questions or concerns about your dog’s food, your veterinarian can help you decide what’s best.

See also:

• What is Meat Meal in Dog Food? Vet Approved Facts & FAQ
• Can Dogs Eat Rotisserie Chicken? Vet-Approved Benefits, Risks, & FAQ

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