I know this is a really late response - but what did you end up doing with the chicken? I asked my live-in consultant who seems to know just about everything and he said that it would probably be fine as long as you cooked it thoroughly and that even botulism would be killed at 185 degrees for 5 full minutes.

I ended up cooking them thoroughly and adding them to my collection in the freezer for the dogs. I think it'll be fine too. And I think the dogs will be happy. Please thank your live-in consultant for me!

He is so handy to have around. I'm forever asking him questions about all kinds of things - metric conversions, financial statements, grammar, deciphering chemical ingredients, literature.....just about anything...he's my Google. I've always told him he should have been a Renaissance Man.

Ha! It sounds like you're talking about my husband. I guess they both had excellent educations--and remembered a lot of what they learned.

A giggle: I was scrolling and looking more at the cutie in the picture than the title. I thought it said, "Children Unrefrigerated", and flashed on the thought that I didn't think keeping 'em cold would keep them from getting spoiled!

Before dropping it off at the shelter, I'd tell them what happened and let them decide if they want it.

I would mention it except it's mixed in with other chicken scraps, egg yolks, etc., in several freezer bags. I cooked it (in the oven) longer than I would have if I were cooking chicken for me. By usual standards it was a tad dried out. The skin was "crispy" (I dislike that word) in the extreme. I think it'll be fine.

I didn't see the original post, but I guess I'm thinking that if I didn't think it was safe for myself to eat I wouldn't feed it to my dog. But - you're probably right that it's Ok. Bless you for thinking of the shelter dogs!

Dogs actually have a lot more tolerance for "off" foods than people do.

When you consider some of the things dogs put in their mouths, I'm sure the chicken will be fine. They are scavengers after all.

Yes, I was thinking of experiences with my own dogs getting into the garbage, etc. They're not exactly discriminating. lol

The chicken didn't smell at all, BTW. I don't think that makes much of a difference when it comes to multiplying bacteria, at least not in the early stages, but if it had smelled bad I wouldn't have cooked it.

Knowing how cold my house is and knowing that you live in a colder climate, I would have no fears actually of eating it myself! And, in keeping with Fran's comments, I struggle to keep my dog from eating bird poop when taking her for a walk. I'm sure the chicken is just fine.

Dogs often vomit after eating what they can get to in garbage containers.

It's only a few dollars. For my dog or someone else's, I personally would choose to throw it away and not take a chance. .

Since the chicken was brought up to temp, it will be just fine.

A lot depends on circumstance and temps and times. Just for instance, If I had left meat out in my car overnight during the Texas summer where it is over 100 in the garage sometimes, I would pitch it.

I think as much as it would have grieved me, I might have pitched those chicken breasts.

I wouldn't give it a second thought. If you pressure cook it, you can feed the bones. It has to be long enough that you can smush the bones between two fingers. You could save bones and make "soup" for them in the pressure cooker. It does take a couple of hours.

Some of the things I find in the yard........ and no dog has died from it. It does make me wonder where they got it. And why! Once upon a time I think there was some sort of illegal dump made in a field. Dead pigs. Something must have happened because I quit finding pig parts. Maybe they had brought it all home and there was nothing left!

If the chicken was at 185 for 5 full minutes then there's nothing to worry about - it would even be safe for human consumption. Even if the meat had started to go bad it would still be OK - however that would affect the taste and texture.

Here is an interesting guide showing how long stuff should be cooked for safety and, in certain cases, whether that is enough to neutralize toxins:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/food-technology/bacterial-food-poisoning/

I'm just pretty surprised that an animal shelter would accept any bag of mystery meat fresh, cooked or otherwise. Our local shelters won't even take opened bags of kibble. Never heard of a shelter feeding table scraps to the dogs and cats in their care. Is this a shelter or a private rescue?

Well run shelters are like any institution with large populations. They can't afford to risk illness. That means everything from the bedding used to the diet provided must be controlled and there is no room for risking illness and no time to track where the illness originated. That is why they won't accept so many things like used kennels (risk of Parvo), bedding that can't be disinfected , blankets that a pup can chew up and ingest ,certain toys,even types of leashes and collars. Their hospitals are overrun with animals that are incoming in poor health and injuries. Their primary concern is to keep the healthy population healthy and avoid any risk however minor to their welfare.

I was thinking the same thing as watchmelol. At our shelters/rescues, they won't even take opened boxes of dog biscuits. I had some that my dog didn't like so I offered them and they said the box had to be still sealed.

It's a shelter, and I've had a relationship with them for over 30 years. I am very well known there.

As Lucille suggests, some food spoilage bacteria produce poisonous toxins, and some are heat resistant. But it would seem those of you suggesting long-term practices aren't bothered by that.

I echo the "no open bags accepted" practice, the same is true at our local shelter. Food scraps are a similar no-no at the shelter. Human food, leftovers or scraps aren't recommended even for dogs in homes, absent specific advice to the contrary from a vet in treating a specific problem.

Feeding dogs other than dog food is similar to letting cats go outside. People will say "I've always done this and had no problems" but it doesn't mean that any such practice is recommended, advisable, or without risks.