Should Dogs Eat Turkey Bones? The Answer

After that big Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, what do you do with the left-over turkey bones? Throw them away? Give them to the dogs? Maybe cook them down for turkey stew later?  

Well, there is only one end result that is safe for our pets. Toss the bones ESPECIALLY after boiling them for stew, if you happen to do that. No matter how you look at it, ANY cooked poultry bone has a chance of splintering and sending you and your pet to the nearest pet hospital. So do them and yourself a favor and just tuck them far down inside the trash where they cannot pick them out when you are not looking. 

That being said, you CAN give them the UNCOOKED poultry bones if you are not going to cook them for some reason. Like the neck or maybe the wings. Those would be great treats for your dog and actually good for their teeth.  

Read on for more info that will put it all in perspective for you.

Here are the answers I found online today:

 

From Yahoo Answers:

If cooked, throw them out!!!
If Raw, go ahead with feeding them, just make sure a little meat is on them.
Note: Chicken and turkey bones are fine as long as they are not cooked. Turkey and chicken bones as long as they are raw, are fine to feed.

I've found that compressed rawhide and Greenies are the best for keeping teeth clean. 

From Pet Doctors:

No!  Turkey bones need to be cleared away properly and not stuck in the top of the rubbish bin which can easily be pawed out.
Cooked bones, especially poultry bones, tend to splinter so they could puncture your pet’s stomachs and lead to a serious infection.

From Dogster.com:

Yes, dogs can most definitely eat turkey, as a general rule. Just not cooked which causes splintering as they chew.

Many premium dog food blends are made with turkey.
What is not good for dogs are COOKED turkey skin, bones or turkey fat. Also, make sure that no onions have come in contact with the turkey since onions ARE toxic to dogs. To a slightly lesser extent, garlic isn't great for dogs, either. Many foods and treats for dogs contain garlic, but many dogs cannot tolerate it and some can be fatally allergic to it.

Anytime you're feeding table scraps to your dog, make sure it is in conjunction with his regular diet and make sure it isn't in excess. Dogs can suffer from a condition called pancreatitis when given too much fatty food. Pancreatitis is serious and is often fatal if not diagnosed quickly, and there are often very subtle signs, so it is important to avoid too much fat in the diet.

 Another Dogster answer:

If it's cooked, don't feed the bones and remove the skin (because of seasonings, etc). also be aware that some store bought turkeys are "brined" and can be quite high in salt.

If you're feeding it raw there isn't much to worry about. Our dogs get necks and occasionally wings raw and love them. they eat the bone, skin, and meat w/o problems.

Another Dogster answer:

Raw turkey can be fed whole - skin, bones, and everything. Raw turkey necks are great for keeping your dog's teeth clean, by the way.

If it is cooked turkey, you definitely need to take into account what spices were used. Food that is very salty or spiced with onions or garlic can be very dangerous to your dogs.

When cooked, don't feed the skin or the bones, either - just the meat. The bones are altered in consistency when they are cooked, making them brittle and easy to splinter which can be very harmful. The cooked skin is very fatty.