Can Dogs Eat Duck Necks?

The Short Answer is:

There are three standard options: raw, cooked, or dehydrated. None of these options is completely risk-free. In addition to containing harmful bacteria, duck necks that are raw will also contain tiny bones that can be a choking hazard if they are cooked to kill the bacteria. Dehydrated duck necks don’t need to be kept in the fridge or freezer, but because they are cooked and then dehydrated, they come with all of the disadvantages associated with cooked duck necks.

In this article you will know the answer to the query “Can Dogs Eat Duck Necks?“.

There is a huge variety of meats that dog owners can choose from in the raw food market for dogs and I think that is one of the great things about it.

Its likely that some of these “cuts” of meat will simply be thrown away if they are not sold to dog and cat owners.

The idea of reducing waste- particularly waste from animals that have been killed- is appealing to me. 

No I do not mean the pure chicken or 100% ox minces.

However I am thinking of parts of animals that most of us would not touch even if we were paid to.

The less desirable parts of animals are the necks and I have already answered the question “Can dogs eat turkey necks?”

In this article I would like to discuss duck necks- are they something dogs should be eating?

We’ll find out shall we?

What nutrition do duck’s necks contain?

The fat and protein in duck meat are the same as in those of any other meat. 

A 100g portion of a ducks neck would contain approximately 130 calories 5g of fat and 19g of protein. 

Incredibly those numbers mean that the nutrition in ducks necks is almost exactly the same as in turkeys necks.

The nutritional profile of a turkey neck is closer to that of a ducks neck than that of a chickens neck. I will expand on this topic in a later article.

Dogs can also obtain important vitamins and minerals from ducks necks in addition to the fat and protein.

Duck is rich in vitamin B6 which contributes to the health of the cells in a dogs body just like all other B vitamins do.

Our dogs bodies require copper to create healthy red blood cells and copper is one of the most abundant minerals in duck meat. 

I am going to discuss the best way to prepare duck necks for your dog now that I have discussed the nutritional pros and cons of eating duck necks.

Raw vs cooked vs dehydrated. which duck neck is safer?

There are three standard options: raw cooked or dehydrated.

None of these options is completely risk-free.

In addition to containing harmful bacteria duck necks that are raw will also contain tiny bones that can be a choking hazard if they are cooked to kill the bacteria.

Dehydrated duck necks do not need to be kept in the fridge or freezer but because they are cooked and then dehydrated they come with all of the disadvantages associated with cooked duck necks. 

Please accept my apologies if you were looking for a simple black and white solution. 

First I would like to discuss raw duck in more detail.

Ducks are classified as poultry did you know that?

In other words if you are thinking of feeding it raw to your dog you need to realize it may contain harmful bacteria.

Therefore duck is in the same boat as chicken and turkey.

You should look out for campylobacter in duck meat which can cause diarrhea and fever. 

Cooking a duck neck is the only way to guarantee that there are no harmful substances present. 

That means cooking it until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees Celsius.

This is a real bummer for me!

Raw foods are just so easy: they are quick they are easy to clean up and they are so convenient. 

Next I’d like to discuss how to cook duck. 

You do not need to make a fancy recipe with a lot of seasoning because your dog would not appreciate all of the different flavors and some of them might poison him. 

Cooking the necks so that their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees is the easiest way to kill the dangerous stuff. 

In addition to the advantage of killing bacteria by cooking a ducks neck there is the disadvantage of the tiny neck bones becoming a far greater choking hazard for dogs.

The reason for this is that cooking bones make them harder and since neck bones are harder than raw bones they are more likely to get stuck in dogs’ throats. 

One option to go. Two down one to go.

Therefore the only option left is dehydration.

As I mentioned earlier dehydrated duck necks are cooked necks that are dried at room temperature. 

Therefore we still have the same concerns about dehydrated necks that we have about crooked necks. 

As a result I’m wondering if there is a price difference between these three types of duck neck.

My next step will be to examine this.

How much does a duck neck cost?

You can purchase four freeze-dried duck necks for $15 on this site.

To be honest I have had trouble finding a supplier for dehydrated duck necks in the U.S. but there are a few options for those of you who live in the UK such as here and here. 

The cost of two dehydrated necks is approximately £6.50. 

What is the price difference between raw duck necks and these?

A pack of six raw duck necks can be found on this website for about £2.70.

The best choice seems to be raw if you are most concerned with price (perhaps more so than convenience). 

After reviewing all of the different types of duck necks available I will examine how duck necks compare with those of other animals in the next section. 

