Can dogs eat duck bones?

The Short Answer is:

Dogs shouldn't be given duck bones. It's possible that the bones could splinter as they are cooked and cause your dog to be injured while digesting them. Several small dogs could choke on them.

The purpose of this article is to explain the “Can dogs eat duck bones?“.

Lets talk about duck bones today as we think about your dog.

You should also ask if the food is safe to feed your dog.

Duck bones may seem like an odd topic to write about since forget about dogs how many people eat duck?

You can not eat that much of it can you? 

When compared to chicken for instance this is very true.

However I can think of a couple of scenarios involving duck bones and dogs.

Its when your dog turns into an opportunistic thief and nibbles on the carcass of that lovely Peking duck you ordered from your local Chinese restaurant.

Secondly those of you who take your dogs for walks in the countryside may stumble across a dead duck. 

However before I get into why you should not give your dog duck bones let me give you two reasons.

Two reasons why dogs should not eat duck bones

Duck bones are too small

As we all know ducks are roughly the same size as chickens plus or minus a few millimeters.

Ducks have very small bones so dogs cannot eat them.

In other words they present a choking hazard.

Consider the size of the mouth of a dog when compared to that of a ducks bone. Many dogs will attempt to eat the bone without chewing it properly.

The dog might choke on those fragments after swallowing them.

The size of duck bones would be ideal for smaller dogs (such as many companion breeds) whose mouths are a lot smaller.

You would hope that they would chew these bones properly after gnawing them.

Cooked duck bones are too brittle

I am currently thinking that your dog has eaten the remains of your Peking duck from your Chinese takeout.

The problem with cooked bones is that they are harder and brittle than raw ones. 

These raw bones have all of that flexibility and softness “baked out” of them.

Dogs should not eat cooked bones either.

Cooked bones are more likely to break apart and splinter into sharp pieces when they are chewed by dogs.

In addition to being a choking hazard these splinters might be sharp enough to cut your dogs intestinal tract.

At least the bones will be raw if your dog has nibbled on a duck carcass whilst out for a walk…

Duck bones that are safe

Aside from being raw some bones within a duck are safer for dogs to eat than others.

The same applies to bones from any animal.

Within a dog the most important bones are the weight-bearing bones- or the leg bones.

As a result weight-bearing bones are denser than other bones in a body

As they are carrying an animals weight they need to be strong.

Also denser bones are less likely to be brittle making them safer to chew on for dogs.

Are you beginning to see the theme of “brittle” emerging here?

So what about the other bones in a ducks body?

In the next section we will discuss that. 

Duck neck vs duck wings vs duck feet? Which are the best bones?

Many different websites on the Internet offer raw duck necks wings and feet for sale.

However just because they are for sale does not mean they are safe for your dog.

However which one of these is the safest for your dog?

No thats my answer.

There is no difference between them in terms of safety.

In the end they are all made of duck meat that binds together a whole set of bones.

You are the one who has to do the work here. 

What is your level of knowledge about your dog?

Does your dog take their time chewing on these bones or do they swallow them right away?

When your dog takes his time with a bone he will be much safer than the dog whose food is gone one minute and here the next. 

Any duck bone you give your dog is almost certainly going to contain a little meat on it as I mentioned a few moments ago.

Can duck meat be compared to other meats in terms of its nutritional value?

I compare duck with chicken in the next section.

Duck vs chicken- nutrition

Since we are discussing duck bones I will use nutrition data for raw duck and raw chicken in this comparison. 

This website provided all the data for ducks and this website provided data for chickens.  

Based on these figures it appears that there is not much difference between the two types of meat.

The fat content in duck is slightly less (15 g vs 17 g) and the protein content is slightly less (17 g vs 19 g) than chicken. Duck has about 10% fewer calories (211 vs 234) than chicken.

However those differences are negligible in the grand scheme of things. 

The next step is to compare vitamins and minerals 

Vitamins and minerals are measured in micrograms a very small unit of measurement.

A gram contains one thousand micrograms.

The amount of Thiamin in duck is nearly six times higher than in chicken (0.351 mg vs .064 mg) and the amount of Vitamin B6 is higher as well (0.53 mg vs .36 mg)

Chicken however contains more than double the amount of vitamin B3 as duck (7.27 mg versus 3.317 mg).

However none of this might be very useful if we do not know how all of these B vitamins help our dogs.

In fact B vitamins play a significant role in turning food into energy. 

Copper is much more abundant in duck than in chicken.

People know copper but few realize its significance to human beings – or dogs come to think of it!

A red blood cells structure depends on copper.

Your body relies on them to transport oxygen!

Selenium a mineral with very few people familiar with is more abundant in chicken than the duck (14.6 mg vs 12.8 mg).

What are its responsibilities? Little is known about its role in several very important processes such as metabolism and boosting our immune system.   

Surely we can all agree that duck did very well did not we?

Now that we have gone on a trip through nutrition to see how duck compares with its neighbor chicken lets turn our attention to some issues you need to be aware of when it comes to feeding your dog raw duck. 

Is it dangerous to feed raw duck meat to a dog?

Even though duck meat is raw this is a problem with all raw meats.

Raw meat could contain bacteria or parasites that could potentially harm your dog.

Ducks are considered poultry and it is their meat and eggs (chickens turkeys ducks or geese) that are particularly dangerous. 

Salmonella is a serious bacteria that can infect any poultry and up to 1.35 million people are infected with it every year. Of those 420 die. 

The problem is that people are much more aware of the dangers of raw or undercooked chicken than they are of those of raw or undercooked duck.

The raw duck may be particularly susceptible to a different bacteria known as campylobacter.

In addition this bacteria can make your dog very sick just as dangerous as salmonella. 

Symptoms include diarrhea that is very watery and stomach or abdominal pain. 

Can dogs eat duck bones?

In my opinion most dogs find duck bones too small to be an ideal treat.

Larger heavier bones (such as those from pork or beef) will provide your dog with more opportunity to gnaw and chew on the bone rather than wolfing it down in seconds.

Despite this when it comes to online purchases of duck feet duck wings and duck necks it is clear that they are a popular choice with dog owners. 

Be sure to feed your dog duck bones raw and never let your dog chew these smaller bones unsupervised if you do.

When your dog swallows a duck bone the wrong way you want to be close by to help him. 

Amanda (Author)

With over a decade of experience, Amanda is a distinguished dog trainer. Her expertise in canine behavior has transformed countless lives, fostering harmonious human-canine connections. Through compassionate and personalized approaches, she empowers owners to understand and connect with their furry companions, creating a legacy of joyful tails and transformed lives.

Osvaldo Maciel (Content Reviewer)

Osvaldo Maciel, a stalwart in the field with 14 years of experience, is a revered dog trainer. His journey is defined by a profound understanding of canine behavior, shaping unbreakable human-canine bonds. Osvaldo guides owners to connect with their beloved pets, leaving an indelible mark of happiness and transformation. His legacy shines through the countless lives he has touched.