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I add a raw egg to my dogs' raw meals at least three days a week. I prefer to feed eggs that I get from friends who have chickens. Or, when they're on sale, my local grocery store has organic, truly free-range eggs that I purchase. The cashiers at my grocery store must think I love omelets on those days.
Recently, someone asked me why I don't add the eggshell to my dogs' meals. Well, I do, but not in the way people expect.
Benefits of Raw Eggs for Dogs
I treat raw eggs as my dogs' multi-vitamin. This year, I've learned a lot about supplements and whole foods and the more I learned about what other raw feeders were adding to their dogs' dishes, the more I realized that raw eggs can replace many supplements because it's full of nutrients.
- Vitamin A – eyesight, bone growth, and the immune system
- Vitamin B2 – helps to convert food into fuel
- Vitamin B9 – formation of red blood cells, protein metabolism
- Vitamin B12 – nerve functions
- Iron – blood production and energy
- Selenium – behaves as an antioxidant in the body
- Fatty Acids – brain functions, skin and coat health, joints, and immune system
Feeding Raw Eggs to My Dogs
My dogs love raw eggs. I simply crack the eggshell open and allow the egg (yolk and white) to fall into their dish. People who aren't familiar with raw feeding or dog nutrition will warn you away from feeding raw eggs because of a risk of a biotin deficiency. This is only if we make the mistake of feeding our dogs egg whites only, discarding the yolk.
By the way, I do include the egg when weighing my dogs' meals – if a food has calories, then it counts in the weight.
I do not, however, add the whole shells to their meals, because the dogs won't eat them. Instead, I save them in the carton, allowing them to dry out in the fridge for a few days (I no longer bake the eggshells). I then grind the shells with my NutriBullet (a coffee grinder is better) and add a teaspoonful to my dogs ground raw meals, mixing them into the meat.
Note: I only save the shells from eggs I get from friends (who have chickens) or local farms. Eggs purchased at the grocery store have been rinsed with a solution to clean the eggs. I'm not comfortable adding those shells to my dogs' diet.
Should We Feed Eggshells to Our Dogs?
Eggshells are a great source a calcium in a raw diet where bone is limited, resulting in more phosphorus than calcium. Ground eggshells, which are easier to consume and digest, will help balance the calcium-phosphorus for our dogs. Although my dogs get plenty of bone in their diet (quail, duck wings, duck necks, and duck frames), that doesn't automatically make the calcium-phosphorus levels in their diet optimal because meat and organs are high in phosphorus which may throw off the balance. When the levels are off balance, health issues are created.
- Too little calcium can lead to a compromised skeletal structure as calcium is leached from our dogs' bones.
- Too much phosphorus can lead to renal failure.
- Too much calcium prevents their bodies from absorbing phosphorus.
Source: BARFWorld.com
So, should we add ground eggshells to our dogs' raw diet? For my dogs, the answer is “Yes!”
Can We Feed Eggshells Instead of Bone?
If you're wondering if we can permanently swap eggshells for bones, then I think the answer is “no,” because eggshells alone may not provide the optimal calcium-phosphorus balance for our dogs in a diet that also includes green tripe and raw meaty bones.
Ideal Calcium-Phosphorus Balance for Dogs: I've read that we should shoot for 1:1 to 2:1 calcium-phosphorus ratio in our dogs' raw diet.
So what's the ratio in eggshells?
According to StevesRealFood.com, powdered eggshells are 38.1% calcium, 0% phosphorus – not exactly the 1:1 ratio we're looking for, right? Knowing that eggshells are high in calcium with little to no phosphorus may tempt you to avoid adding them to a dog's dish, however, before you toss out the shells you've ground to dust, remember that while bone is high in calcium and phosphorus, meat and organs are high in phosphorus. So in a meal that is high in meat and organs, and low in bone (or has no bone), ground eggshells is a great addition.
How do we keep track? Eventually, you begin to better understand your dog and what s/he needs. Or you can track your dog's diet with Raw Feeding Meal Tracking Journal.
How Much Raw Eggshells Are Enough for Dogs
In my research, I've learned that it's recommended that we feed 1/4 teaspoon of ground eggshells per every 1/2 pound (8 ounces) of raw dog food.
Aren't Raw Bones Enough for Dogs?
This whole thing can be crazy making and whenever I'm overwhelmed with raw feeding, I go back to the basics: 80/10/5/5. In the beginning, we're taught that our dogs should get everything they need through their diet. If a dog eats a whole duck, then that is a balanced raw meal. I have better access to cuts of meat, instead of whole animals, so it's important to understand the bone percentage in what I'm feeding to my dogs:
- Whole Duck – 28% bone
- Duck Frame – 75% bone
- Duck Neck – 50% bone
- Duck Wing – 39% bone
- Duck Foot – 60% bone
Source: PerfectlyRawesome.com (this website is fantastic)
When I feed duck frames (75% bone) to my dogs, I offset that high bone amount with more muscle and organ meat and over time, the bone content reduces to 10% of their diet. And if I miss a co-op order or forget to thaw duck, then I have ground eggshells to tied me over.
