Can I Feed My Dog Raw Eggs?
No. We do not recommend feeding raw or undercooked eggs to your dog. The safest way to serve eggs to dogs is to ensure they are always cooked. Stick with boiled, scrambled or fried eggs.
Just like humans, dogs share the same potential risks in contracting Salmonella if consuming raw or undercooked foods.
How should I store eggs?
Eggs should be stored below 200 C as this reduces the growth of the bacteria. This temperature also preserves the yolk membrane, so fewer bacteria transfer into the rich food source of the yolk. Temperature fluctuations encourage bacterial growth and penetration through the shell and egg membrane. Eggs should also be brought to room temperature before cooking. Cracked and dirty eggs should not be used as the bacterial load may be higher. Most large-scale commercial egg producers in the UK adhere to a strict code of practice which virtually eliminates salmonella. However, some eggs sold in the UK are imported and bought by wholesalers. These eggs may not be subject to the same controls. Sourcing your eggs from a free range, high welfare source protects the welfare of the hens and reduces the possibility of poor standards encouraging salmonella contamination.
Dogs and Eggs: Preparation and Types
Eggs contain a yolk, an egg white, and a shell. The yolk is rich in nutrients, since this is where embryos grow if eggs are fertilized. The egg white, which surrounds the yolk, is composed of a thin and thick substance called albumen that is made up primarily of water and dissolved proteins. The egg white contributes to around half of the protein content of an egg. Encasing these soft structures is the egg’s shell. The shell is a rigid structure composed predominantly of calcium carbonate.
When it comes to nutrition, people generally discard the shell and cook the white and yolk. But when it comes to preparing eggs for dogs, there are some things you should keep in mind.
Experts consider raw eggs unsafe for dogs for a number of reasons. First, raw eggs may be contaminated with bacteria, potentially transmitting infections including E. coli and Salmonella. Studies show that the risk of Salmonella is significantly greater in dogs who eat raw eggs (2). Not only can these bacteria cause serious illness in dogs (and their owners), but these infections may be hard to treat.
In addition to the food safety concerns, there are nutritional concerns with respect to raw eggs. The egg white contains a protein called avidin, which binds biotin, a B-vitamin (3). Biotin is not an essential nutrient for dogs, meaning it doesn’t need to be present in their diet as dogs can synthesize it themselves. Yet, feeding raw eggs can actually induce biotin deficiency as the synthesized biotin is bound by the avidin and cannot be utilized by the dog.
Generally, you should avoid feeding egg shells to your dog. Egg shells are composed predominantly of calcium carbonate, a very calcium-rich, highly digestible compound. This provides a large dose of calcium in addition to the calcium provided in a dog’s main diet.
Calcium recommendations are quite strict for dogs and even more so for growing puppies. Adding extra dietary calcium can easily imbalance the diet, especially from a source such as egg shell that is rich in calcium but deficient in phosphorus. The imbalance of the calcium to phosphorus ratio can impact vitamin D status and have effects on skeletal metabolism (4).
Furthermore, the kidneys filter calcium and phosphorus from the blood. Mineralization of the kidneys is a component of chronic kidney disease and can be exacerbated by high levels of dietary calcium.
Dogs can eat cooked egg yolks, as long as it’s in moderation. Egg yolks are very energy-dense (i.e. high calorie) and rich in fat, including cholesterol. In humans, dietary cholesterol can cause many adverse health effects. However, in dogs, we do not have quite the same concerns as cholesterol seems better tolerated.
However, dietary cholesterol can exacerbate several dog health conditions including lipemia and hypertriglyceridemia (elevated levels of fat in the blood) and pancreatitis (5). In these dogs especially, egg yolks should not be fed.
For healthy dogs, a dose of fat and cholesterol from egg yolks may not be harmful, though pet parents should be aware of the risk of inducing pancreatitis. Certain breeds of dogs, including Miniature Schnauzers and Terriers, are at increased risk of developing pancreatitis.
Cooked eggs are less dangerous to dogs—though that does depend on how you prepare them. Cooking kills pathogenic bacteria and reduces the risk of Salmonella.
However, cooking doesn’t change the nutritional composition of eggs and the high fat content is still present. Additionally, if eggs are fried, the added fat from oil or butter can increase the risk of an adverse reaction. If eggs are scrambled with added milk, the risk of diarrhea increases, as many dogs do not tolerate dairy products well.
Interested in feeding your dog cooked eggs? Boil or scramble them without any additives. It’s also important to consider the portion size when feeding eggs to dogs. The average egg contains about 75 calories. Dogs should consume a maximum of 10 percent of their daily energy from incomplete food sources, including eggs. That means only dogs over 50 pounds could eat a whole egg in a day as part of a balanced diet.
Hard boiling eggs will kill pathogenic bacteria, making it a safe option for dogs. However, as with the section on cooked eggs above, hard-boiled eggs are still high in fat and calories. That means the risk of excess dietary fat still exists if you feed dogs hard-boiled eggs. Dogs known to have health conditions such as triglyceridemia, lipemia, or pancreatitis should not get hard-boiled eggs.
Keep portion control in mind. Dogs should not get more than 10 percent of their calories from treats and dietary additives including eggs.
Deviled eggs should not be fed to dogs. The added mayonnaise brings even more fat and could cause adverse effects. Even if the fatty snack doesn’t cause pancreatitis, dogs could still suffer other effects from excessive fat such as steatorrhea (greasy diarrhea).
If your dog happens to gobble up some deviled eggs from counter surfing, keep a close eye on them for signs of gastrointestinal upset such as lip smacking, drooling, and vomiting. If you have concerns, you can always give your veterinarian a call.