Today we will talk about eggs, and we will cover several questions.
Can Dogs Eat Eggs?
And we’re going to add the powder to a recipe for eggshells, and then in the end we will see if a Dog chooses between a raw egg and a boiled egg, so keep reading until the end to see which one he preferred.
Okay, so before we start I just want to say all the information I will share here is from articles by science or endorsed from a book on dog nutrition. I’ll include all of my sources at the end if you’re interested. So let’s dive in.
Can dogs eat eggs and is it healthy for them?
And here the answer is very clear.
Yes they are. Protein has one of the highest biological values of common protein sources. Eggs are full of amino Acids, essential fatty acids.
They are also a great source of vitamins A, D, B vitamins, also some minerals like selenium or iron. They are also a rich source of biotin and Biotin is good for your dog’s skin, coat, and nails.
But there is a problem here: Protein contains an anti-nutrient. It’s actually a compound called avidin that binds with biotin and it makes it unavailable for absorption and the good thing here is that you can get rid of avidin by boiling the egg white and using it will destroy avidin and it will allow the biotin in the protein to be used.
However, biotin deficiencies are not generally a problem, even when you are feeding raw eggs because the yolk is very rich in biotin and one would mostly have to feed egg white to induce biotin deficiency.
If you see, signs of biotin deficiency are flaky skin, rash, loss of Hair, brittle hair and also high blood cholesterol.
So if your dog is experiencing any of these symptoms and you feed raw eggs, then maybe you should change this.
There are other foods rich in biotin such as liver, milk, Legumes or nuts. However, there is still one problem with raw eggs and it is the fact that egg whites also contain another Anti-nutrient.
Well, that’s actually a group of proteins that acts as trypsin Inhibitors, which means that they block the uptake of trypsin in your dog Offal. And you may be wondering why dogs need trypsin. Well, trypsin is a Enzyme that is necessary for digestion.
It also removes dead skin cells and allows healthy tissue to grow so it is very important.
Research shows that feeding a dog just two to three raw egg whites in one meal can inhibit trypsin to chronic diarrhea in dogs and malabsorption of lots of nutrients. But again you can get rid of these anti-nutrients by cooking the Protein.
Is It Better To feed Raw or Boiled Eggs?
Well, according to research, it definitely is better cook the egg whites beforehand feed them to your dog.
How Many Eggs Should I Feed My Dog?
Well here there is a general guideline and it is to limit eggs to one to two eggs per week for one medium or large dog.
So this level shouldn’t lead to dieting Imbalance. If you want to make sure you are giving your dog the best quality diet, it is always better to cook the protein, but at the same time if you give your dog a raw egg every now and then, it’s no problem at all.
And if you see that raw eggs give your dog diarrhea or that the condition of their coat will get worse, you should think about boiling the eggs for your dog.
Can Dogs Eat Egg Shells?
And the answer is, yes you can. Just mash up the egg shells and add them to your dog’s food. But they won’t be able to digest them completely, so if you want to make them as digestible as you like possible, you can make your own eggshell powder at home.
What you need to do is bake your egg shells first and then grind them into a fine powder and then just add it to your dog’s meals. But here you need Be careful with the dosage as they are very, very high in calcium and if i was you, you should already be feeding bones that you should only be using a little here and there.
Take home message
We all wish our dogs could live forever—but the best thing you can do is make them live longer. So do the things you can do to keep your dog healthy and happy and enjoy your life with them. If there is anything seriously wrong, do see the vet.