Raw Eggs: Good or Bad?

cxty

New Member
Up until today all I've ever read about feedings eggs to dogs is that they should be fed raw. I've heard raw eggs are great for the coat, and full of more nutrients than cooked eggs. I also read that cooked eggs can be bad because they stick to the intestines.

Now today, on a list of "what not to feed dogs", I read this:

Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin, which can deplete your dog of biotin, one of the B vitamins. Biotin is essential to your dog’s growth and coat health. Additionally, raw eggs are often contaminated with bacteria, such as salmonella, and you could end up giving your dog food poisoning in addition to biotin deficiency.

Symptoms of biotin depletion are hair loss, weakness, growth retardation and skeleton deformity. If your dog is suffering from these symptoms the situation is urgent, and veterinary treatment is needed. Cooked eggs are high in protein and make an excellent treat. It is only the raw eggs that should not be given to your dog.

So which is it?

:dogwacko:
 

netti

New Member
I give my dogs raw eggs and to date they seem to have no ill effects. I have my own chooks so sometimes we have an over supply.

I give them the whole uncracked eggs and have a laugh while they try and break them. I think it is like everything else in life - moderation.

Cheers Netti
 

akisha

New Member
once a fortnight i give akisha and trixie a bowl full of dry food then an egg mixed through. Both of the dogs are perfectly health and the egg is what keeps thier coat in such great shape. i dont feed them raw eggs regularly but i believe they are good to keep the coat healthy.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Me, i don't give raw eggs due to salmonella risk. True, it is not super common, but if you ever see a case, it is impressive illness, and can be fatal in some. And you'd feel like a goof for thinking well, "MY raw egg has no salmonella, i can tell by looking at it." I wouldn't risk my beloved dog's life on that!!!

The proteins and such in eggs will still be there after cooking. cooking does NOT reduce protein, just kills off bacteria. so i am surprised that cooking modifies this unusual-in-eggs only avidin protein that much!! I live and learn! THANKS for the post!! I googled this avidin, and you are right, Cxty!! It can deplete biotin!!! Who knew? Think of all those body builders and their raw egg milkshakes!!!

I do not give egg often anyway, cuz it is SO HIGH IN CHOLESTEROL. Egg whites=fine.

ONE Egg yolk= enuff cholesterol for a whole month!!

By the way, cooked eggs would never "stick to intestines".. Intestines actually look like slimey velcro, with bazillions of teeny tiny lil 'fingers' which are surfaces to absorb nutrients. Intestines are so NOT sticky!!

I think only things that would get stuck in intestines, are NONfood items, like those non-digestible chew sticks (not bully sticks--i hear those are good--, but the other kind that swells up in their guts.... RAWHIDES! that is the word, and actually, those do not "stick" either, but swell up and block off the colon).
 

Lexy88

Well-Known Member
would just like to point out, salmonella, if present, cannot ever be found IN a raw egg. it can only ever be present on the outside of the egg shell. so the only risk is if when cracking a raw egg, raw egg touches the outside of the shell. :)
 

mewzard

Experienced Member
Oka has raw egg and cooked egg.


Dogs have an impressive immune system. I mean they walk outside barefoot, then lick thier feet, scratch thier bodies with them and then lick thier fur. They eat poo of other animals, trash, plants, rubbish, wood, grass.... I'm not sure that a raw egg is going to do much to a healthy dog.

Oka has a raw food diet. She has never had a problem with anything; chicken carcass, rabbit, venison. I was adamant that she wouldn't have rawhide...but she was given some in the guise of a stuffed tennis ball. After watching her like a hawk eating it i noticed that she would bite off pieces that were smaller than kibble pieces and eat them. She also leaves them outside in the rain (or her water bowl :confused:) and then eats them when they are wet. Therefore elminating the 'swelling up in the gut' risk.


But thats just Oka, someone elses dog may just bolt the rawhide down and have an issue later. Okas' rawhide bones are huge - 35cm long - she takes 1 to 2 weeks to eat one. At the moment there are bits of one strewn around my back yard as only the outside is one piece. Oka won't chew on plastic dog toys and soft toys last less than 30seconds... After trying TONNES of other 'games' to occupy her, i ended up giving in to the rawhide which satisfies her need to chew and destroy.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
ha, i NOW do give Buddy his weekly RAW egg now.

For years, i only gave him a very occasional cooked egg, interesting for me to read how much my own views have changed from my 2009 post above, lolz!
 

charmedwolf

Moderator
Staff member
I feed eggs at least once a week for everybody. I love watching them try and crack them open, they tried to do the same with the hardboiled ones from Eater... didn't go as planned.
 

charmedwolf

Moderator
Staff member
Yep, perfectly fine. Some dogs don't like to eat them though. We always give any extra shells to our pregnant girls for the extra calcium. Eggs that are a little older don't digest as well which is my only caution.
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
I give a raw egg to Mouse once in awhile, shell and all... she LOVES it! Scout is allergic to chicken, so I worry about trying eggs (though I know in people it's a seperate allergy) Oliver gets very, very sick from any protein other than fish, so none for him (gave him 1/4 of a cooked egg yolk once... explosive diarrhea for 2 days... NEVER again!) and I have yet to try it with Boo... not sure why not.
 

bekah1001

Honored Member
I gave Riley a raw egg today. She was holding it in her mouth unsure of what to do with. :p I had to crack it for her:ROFLMAO:
 

Myndi

New Member
Ava loves eggs - raw or cooked, although we usually do raw. If she hasn't had one for a few days, she'll lead me to the fridge door and let me know that she wants one. She's not a fan of the actual shell though. If I give her the shell, she takes it out and sits it on the carpet, then continues with the egg. After a few times of stepping on an eggshell barefooted, I stopped offering them :eek:
 

Jukes

Well-Known Member
I give one raw egg once a week - shell and everything - Jukes loves the shell - it's really funny watching him cracking it:)
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
So, do we need to worry about dogs getting salmonella from eating raw eggs?

what does everyone think? Can or do dogs get salmonella from raw eggs the way humans can?
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Dogs mostly dont get salmonella, their digestive systems combat it. However I've had a few vets tell me about something in raw eggs being really bad for dogs. I cant for the life of me remember what it is, but it scared me enough, that any eggs my dogs get are scrambled ahead of time. I'll see if I can find it on google
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
OKAY. THANKS!!

i did get convinced it was great to feed dogs raw eggs,
but then,
my dog suddenly decided one day, he loathed raw eggs, and quit eating them.

but since the voluntary recall of an entire batch,
done by "Chicken Soup" for one (1) bag testing positive for salmonella,
and since raw eggs can easily contain salmonella,
i got to wondering if dogs can,
or can not,
get sick from salmonella the way humans can. ????
 

Dlilly

Honored Member
Delilah gets an egg every once in a while. We have our own chickens that are free range and are fed organic feed. They taste a whole lot better, and have more nutrition, than the factory farm eggs.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
COOL about the free range chickens!!

Would your raw eggs be salmonella-free then, or you don't know??? Do you think dogs can get sick off of salmonella, or do you think dogs are sort of immune to it/have digestive systems or immune systems which prevent salmonella in dogs???
 
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