Eating Egg Shells?
It's not a huge concern, we'll break her of it but what my concern is, her favorite thing is to get egg shells. We eat alot of eggs in our house (my husband is into weight training) so there's constantly egg shells in the garbage. We always get them away from her before she she eats them but I'm worried that maybe she's missing something from her diet and that is why she goes for them? Like calcium or something? We feed her a very good brand of dog food. My husband thinks she just likes the crunchy-ness. Any thoughts? |
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| This is just my opinion, no facts to back it up, but I don't think that a dog would be able to mentally process things like calcium deficiencies and what he should eat to fix it. I know people, and probably animals, can crave certain things and not realize it's due to a nutritional deficiency of some kind... but I think you have to have eaten the food before in order to crave it. I don't know... maybe I'm way off base. I also don't know if that would hurt the dog in any way. I'm going to have to tack that list of things "Not to Eat" for the dogs on my fridge.
He probably does like the crunchiness (ew!). |
| I know alot of people who feed the raw diet mix in a raw egg with the shell on occasion. and they do that for the high calcium found in the shell. They may crush it up though so I'm not sure how she finds it from your garbage. I would be more worried about other things in the garbage...like steel wool pads, can lids, rubber bands, etc...
we have one of those step on metal garbage pails with a lid under the sink behind a cabinet so the dog can't get at it. They do train us well, don't they  |
| I feed whole eggs as part of my raw food diet with Bingley. He will eat the shells but he usually won't go searching for them. They're a great source of calcium but they probably just have a 'fun' taste for a dog, too! |
| Hi there - just spotted this discussion about egg shells.
I too feed raw and feed egg shells - not specifically for calcium but I can tell you for a fact that dogs will choose to eat items for specific uses. As an example - I had a dog who would eat eggs all the time - but sometimes he'd just likc out the inside and other times - he'd eat the shell. When he'd eat the shell - it was following a period of time of eating more meat and less bones. He was indicating he needed more calcium. There is a book called Wild Health by Cindy Engell - great book - all about what things animals eat in order to fix health issues or maintain health. I feel that egg shells from organic or fresh eggs are fine for dogs. Eggshells from average eggs from the grocery store are less fine - harder and dryer. But probably none of them would be a problem and if you have a garbage picker - it likely isn't because they are seeking out a specific food for a specific need - they are just garbage picking. But if you have a raw dog and it focuses on different foods from time to time - that I'd pay attention to. Just my take on it. Judy & Mick |
 I too feedd raw and and egg, I only give the yoke and crunch up the shell and disrecard the white . |
| I sure don't see any indication the shell is being digested. Maybe some is, but I sure do see it coming out the other end.
Edy, why no egg whites? |
| If egg shells are from hard-boiled eggs - I'd think they'd be hard to digest. If they are from old eggs - they'd be hard. But my dogs eat freshly laid eggs - 1-5 days old as I have chickens. I feed eggs probably 2-5 times a week depending upon how the chickens are laying and I never!!! see egg shells in the poop.
Many people feel there is concern about over-feeding eggwhites and it causing an inbalance - they got this information from one particular person who started this rumor. I personally think it is "poppycock" unless you feed massive quantities of eggs or have a dog with a specific illness. Imagine a wolf or a fox ever going past a duck nest and separating out yolk and white. Or just eating one as to not over-do it for the week. Eggs are usually around for a short time period in the spring/summer. So wolves and foxes, etc. don't get eggs year round. Thus that is why most people feed some per week and not tons of eggs per day. I raise bantam chickens - miniature chickens and 2-3 eggs of my chickens = 1 egg that you'd get in a container of large eggs. So I don't worry about feeding up to 5 eggs per week but usually I don't because I'm greedy and eat them all myself. But many people persist in doing having this concern and if it works for them - that is cool. Lots more raw diet discussion can be found at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalOES/ if you are interested. Judy & Mick |
| I do not feed the egg white as I like the extra Vitamin B and the eggwhite kills the Vit. B in the yolk.
Really a complete raw egg is totally balanced |
I'm wondering too? Always just fed raw egg yolk for that same reason as Edy mentioned.  It also destroys the Biotin benefit too found in raw egg yolks when you add the raw whites. |
| But than the whole egg is balanced the yolk is full of vit B and the white brakes it of, so if you feel a whole raw egg you might ad vit B Edy with women logic |
| At this site - it talks about how you really don't have to worry about the biotin de-activation by egg white - see below.
http://www.aeb.org/LearnMore/Eggcyclopedia/B.htm#biotin Biotin One of the B vitamins which plays an important role in cell metabolism and the utilization of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Biotin is present in many foods including egg yolk and is synthesized by the body. Avidin, one of the egg proteins, can combine with biotin and make it unavailable. However, *** a human would have to eat 24 raw egg whites a day for biotin to be inhibited by avidin ***. Heat inactivates the avidin and most eggs are served cooked. -see Avidin Judy |
| Thanks Judy, you are always so good with explanations Edy |
| Thanks |
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