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Dog owners may sometimes wonder, “Can dogs eat eggshells?” Since raw egg whites can be a great source of protein, why wouldn’t it give the same benefits to our furry friend? Because dogs are curious creatures who will eat anything that they come across, many canines will often end up with something in their mouth that doesn’t belong there. Here, we discuss whether or not eggshells should be used as your dog’s food or if they should be kept away for good.
Can Dogs Eat Eggshells?
First of all, eggshells are full of calcium carbonate, a form of calcium that’s essential for both muscle function and bone health. However, when they’re not properly ground or crushed, they can become a choking hazard for canines. Sometimes, the sharp edges of eggshells can lead to damage to the dog’s digestive system, leading to discomfort and other health problems.
Fortunately, dogs can eat eggshells but they should be fed with caution; below, we discuss the risks and benefits of feeding eggs to your dog.
What are the Health Benefits of Eggshells?
As mentioned, eggshells are a good source of calcium, along with many essential nutrients that can be beneficial to dogs. Calcium is one of the most important minerals, which is critical for supporting strong bones, muscles, and teeth. Moreover, it plays a critical role in blood clotting and nerve function while containing other beneficial nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Eggshell powder can be made by grinding eggshells into a fine powder which can be an essential mineral added to your dog’s meals as a dietary supplement for additional nutrients. However, it’s best to use this powder in moderation and only under the guidance of your veterinarian.
What are the Potential Risks?
There’s no doubt that eggshells are a beneficial addition to your dog’s diet, but there are a few concerns and risks to consider. Harmful bacteria such as salmonella can be present in eggshells, so be sure to wash them carefully before giving them to your pup. Furthermore, they can cause pain and injury to your dog’s digestive tract if it isn’t crushed properly; you must crush eggshells thoroughly before they’re fed to your dog.
Doing this will ensure that your dog can safely enjoy this nutritious addition to their diet but it should only be fed in moderation. Furthermore, you should consult your vet before you add new supplements or incorporate healthy fats into your pup’s diet. Your veterinarian will be able to ensure that they get the nutrients they need while avoiding potential risks.
What’s the Nutritional Value of Eggshells?
Feeding your dog eggshells can be a great way to provide extra nutrition for canines since they’re rich in essential nutrients that can help improve their overall health. Below are some nutritional benefits that can come from these food items.
- Calcium
- Phosphorus
- Protein
- Selenium
- Iron
- Biotin
- Fatty Acids
- Magnesium
- Riboflavin
- Folate
Biotin is important for healthy skin and coat while fatty acids can help maintain your dog’s skin and coat looking shiny and healthy. Riboflavin and folate are also necessary for their overall health and energy production. Eggshells also contain essential amino acids that can help to repair and rebuild muscles and tissues.
Overall, giving dogs eggshell powder is a great way to give them the necessary vitamins and nutrients that work to improve their health.
How to Prepare Eggshells for Dogs
It’s important to prepare your eggshells properly to make sure that our dogs can eat them easily and safely. Here are a few tips on how to prepare eggshells ahead of feeding time.
Cooking Eggshells
Again, raw eggs or eggshells should never be fed to our pups since they can come with different kinds of bacteria. Instead, it’s best to cook eggshells before you give them to your pooch; you can do this by boiling the eggshells in water for 5 minutes. Once they’re cooked, you can dry your eggshells inside a low-heat oven for another 30 minutes.
Grinding Eggshells
Once your eggshells are dry and cooked, you can start grinding them using a coffee grinder or food processor into a fine powder without any sharp edges. This is an important step to ensure that the powder is extra fine, which will make it easily digestible and will help your pup consume it easily.
Serving Suggestions
When you have your powdered eggshells into a fine powder, you can add them to your pup’s food as an affordable calcium supplement. Experts recommend using a small amount of powder first, starting with ¼ teaspoon each day and then gradually increasing this amount over the next few weeks. Alternatively, you can also mix your eggshell powder with some water to create a paste that you can serve to your pooch as a treat.
However, remember that your eggshell powder shouldn’t be the only source of calcium in your dog’s diet and should only be used with a balanced diet. Giving our dogs too much calcium can result in a wide range of conditions such as lethargy, constipation, vomiting, appetite loss, and more.
Avoiding Allergies and Contaminants
Taking safety measures such as boiling and drying your eggshells can help your dog avoid getting allergic reactions or getting contaminated. As mentioned above, eggshells have bacteria such as salmonella, which can make both humans and dogs sick. Therefore, it only makes sense to clean your eggshells before you use them and feed them to your canine companions.
Cleaning, cooking, and boiling your eggshells can help to eliminate bacteria that may be hiding in your dogs eggshells. We can’t stress enough that speaking to your vet can help to provide guidance and medical advice on whether it’s safe to feed eggshells to your pooch.
Dietary Needs and Medical Conditions
Dogs that suffer from medical conditions like biotin deficiency or arthritis can benefit from having eggshells added to their meals. But it’s still important to consult with your veterinarian before you make any kind of dietary change for dogs with these medical concerns. Moreover, some pups may come with particular dietary needs which may require them to stay away from some foods such as eggshells.
Because of this, it’s important to consider your canine’s dietary needs and any restrictions it may have before you incorporate eggshells into their food. Again, consulting with your vet will help to ensure a balanced diet for your dog and will be able to help achieve their specific nutritional needs.
Conclusion
As we’ve all learned, Calcium is an important mineral that can help our dogs with bone development and muscle growth. Eggshells are a great and natural source of calcium that can easily be added to our dog’s diet. However, before adding it to our dog’s food bowl, it’s important to confirm that our dog currently has a balanced diet mixed with all the other essential nutrients.
It’s not enough to get grocery store eggs and place raw egg yolks into their food since these can pose a choking hazard and may even lead to health conditions. To use them properly, be sure to cook your chicken eggs first; while you enjoy your sunny side eggs, your pup can enjoy the eggshells without the risk of any health issues.
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