Air-Dried Chicken Feet Dog Treats: Natural Chews

Chicken feet for dogs, air dried in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with one ingredient: chicken feet (some shops call them chicken paws). Air drying is how these dehydrated chicken feet get their crunch, with nothing added before the dryer or after it. Sold by the foot, in packs of 6 or 18, and they travel clean because no refrigeration is needed.

It is what the name says: a chicken foot, dried until it is crunchy and crisp. As a dog chews, the foot crunches and breaks down. Some feet come out of the dryer with a sharp edge, so hand one over when you can stay and watch, the way the label asks.

What a chicken foot is like

Each foot runs about 4 inches long, 2 inches wide and an inch thick, and it is crunchy all the way through. A dog does not gnaw it down the way it would an antler; the foot crunches, breaks into pieces and is gone in a few minutes for most dogs. Because every foot is a foot and not a stamped biscuit, expect some variation in shape and size from one to the next.

Chicken feet and your dog's teeth

People ask whether a crunchy chew does anything for teeth, so here is what the veterinary sources say, in their words. VCA Animal Hospitals, in Dental Disease in Dogs, writes: "Special dog chew toys and treats may also help reduce or delay plaque and tartar build-up." The same page says: "Any chew toy or dental treat fed to a dog should bend and 'give' upon compression." The Veterinary Oral Health Council puts it as: "Daily chewing activities can also be effective in maintaining oral health." We make treats, not dental products: our chicken feet carry no VOHC seal and we make no claim of our own about teeth. What we can say is that a dried chicken foot crunches and breaks apart rather than resisting like a bone or an antler, and that brushing, per VCA, is still the thing that works best. If your dog has had dental trouble, ask your veterinarian before adding any crunchy chew.

Sold by the foot: 6 feet or 18 feet

We count these instead of weighing them. The small pack holds 6 feet and the large pack holds 18 feet. Six is enough to find out whether your dog is a foot dog. Eighteen is for the house that already knows.

Chicken feet or duck feet

We dry both. Our duck feet are larger and last longer, so a bigger dog or a gulper should start there. The chicken foot is the smaller chew of the two. They sit side by side in Duck Feet vs. Chicken Feet.

Chicken feet are dried and shipped by Sniff and Shift in Malvern, Pennsylvania. If your dog goes through a foot a day, a recurring order keeps the next pack coming.

Guaranteed analysis

As printed on the package label:

• Crude Protein (min): 30%
• Crude Fat (min): 31%
• Crude Fiber (max): 6%
• Moisture (max): 10%
• Metabolizable Energy: 4,467 kcal ME/kg (approximately 126.6 kcal/oz)

Feeding and storage

Feed as a chew treat. Not intended as a complete diet. Provide fresh water and supervise while chewing. Discard small pieces if they present a swallowing hazard. Once dried, chicken feet need no refrigeration.

Questions

How many chicken feet can a dog have?

One foot a day works for most medium dogs, counted inside the day's calories. The label lists approximately 126.6 kcal per ounce. There is more in our chicken feet guide.

Are these dehydrated chicken feet for dogs, or air dried?

Both describe the same foot. The ingredient line reads dehydrated chicken feet, and air drying is how we dehydrate them.

Can a small dog have a chicken foot?

Small dogs that chew patiently do fine with them. For a tiny dog, start with a piece instead of a full foot.

Why does every foot look a little different?

Because it is a foot and not a stamped biscuit. Shape and color vary slightly from one to the next, and so does texture.

Where are these chicken feet dog treats made?

In Malvern, Pennsylvania. We dry them in small batches and ship them ourselves.