Can raw chicken or necks cause polyradiculoneuritis paralysis in dogs?

Unfortunately, feeding chicken necks, whether raw or cooked is dangerous to your dog as the necks contain thyroid glands, the ingestion of which will cause hyperthyroidism in dogs. So this could be the reason why she does not want to eat. I suggest you feed other meat than necks, and if she still does not eat, offer her boiled white rice and cooked white boneless chicken meat, ie a bland diet for a day or two. If she is not eating by Monday morning you will need to take her to your veterinarian for an exam. Please mention the feeding of raw chicken necks to her, as it could be the reason for hyperthyroidism (can be ruled out with a blood test), or a gastrointestinal bacterial infection.

Wry neck is not contagious. It can be caused by a nutritional deficiency (vitamin E, selenium), toxin ingestion, trauma or it can be an inherited trait in certain breeds. Check your yard for sources of toxins such as rotting food or stagnant water. If you are feeding a balanced and fortified diet, nutritional deficiency can be ruled out. The website www.backyardchickens.com is an excellent resource for information regarding domestic fowl.

A condition called Coonhound paralysis (Polyradiculoneuritis) is a very likely possibility here or even a toxin ingestion that affects the nervous system. Coonhound paralysis is a nervous system disease that causes these types of symptoms (rear limb ataxia). It can be caused by eating raw chicken, recent vaccination, exposure to a raccoon, or even an immune medicated disease. I would highly recommend taking Banjo to your local vet right away to get him looked at. An ER vet visit is certainly warranted here if your regular vet is not currently open so that he can get seen quickly and testing done. If this is indeed this condition, there is no specific treatment, but he has a good chance of spontaneously improvement over several weeks. I do hope that Banjo's condition improves soon! Best of luck moving forward. Take care.

Hi there and thank you for posting this question. Raw chicken can cause intestinal salmonella and campylobacter infections in dogs just like it can in humans. There is also a human health risk as the people in the household could be exposed my licking or fecal matter. If you want to feed chicken I would encourage you to cook it first. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

This usually happens when owners feed their dogs raw chicken and turkey necks. That way dogs ingest lots of thyroid glands and get hyperthyroid. Do not feed raw or cooked chicken or turkey necks to your dog 0r other animal neck meat (trachea/esophagus from the butcher). This should pass if you stop feeding those meats. If you are not feeding this type of food, then your dog may be hyperthyroid ill, and you will need to discuss the treatment with your vet. This could be medication to slow down the thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the thyroid gland or irradiation of the gland.

An immediate check up is required as these signs seems to be compatible with a neurological problem. Intervertebral disc extrusion/protrusion in the cervical area can cause commonly nerve/spinal cord and meninges (around spinal cord) compression. The compression may be dynamic, showing up signs when moving the neck in certain postures. X rays and more specific and advanced imaging procedures may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

While an allergy is possible, bacteria in the raw diet could also cause the GI symptoms. The ear issues could be an allergy but if she was on a chicken based diet prior to the raw diet and did fine on it, then that seems less likely. If Treia is doing well on her beef based food, I recommend to stick with it. if she gets sick again, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps.