Do you add raw or cooked eggs?

[Terrie]

First of all it's good to be back. We're all moved in and settled now..woo hoo.

Ok now I have a question...We feed Payton 4 cups of Canidae per day (2 cups twice a day) and we add fruit, veggies and yogurt to his food. I've seen it written several times of members who also add egg too...my question is are the eggs cooked(hard boiled, scrambled etc..) or raw and mixed in?

Thanks for the help.....:D :D
Terrie

[Bucky's Mom]

I posted this before but I once CAUSED a health problem in a GSD I had long ago by feeding raw eggs - I found out later that raw eggs prevent the absorbing of certain chemicals necessary to good health - I believe it affects the biotin levels specifically - I feed Canidae and I believe it is quite complete without a lot of supplemental additions - hope this helps - Lisa (Bucky's Mom)

[Roscoe's dad]

I give Guido Raw eggs about 1x a week. Up until now I was not aware of there being a danger. But until I found this site I used to give her onions. Learn something new everyday!;)

[Nancy Estes]

You have to feed a LOT of raw eggs consistently to cause the problem you mentioned, which is interference with biotin uptake. I feed my dogs raw eggs, shell and all several times a week. Luckily, a woman I do rescue transports with has chickens and I get fresh eggs every time we do a transport. The dogs love them and eat shell and all.

Nancy

[DixieGrl113]

I read in one of my natural health books that problems with biotin levels occurs if you are only feeding the raw egg WHITES. The level of biotin contained in the yolk is sufficient to make up for any loss caused by feeding the whites. Which is another reason you should feed the WHOLE egg.
This what I found in "Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats" by Shawn Messonnier under the section BIOTIN on page 164.

Raw egg whites contain avidin, a protein that binds to Biotin in the intestines and causes biotin deficiency. This can be avoided by not feeding raw egg whites to pets in large quantities for extended periods of time. Cooked egg whites are safe as the cooking inactivates the avidin.

it goes on to list good sources of Biotin......

good dietary sources of Biotin include brewer's yeast, nutritional yeast, whole grains, nuts, EGG YOLKS, meat, milk poultry, soybeans, sardines, saltwater fish, legumes, liver, cauliflower, bananas, and mushrooms

I add a whole raw egg every other day sometimes everyday. I haven't had any problems as of yet and everything came back good on their chemistry screens this year at the Vet. No deficiencies. One must remember though that what works for one doesn't work for all. If you have issues with feeding an egg raw, by all means cook it a little bit. I don't cook any of their food because cooking destroys protein, enzymes and the other goodies contained in foods including eggs that my dogs need or that i want them to have. Just my personal choice, but its working for us. :)

[Homerhomer]

Just ot add to what was already said Billinghurst mentions in his barf book that feeding raw eggs may not be such a great idea to very young puppies or older and sick dogs. Feeding them to healthy dogs is great.
I feed on or two raw eggs per week, the whole package including shell.

[Terrie]

Thanks for the all your advice.......I've been giving him cooked eggs(scrambled and hard boiled) but thought the same thing about cooked food loosing the valuable nutrients. I will give him raw a couple of times a week just to mix things up a little bit for him.

Payton and I thank you :D

[DixieGrl113]

I see now that you said you are feeding Canidae. Since this food is of high quality I don't think it would make much of a difference if you cook the eggs you add. I would think adding an egg would be more of a treat than a nutritional nessessity so if you are more comfortable feeding a cooked egg, by all means continue doing so. Add the shell to the food too! Great natural form of calcium and most dogs love the crunch. If you can't get a hold of free range eggs from a clean source rinse the shells under warm water to rinse away any possible contaminants that may be stowing away on the outside of the shell...ie..chicken poo:D

[SarasMom]

I feed raw eggs a few times a week. (I sometimes feed cooked too.) Marshall was neutered a couple of weeks ago, had a full blood panel done beforehand. His bloodwork was in the normal ranges for everything.

But I can see how raw might make some people uneasy. If so, just boil some eggs. They make some of the best snacks. Put a dozen in the fridge and take out as needed. Much much better than any commercial treat you can find. :)

[whitney greenway]

I hard boil Cam's. He is the only one in the family that I will kind of cook for! :D

Sad state of affairs when the dog gets home cooked food, and the humans eat out all the time.

What is wrong with this picture? :D

[Karyn]

I did a raw egg a couple weeks ago and Daisy (beagle) got bloody stools - the vet said no to feed raw anything. So now I cook the eggs - you're right - it is a sad state of affairs when only the dogs get "home cooking".

[anna&jacksmom]

Anna gets a raw egg when I bake so maybe once in 3 months but she has learned to suck the insides out of a small hole I make and then she gets the empty shell to crunch. She can have the eggs in the house and never make a mess! It is pretty funny to watch.

[Nancy Estes]

Belle, my little rescue Rottie, was a stray before I got her and evidently learned to be a very effective predator and scavenger. She came in the house one night with a mouthfull of bird eggs :).

Nancy