I think eggshells are a great substitute for bone; but not something I'd want to permanently add in place of bone.
ZiwiPeak is a dog food: https://tinyurl.com/y3k6q93u
May I ask what Ziwi ?
When added eggshells, I follow these guidelines: 1/4 teaspoon of ground eggshells per every 1/2 pound (8 ounces) of raw dog food. I don’t try and match bone content.
hi, i have been feeding my dog a home cooked diet but i’m still confused as to how much egg shell powder to add to his food. i;m not sure if you use the raw weight of the boneless meat or by weight after cooking the boneless meat?
Seaweed calcium is a great alternative: https://amzn.to/2KRShRv
My dog is allergic to chicken & chicken eggs. I am feeding her ground bone but I don’t want her to be low on calcium. Is there a natural alternative for ground eggshells to get more calcium into her diet?
I’ve never heard of green tripe powder, but I have heard of freeze-dried green tripe. If you can find how much green tripe you’d need to add to cover your dog’s calcium and phosphorous requirements, then this could be a great substitute. I do have some data on green tripe, but I’m not sure how accurate it is because I’m not sure if the nutrient list I found is for fresh tripe or bleached tripe: https://www.keepthetailwagging.com/kttwnutrients
Hi, we recently had a scare with bones and now I’m really uneasy about feeding them. I heard that green tripe powder is an awesome substitute for the bone? Is that right can I do that? Thanks
Hi Jay…
This blog is strictly about raw feeding for dogs. There is a group on Facebook that advocates adding fresh food to kibble and they will be able to answer your questions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rawandfresh/
Hi,
I am feeding my dog premium dry dog food, 30/20 Protein to Fat ratio. He is a mastiff puppy (3 months); so a large dog breed. How many raw eggs should I add to his food?
Also how much eggshell powder would you recommend feeding him as I have no idea because this gives only a guide for raw diet.
Please can you help me out?
Kindest Regards,
Jay
Hi Jim… Thank you for your comment. I updated this blog post with more clarification:
In my research, I’ve learned that it’s recommended that we feed 1/4 teaspoon of ground eggshells per every 1/2 pound (8 ounces) of raw dog food.
My name is,Jim Bragg. I have read your article several times and I still don’t understand about how much bone and how much eggshell I should incorporate not my pups good. If I do raw diet, I usually just give my pup raw bones 2 to 3 times per week. Then when I do a home cooked meal I add in the eggshell powder. If I buy a raw food already balanced, I do not give any raw meaty bones.
As far as organ meat, I usually give 3.5 oz per week to my pup. He loves it as a treat.
Can you give me any suggestions of how I can improve?
Thanks so much for this. I am branching out to DIYing a few meals here and there and adding the ‘bone nutrients’ that are lacking from grocery store ground meats was a huge question for me.
Thanks, Scott
SUPER good article Kimberly, loved the way you dealt with the troll comment. 🙂
Technically, yes. I balance over time so I don’t worry too much about the ratio because it’s not a good fit for every dog. What I try to do is provide all the components of a raw diet (meat, bone, liver, offal) along with whole food supplements (eggs, sardines, goats milk, golden paste) and any dog-specific supplements (two of my dogs need a specific supplement to meet a need). I pay attention to their poop to determine what I need to add or take away.
Ah, so if you’re feeding a total of 10oz and your egg is 2oz, then you just divvy up the remaining 8oz into your 80/10/5/5 ratio. Is that right?
I don’t add eggs to either category. I treat them as a whole food supplement, same with sardines. I do count them in the weight of my dogs’ meals because they do come with calories.
Great info, thanks! Curious — how do you categorize eggs in the overall weight of the meal? Do they count as muscle or organ? Thanks!
I was thinking the exact same question as JanK. right now I’m just doing Ziwi until the detox period seems to level out. Occasional licking and scratching but not nearly like it used to me.
Absolutely! The raw eggs will serve to add fresh food to the diet while reducing the total amount of carbs/grains/starches in a dog’s dry dog food diet. Lucky you to have eggs on hand. Lucky dogs!!!
Do you think it makes sense to feed raw eggs to your dogs even if they’re not on a raw diet? Say a couple times a week or so? I ask because we now have our own free range,organic chickens, and it would be so easy to give the dogs a burst of those awesome nutrients. I’ve been giving them some cooked eggs, but think how much easier it would be to throw a raw one on there.