giraffez Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I was reading an article that mentions that grinding egg shells and giving it to dogs is like giving them pure calcium and that its really good for them. Is anyone doing this and if so, how do you prepare it. Do you wash the egg shells and dry it and then grind it to powder? How often do you give this to your dogs and how much at a time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tralee Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I was reading an article that mentions that grinding egg shells and giving it to dogs is like giving them pure calcium and that its really good for them. Is anyone doing this and if so, how do you prepare it. Do you wash the egg shells and dry it and then grind it to powder? How often do you give this to your dogs and how much at a time? Well firstly you have not cited the article. Secondly, most advice will tell you that if you are feeding a balanced diet, you should not need to add supplements. I do give my dogs eggs, broken in a dish, and they rarely eat the shell. They need calcium for muscle contraction but that doesn't mean they can have too much. It can calcify heart valves and many other nasty things. Px Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) I was reading an article that mentions that grinding egg shells and giving it to dogs is like giving them pure calcium and that its really good for them. Is anyone doing this and if so, how do you prepare it. Do you wash the egg shells and dry it and then grind it to powder? How often do you give this to your dogs and how much at a time? My dogs get an egg or two per week. I crack them into the bowl and the whole lot is eaten. No preparation and the whole lot is finished very quickly. (I am also very popular during baking as the dogs get the shells then too and I have 6 waiting pleading for a bit of shell!!) It is the ratio with phosphorus that is important, but I aim for a balance over a week or two, rather than trying to balance each and every meal and if you feed raw meat you should be fine. You certainly won't go wrong with an occasional egg. Just remember if you feed the insides of the egg to feed the whole egg not just the yolk. The body is pretty good at regulating slight irregularities, particularly with how much they will absorb from food :) Edited January 20, 2012 by Jumabaar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 My two love whole eggs. Shell included. They get one each once a fortnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydoo Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I just feed Billie the whole egg. She knows to crack it open by taking it outside and dropping it on the deck then happily eats the insides and shell together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laneka Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 A friend of mine washes the shell, lets them dry, removes the skin and then grinds them up with a pestle and mortar. He feeds barf and does not waste a thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Why would you need to wash them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 so they dry out enough for you to be able to grind them to a powder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 I just break 3 or 4 eggs and put the whole lot (with the shell) into the food processor when I am making their raw veggie slops...a wise idea to break the eggs first, I was not thinking straight one time and chucked in an unbroken egg with the cabbage leaves and the processor leapt all over the bench before I could grab it with one hand while trying to turn the wall switch off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) When I give my dogs an egg I just put the whole thing on the floor. That way they get to play with it a bit and work to get into it as well, providing a little bit of extra mental stimulation. They eat about half of the shell. Edit: nb we don't have carpet of course! Edited January 20, 2012 by Weasels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 (edited) I give the whole egg, but I crush the shell roughly, otherwise I am inviting them to go steal from the chooks I don't bother washing it if it looks clean. I give my eggs a wipe when I collect them from the chooks before I put them in the fridge. Edited January 20, 2012 by sheena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giraffez Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thanks all. I've never thought about giving them the shell. I do give them egg but i cook it first and not raw... judging from the sound of some of the posts above, it is okay to give raw. I'll try that next time. Does it matter whether its raw or not - i mean does it lose the goodness if its cooked opposed to feeding it raw? One of my dogs I find gains weight very easily so in the last couple of months, i have reduced the kibbles to half and fill the other half with sweet potato or vegetables. He seems to do well with this combination. Because i reduce the intake of kibbles, I'm a bit worried he isn't getting the right amount of nutrients in his food. So when i read about the egg shell thing, i was thinking of grinding up and giving a teaspoon in his food once a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumof4girls Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Just a question re eggs. In my folder my breeder gave me she has written this.. Egg yolks: not the white, 2 per week on his food is good. My question why not the white, I see reading the above others give the white.. PS I should prob ring and ask her :-) .. I have an Airedale terrier.. Edited January 23, 2012 by mumof4girls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Just a question