KrisK Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 I didn't want to hijack the thread about Shadows Mom having problems with excessive pooping but Becca did mention feeding cooked eggs with the shells. I do give my dogs some cooked egg once in a while (it will be more frequent now that the ducks are so busy) but I've always taken the shell off. Is there a particular benefit to leaving the shells on? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berocca Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 Ive always been told the egg shells were a good source of calcium for the dogs. Mine have never been particularly keen on them though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 The shells are a good source of calcium. If your dogs won't eat the shells "straight off the egg," you can grind them up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvw Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 It balances the calcium to phosphorus ratio Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 Calcium. And, sometimes for a dog with upset tummy, it seems to help somehow (Tums for canines? ). I throw the whole egg in the blender and the shells are ground up nicely. I simplified things greatly (though what I do in reality simplifies things for me). What I actually do is poach the egg - either in whatever hot dish I'm preparing for the dog in question, or in about an inch of water in a pan. This cooks the white but not the yolk. Otherwise, the avidin in the white binds up the biotin of the yolk and much of the benefit of the egg is lost. Then, I have eggshells that are saved from previous eggs, that I have toasted in the oven and ground to a fine powder, and saved in a container in the freezer. I add about half a teaspoon per pound of meat, or a pinch per egg. I discovered the effects of the eggshells on upset tummy by accident, and I've used it successfully, consistently, when the cause is food not agreeing, or overindulgence (ahem), or eating something too rich (like when Gus somehow got up six feet off the ground to snag the suet feeder ). Apples and pears also help a dog that is not digesting food well, if the problem is simply one of adjustment and not anything major. Of course, anytime your dog is refusing food for longer than a couple meals, or throwing up AND experiencing loose stools (especially dark tarry stools), or milder symptoms go on more than a couple days, or are accompanied by other symptoms like dehydration, listlessness, or unsteady gait, do not try to feed your dog anything, and contact your vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted April 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 Thanks for the explanation. I've been boiling the eggs for the dogs but I didn't realize I was losing so much of the benefit that way. If I soft boil, would that work as well as poached? or overindulgence (ahem), Hmmm, I wonder if that would be like the dining my dogs have been doing lately...duck poo, deer poo, and the great delicacy of horse poo!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 I make scrambled eggs for Black Jack once in a while, but I haven't ever used the shells. If you were going to cook an egg with the shells can you still scramble it? Or would you need to cook it normal? I guess if you scramble the egg it would crunch up the shell for you also. Remember I'm not much for cooking I can make eggs, chicken and treats for Black Jack. But that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 Or you could make everything a lot simpler and just toss them a raw egg every now and then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryP Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 I give mine a raw egg with the shell every week or two. I usually break the egg and then crush the shell and throw it in there for the reasons stated above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 I also give mine raw egg with shells fairly regularly. I crush the shell slightly. If I don't, Maddie and Dean will clean the shell out and leave it behind uneaten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 Mine get whole raw eggs quite often (some more often than others Every day when when doing chores Flurry makes a beeline straight for the corner where he knows a couple of my hens lay their eggs on the floor instead of up in the nest boxes). Most of my dogs will take a whole egg and eat it (if it doesn't first get snatched away by Flurry), but some of them are a bit hesitant about breaking or eating the shell. Sometimes I'll just toss them on the ground to crack them for the one's that won't break them, or I'll put them down and step on it a bit o crack it and then they clean it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 When I have fresh vegetables for the dogs (about twice a week) I put whole eggs in the blender with them. Makes a grand chopping noise - do be sure to hold on to the lid! If I do whole eggs some dogs can't figure out how to eat the shell and make a mess of it. Blend and serve. A whole egg, with shell is "perfect food". Joey is in renal failure so her only calcium is eggshells, crushed, at 1/2 tsp per 1/2 pound of meat. It binds the phosphorus in the diet that her kidney's can't handle. She can't have the egg york either. eta "york" the egg "york"? You guys obviously got it, but Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 Aw, Joey. We love whirly eggs too! I'll do that sometimes when I'm making porridge for them. I pour it into the hot cereal and again, the white cooks mostly, but the yolk stays runny. I'm such a cheapo that I hate the thought of the wasted biotin. I did just plain raw eggs for years but noticed that I could get by with about half as many if I did the cooking-the-white trick - same bit of glow to the coat. Zhi is my canary-in-the-coal-mine on this, as her coat and skin are very sensitive to deficiencies. I know cooking anything is like Doctor Evil to the raw purists, but this works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted April 10, 2008 Report Share Posted April 10, 2008 I know cooking anything is like Doctor Evil to the raw purists, but this works for us. I'm not a purist but I think cooking period is Doctor Evil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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