Benefits of Raw Egg for Dogs
No matter which way you flip it, eggs are truly an exceptional super-food! Raw eggs, in particular, are packed with micro and macro-nutrients, including a whopping 6 grams of protein. So, does this make them a good addition to your dog’s diet? The answer is YES! Dogs can definitely eat raw eggs. In fact, we love recommending them as a nutritious and delicious addition to a raw diet once a week or one, every 3 days. Raw eggs can provide your pup with a variety of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals including:
•Vitamin A
•Riboflavin
•Folate
•Vitamin E
•Iron
•Selenium
•Fatty Acids
While these can all benefit your dog’s health, experts recommend only feeding your dog a whole egg (egg white and yolk) a few times a week. This is because raw egg white contains an enzyme that ties up biotin. Biotin is one of the B complex vitamins that helps to convert food into energy. If you top your dog’s meals with a whole raw egg every day, this can lead to a biotin deficiency. While it would take a lot of this enzyme to cause major issues, it can begin to affect your dog’s metabolism, skin, and coat. In order to avoid this, you can always cook the eggs or just feed your dog the yolks. However, the best eggs for dogs from a nutritional standpoint are raw.
Additionally, you may see people include an entire raw egg as part of their dog’s meal, shell included! Dogs can eat eggshells, but it often comes down to their preference. Some dogs love the extra crunch while others simply won’t touch them. Eggshells are an excellent source of calcium, so it doesn’t hurt to have your pup try them. The eggshell membrane, in particular, is a very useful ingredient. It sells on the market wholesale for $100-150 per pound. It is excellent as a joint supplement and is the only over the counter supplement with a scientific journal proof of efficacy. Overall, eggshells are a great source of:
•Collagen
•Chondroitin
•Hyaluronic acid
•Glucosamine
These nutrients can help support healthy bones and teeth for your pup.
And don’t worry about your pet’s stomach. Even if you decided to make an eggshell powder, ground so fine from a food processor, they'd still have the same effect in the intestine as larger, visible pieces. A dog's stomach acid softens the shell edges, and additional routine digestion methods (enzymes, pH, muscular contraction) ensure the eggshell serves as a nutritious ingredient.
Another question we always get asked is if raw eggs are safe for your dog. As humans, we’ve been taught that raw eggs carry the risk of salmonella, and while this is true, it’s important to remember that your dog's stomach was designed for raw foods. Dogs have short, simple digestive tracts and high levels of hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. They are anatomically designed to derive their nutrients from raw animal protein, fat, and bone. The high level of acids in the stomach means they can easily handle bacteria in raw foods in ways that humans cannot. Of course, it’s still important to be mindful when you feed raw eggs to dogs. Always feed your dog raw eggs from a reliable source (healthy chickens) that have been stored properly or farm fresh, organic and Non-GMO. Like the eggs we have available for our 4 Pawz Continental breakfast option!
How do you feed eggs to your pups, if you do? Let us know in the comments!