i have heard conflicting views on feeding a dog raw eggs. Several books that i have recomend feeding raw eggs for a shiny coat. A past vet said no and my current vet says that it is fine. i have fed my dogs raw eggs for years (not often, every other week or so) and they have never had any problems.but i have also heard that feeding raw egg whites can inhibit the absorbtion of B viatmins. I noticed that this was also mentioned in the General Health Section sticky about dangerous foods for dogs.
http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23037

i'm curious as to how many people suppliment their dog's diet with raw egg. any thoughts?

I very occasionally give my dogs raw eggs. Always organic, always with the shell crushed up along with it (very fine so there are no pointy edges).

If you're concerned you can lightly scramble them, just until the white stops being clear. But giving the shell with the egg makes it a virtually perfect food.

well, i don't want to have to scramble eggs for my dogs if i can help it, i don't run a full service doggy diner,;)

my dogs do get only organic eggs and they do get them with the crushed shell included.

i'm curious as to how many people suppliment their dog's diet with raw egg. any thoughts?

We used to but went back to giving a slightly boiled egg and very well crushed/pulverized egg shells. I guess it's just us being paranoid about the raw egg, but some people who do give raw eggs have no problems with them when done properly.

silly question...how do you pulverize the shell? Remove egg, smash shell up, and put shell back in with the egg? help me out here :confused:

Since this thread was first posted, I have found opinions on the internet split about 50/50 on whether or not to feed raw eggs. This is what I found on one website:

"Raw Eggs (Dangerous)

Think twice before giving your pet raw eggs. Although cooked eggs are high in protein and make an excellent treat, 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 can be contaminated with bacteria, such as salmonella, and you could end up giving your dog food poisoning in addition to biotin deficiency."

For my Bailey I think I will err on the side of caution and not feed him raw eggs (just as I wouldn't feed them to my children).

This reminds me of one of the most significant cautions in gun safety - even if you KNOW a gun is unloaded, always treat EVERY gun as loaded. So, I will treat every raw egg as possibly dangerous.

Originally posted by Boochky
silly question...how do you pulverize the shell? Remove egg, smash shell up, and put shell back in with the egg? help me out here :confused:

Not a silly question at all.

You boil the egg (soft boiled), peel off the shell and either let the shell dry naturally or put in the oven for about 10 minutes. I cheat and dry them in the microwave for about 1 minute. Then with the back of a spoon or a rolling pin or a meat tenderizer crush the shells to a powder. Then mix the pulverized shell in with the cut up egg and mix with a little food. Remember that since eggs are a source of protein, they can do with a little less food for that meal.

I bought some organic egg yesterday... do I just dump the egg ontop of the food or do I mix it in?

If you want to feed it raw, then mix it in, if boiled, also mix it in. Be sure to dry and crush into powder the egg shells and mix those in as well. And, wash off the egg before serving it raw.

Originally posted by jcatkc
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For my Bailey I think I will err on the side of caution and not feed him raw eggs (just as I wouldn't feed them to my children).

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But your children are not carnivores with digestive tracts built to consume raw meat, eggs, fish etc. The stuff your dog licks up in the back yard or on a walk is at least as contaminated with bacteria as a raw egg (that's sold for human consumption).

Originally posted by McBainsMom
The stuff your dog licks up in the back yard or on a walk is at least as contaminated with bacteria as a raw egg (that's sold for human consumption).

Yes - and I wouldn't put anything from the backyard into his bowl either. There is a huge difference as to what he seldom licks in the backyard and what he chows down on daily in his food bowl.

All I am saying is that even though 99% of the time a raw egg would be fine for Bailey, I am not about to play Russian Roulette with that other 1%.

If you want to feed raw eggs, that's fine - but I won't take that chance.