Besides ducks there are other kinds of necks available.

Chicken vs turkey vs duck necks: which are more nutritious?

While the article focuses on duck necks there are other animal necks available on sites that sell dog food. 

The two most common necks available are chicken and turkey necks. 

What is the nutritional difference between them?

In the chart below you can see that there are only marginal differences between the three different neck types of meat.

It is actually almost the same with duck and turkey as I mentioned earlier. 

It contains about 25% more calories almost twice as much fat and about 25% less protein than either of the other two types of meat.

These neck meats have so little difference that you can choose any of them.

What is the availability like?

It was pretty easy to find these three types of animal necks in the US on the day I wrote this article 

However on this website chicken duck and turkey necks can all be purchased.

A chicken neck costs about $25 a turkey neck $30 and a duck neck $35. 

On this site you can only find chicken checks and duck necks.

Freeze-dried chicken necks and duck necks start at $12 for four pieces.

As a result if the occasional turkey chicken or duck neck is your dogs preferred treat it seems like you’re in good hands.

My next topic in a slight change of direction will be duck necks and how they would affect your dog if it swallowed one. 

My dog swallowed a duck neck whole

What do you mean?

Did you swallow the whole neck?

Thats what I meant to say: chew it slowly.

The scene looks like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

However some dogs will inadvertently or deliberately swallow a whole ducks neck.

A dog owner may suffer a minor heart attack from this. 

Duck necks are already mentioned as containing bones in this article.

Because bones are hard to even when raw any bone can pose a choking hazard to a dog.

If your dog just got overexcited and swallowed a duck neck they could end up in a lot of trouble.

Duck necks are large objects- larger than the throats of most dogs.

Chewing them is better than swallowing them.  

There are more dangers than just bones. 

Turkey neck meat is mostly muscle meat as the neck needs to be strong in order to bear the weight of the birds head.

Because muscle meat does not break up like other softer meats it is tough and full of sinew making it harder to swallow. 

If a dog swallows a whole neck it may choke and the symptoms to be on the lookout for are simple.

As long as the end result is that the almost entire neck comes back up after choking retching or vomiting…

For you and your dog it is crucial to avoid a repeat of this incident.

The section where I discuss puppies will provide some hints on how to do this.

I would like to discuss frozen necks next. 

Is it safe to feed frozen duck necks to dogs?

Raw food delivered to your door in the UK and the US is mostly frozen including raw treats such as turkey necks. 

Food is not delivered frozen because thats the best way to feed it to dogs its delivered frozen because its the best way to keep it fresh.

Hence we have to ask if we can skip a step and feed our dogs frozen treats directly? 

Is it worth trying to defrost the frozen duck necks?

Even though it may be tempting I would say that we should defrost the necks.

The reason for this is twofold.

In addition to being a choking hazard frozen duck necks can also cause your dog to break a tooth. 

As a result of all of this talk of jeopardy I wish to make the following point.

In the event that frozen necks are not appropriate for dogs are fresh necks suitable for puppies? 

What do you think? Lets find out. 

Are duck necks safe for puppies to eat?

As long as you do it carefully I do not think there is anything wrong with feeding a puppy duck necks. 

As a general rule I would suggest starting around the age of four months: although other people claim puppies can be fed duck necks as young as ten weeks old. 

To give the puppy time to become familiar with its staple diet and for its digestive system to mature I just gave it more time.

We all know how delicate a puppys stomach can be. 

Apart from that my only other suggestion would be to cut the neck up into small chunks before feeding it to them.

By doing this you are able to give them a smaller amount of neck (whole necks might be too much for some puppies) and you can observe how they consume it.

You need to watch out for whether your puppy chews the meat or tries to swallow it whole. 

Can a dog eat duck giblets?

I’m exhausted! 

Donot you think we have been looking at duck necks for quite some time?

However if you buy a whole duck instead of duck necks from your favorite online store you may receive duck giblets which are the ducks neck heart gizzard (or stomach) and liver.

Traditionally giblets are included when you buy birds such as ducks turkeys and chickens so that they can be boiled up to help make gravy.

If you are looking at the giblets as a very special dog treat then you are in luck. 

You should keep a few considerations in mind when feeding your dog any of these items.

You should cook these parts in order to be safe. 

Donot let them eat raw meat.

Furthermore the liver is extremely rich in meat because it contains so much iron and vitamin A large quantities of vitamins A.

The giblets from only one turkey should not pose a problem if you’re just feeding them to your dog.

If you have a freezer full of ducks leftover from Chinese New Year it might be a problem.

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.