Eggs

i

There was a little debate on another forum about giving eggs or not .About twice a week I mix up the egg yolk and
pour a quarter each over the girls food but give no shell .Should I or not .

Tks in advance.

bri

I think it is really simply your own decision, Brian. There's no right or wrong answer. Depends whether you want to take the risk of a raw egg. Lots of recipes for raw diets recommend adding an egg. However raw eggs are known to carry salmonella. THis can affect dogs sometimes fatally (despite what some say; especially of potential concern for immune-compromised dogs or ill dogs). If you are concerned, why not cook the egg lightly. And why only the yolk? There's valuable nutrition in egg whites.

So, as with choosing a raw diet, giving raw bones, giving rawhides, giving Greenies, choosing what to vaccinate for: it's really your call as to where your risk appetite lies. Or if you really want proper advice from an informed source: get the advice of a canine nutritionist -- none of us here, as far as I know, has the education in that area to give you a definitive answer, if that is what you are seeking. This is the type of question that you could, and probably should, take to someone Monica Segal if you are actually interested in a proper answer and are concerned. She also has an email discussion list you could join. Or there are other canine nutrition email lists. And several books in the area written by nutritionists.

FWIW this is what WebMD says:

Raw Eggs
There are two problems with giving your dog raw eggs. The first is the possibility of food poisoning from bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli. The second is that an enzyme in raw eggs interferes with the absorption of a particular B vitamin. This can cause skin problems as well as problems with your dog's coat if raw eggs are fed for a long time.

Click to expand...

So their answer would be: there's a degree of risk and the risk could be serious (in case of bacteria) or could over time deprive a dog of an essential vitamin (though doesn't say how many would create that risk).

This is from a good slideshow on foods that they say 'your dog should never eat' (that maybe would be of interest to your friends on the 'other forum' ).

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/ss/slideshow-foods-your-dog-should-never-eat

I always thought giving whole raw egg (with shell) was good for your dog....just learned dogs have a hard time digesting the white part of the egg so now I will feed only the yolk. It is the best way I can get my picky eater to eat his dinner. I mix in egg and he eats his kibble. I live in a rural community so it is easy to find neighbors selling chicken eggs.