re eggs. In my folder my breeder gave me she has written this.. Egg yolks: not the white, 2 per week on his food is good. My question why not the white, I see reading the above others give the white.. PS I should prob ring and ask her :-) .. I have an Airedale terrier.. I think I read somewhere that there's an amino acid imbalance in egg whites, and you shouldn't feed dogs whites without yolk . . . but yolk without white is ok. As for whole eggs, I'd pay attention if eggs were more than 10 or 20% of the dog's diet . . . but if they're a side dish to a main meal, I wouldn't worry. Nor would I panic if my dogs occasionally got an egg white without yolk. It's not poison, just not well balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumof4girls Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks sandgrubber, I had read something about egg white I just couldn't recall what :-) Just a question re eggs. In my folder my breeder gave me she has written this.. Egg yolks: not the white, 2 per week on his food is good. My question why not the white, I see reading the above others give the white.. PS I should prob ring and ask her :-) .. I have an Airedale terrier.. I think I read somewhere that there's an amino acid imbalance in egg whites, and you shouldn't feed dogs whites without yolk . . . but yolk without white is ok. As for whole eggs, I'd pay attention if eggs were more than 10 or 20% of the dog's diet . . . but if they're a side dish to a main meal, I wouldn't worry. Nor would I panic if my dogs occasionally got an egg white without yolk. It's not poison, just not well balanced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Just a question re eggs. In my folder my breeder gave me she has written this.. Egg yolks: not the white, 2 per week on his food is good. My question why not the white, I see reading the above others give the white.. PS I should prob ring and ask her :-) .. I have an Airedale terrier.. I think I read somewhere that there's an amino acid imbalance in egg whites, and you shouldn't feed dogs whites without yolk . . . but yolk without white is ok. As for whole eggs, I'd pay attention if eggs were more than 10 or 20% of the dog's diet . . . but if they're a side dish to a main meal, I wouldn't worry. Nor would I panic if my dogs occasionally got an egg white without yolk. It's not poison, just not well balanced. Egg white has thiamine binding molecules, so feeding to much egg white only results in a thiamine deficiency. Egg yolks are rich in thiamine so prevent any deficiency caused by the egg white. So feeding whole eggs or egg yolks is fine in moderation, but only feeding egg whites causes problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 When I give my dogs an egg I just put the whole thing on the floor. That way they get to play with it a bit and work to get into it as well, providing a little bit of extra mental stimulation. They eat about half of the shell. Edit: nb we don't have carpet of course! Same here, I like watching them figuring it out :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I was reading an article that mentions that grinding egg shells and giving it to dogs is like giving them pure calcium and that its really good for them. Is anyone doing this and if so, how do you prepare it. Do you wash the egg shells and dry it and then grind it to powder? How often do you give this to your dogs and how much at a time? My dogs get an egg or two per week. I crack them into the bowl and the whole lot is eaten. No preparation and the whole lot is finished very quickly. (I am also very popular during baking as the dogs get the shells then too and I have 6 waiting pleading for a bit of shell!!) It is the ratio with phosphorus that is important, but I aim for a balance over a week or two, rather than trying to balance each and every meal and if you feed raw meat you should be fine. You certainly won't go wrong with an occasional egg. Just remember if you feed the insides of the egg to feed the whole egg not just the yolk. The body is pretty good at regulating slight irregularities, particularly with how much they will absorb from food :) If you feed raw meat without bone, then you will need the added calcium as the calcium/phosperous ratio will be out. so they dry out enough for you to be able to grind them to a powder Washing doesn't dry them out. Th easiest way is to place the egg shells in the microwave until they become brittle, then you grind them into a powder with a mortar and pestle. It takes a few minutes and you end up with a very concentrated calcium supplement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Washing doesn't dry them out. Th easiest way is to place the egg shells in the microwave until they become brittle, then you grind them into a powder with a mortar and pestle. It takes a few minutes and you end up with a very concentrated calcium supplement. If they are left unwashed they don't dry well enough to crush up, washed first they do dry out well enough to crush in a pestle and mortar - I know as I have done this both ways! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weasels Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 When I give my dogs an egg I just put the whole thing on the floor. That way they get to play with it a bit and work to get into it as well, providing a little bit of extra mental stimulation. They eat about half of the shell. Edit: nb we don't have carpet of course! Same here, I like watching them figuring it out :D I just loved the look on the foxdog's face when she went to bat it with her paw and accidently broke it open. Surprise, followed by greedy excitement :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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