Eggs for Dogs

Can I Feed My Dog Eggs?

The answer is simple YES! In my previous post about dog food toppers, I covered some great natural easy options including fruits and vegetables, but completely forgot eggs. How did this happen I ask myself. Well, that is because I have never thought of eggs as a topper to a meal. I always think of them as part of a meal. That is because eggs are protein. So much protein! Even though it is not animal flesh I still lump it in my mind as the meal category, not supplement or treat.

Should I Feed my Dog Eggs

I mean if dogs are supposed to have a diet based on animal meat for protein should they eat eggs for protein also? Will they get sick? Can they eat them every day? Do they need to be cooked? What about the shell? I see pictures of shells on those really cool raw-feeding Instagram accounts.

How to Feed Eggs To My Dog

• Yes, dogs should have an animal protein diet if you want to feed them biologically appropriate foods. So back to my first post with Dr. Karen Becker DVM’s recommendation, that means 85% of their diet needs to have animal meats to be complete and balanced. Adding eggs to that meat as a protein boost is egg-okay. (See what I did there.) FYI: The average egg, yolk with white, has 6 g of protein.
• Sick? No, they won’t get sick. Now I have to give my usual discloser that I am not a vet or animal nutritionist, just sharing my experience. Allergies and slight digestive upset are always a factor. Usually, when I hear this concern people are worried about the bacteria (salmonella) raw eggs carry. Dogs’ digestive systems are able to handle the salmonella that is associated with raw eggs.  You as a human cannot. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water after feeding and follow other proper cleaning habits that are associated with raw meat prep.
• As long as they are calculated into your nutrient balance as part of their meal plan, then an egg a day will be just fine. If you are adding them as a topper keep in mind the 85% to 15% rule for complete and balanced nutrition mentioned above.
• Raw or Cooked? How about both? Cooked eggs are great and easily transportable, like for road trips and lunch at the office, but they do lose much of the nutritional value when cooked. I mean I am a huge fan of feeding all things raw, hence the name of this blog, due to it keeping the nutrients intact.
• I say keep that shell. If your dog has trouble eating it as is, try Keep the Tail Wagging’s method. The shell is almost all calcium at about 750 – 800 mgs for each medium-sized egg. Here is how you can tell if your dog’s diet is too high in calcium. If your pooch’s poops turn white, then you have too much calcium in their diet. If their waste isn’t ghostly white the calcium amount is okay.

Can I Substitute Eggs for Bones?

Finally, we get to my inspiration for this post. I am thinking about branching out into DIY raw dog food and am looking for the simplest way to go about it. My question is, can I substitute eggshells for bone? So, like if I wanted to just buy some ground meat from the grocery store as my protein source, can I just add eggshells for my calcium? After Googling, then picking my favorite trusted resources, I came up with the answer. It is okay to substitute eggs for bone temporarily, but not as a long-term solution. I did find a great piece from Dr. Becker about what I could use as a permanent supplement. Also, stay tuned to read about what easily sourced bones I find to feed soon.