# let's talk eggs!



## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

I've been feeding pmr for two and a half years now and have always used eggs, a few per dog per week. We moved to the country last year and this spring we got 32 chickens. They started laying eggs a few weeks ago and I now have more eggs than I know what to do with! I have read many old posts on feeding eggs and feel secure with feeding them an egg per day. My hens are free range and my egg yolks are huge. Very, very different from any egg I have ever bought from a grocery store. I don't feel I have to worry about the too much egg white issue so long as I am giving the whole egg.
Theoretically though, how much is too much? Could I feed multiple eggs per day? What kind of issues would I be looking for in my dogs if they were getting an imbalance from too much egg white? Not that I would do this, but what would happen if a dog were to eat meals of just egg? How quickly would one assume issues to start arising? Would it be different if the eggs were hard boiled? If so, how many hard boiled eggs could they have a day?
I plan to continue on with one egg per dog per day. Currently I am getting a dozen eggs per day and have been giving them to family members, I will start selling them as soon as all the hens have been laying regularly (we are still getting some small and super jumbo double yolkers), I plan to donate some as well. But part of the purpose of the chickens is self sustainability so I want to put them to use with the dogs as much as possible.


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

I know very little about this subject, but my gut feeling says an egg per day is a bit much. Think of how the dogs (or their closest relatives - wolves and coyotes) would feed in the wild. I highly doubt the wild animals would be able to find an egg per day. Once or twice a week is probably as high as I'd go (assuming an otherwise full diet is provided on a daily basis). 

Don't forget that there's a lot of good stuff in the egg shell, too. I collect those, grind them into powder and add a small amount to every meal.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I hope you get answers as I don't have them I feed 1 egg only twice a week. She seems to prefer cooked to uncooked but the only thing I've noticed thru the years with my GSD's is that hard boiled is a no go. They get gas pretty bad with those.... and I live in a small house....


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Mikelia said:


> I've been feeding pmr for two and a half years now and have always used eggs, a few per dog per week. We moved to the country last year and this spring we got 32 chickens. They started laying eggs a few weeks ago and I now have more eggs than I know what to do with! I have read many old posts on feeding eggs and feel secure with feeding them an egg per day. My hens are free range and my egg yolks are huge. Very, very different from any egg I have ever bought from a grocery store......
> 
> But part of the purpose of the chickens is self sustainability so I want to put them to use with the dogs as much as possible.


I'm in a similar situation. I have chickens, they eat a widely varied diet, no battery cages. I keep them around for many years, and I let them molt seasonally. When the temperatures drop, or they decide they don't like the weather, no eggs. When it's sunny and warm and life is good, I'm swamped with thick orange yolk beauties. 

I feed eggs pretty generously, either raw, hard boiled, or baked (no added oil or salt). During certain times of the ear, an egg a day is common. I either just crack and serve, or hardboil and stuff into a kong. I talked to a vet about it. He's pretty practical, I trust his opinion. In a nutshell, he suggested I feed balanced formulated food (kibble, raw, whatever) for breakfast, and then feel free to feed a combination of eggs, meat, or other things that are occasionally, seasonably, available, at dinner. For adults, that is - he recommends a more controlled diet for growing puppies.

During the winter when the birds shut down, no one gets eggs, not even the humans in our household  I agree with the goal of self sufficiency, I keep hens for the same reason. If a weird apocalyptic or crisis situation arises, my hens will eat bugs and kitchen scraps, and my dogs will eat eggs.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

I feed similarly to the poster above me.... when I have eggs or the season provides them in abundance.... the dogs get an egg a day, whole, raw - I've yet to experience any negative effects over the past 7yrs or so. 3 different dogs.


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

All of the sources I've seen recommend 2-3 eggs per week for an adult dog. So just under every other day or so.

But if feeding them daily works for you, then I don't see why you can't just keep doing what you're doing. Every dog is different and I myself always take every bit of advice with a grain of salt.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I give fresh organic eggs 2-3 times a week.


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the info. In some older threads there are a couple of members who have been feeding an egg a day for years. Two member is particularI trust their judgement very much and one is a well respected breeder so with that info I feel safe feeding an egg per day. Hopefully they will chime in here


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I get fresh eggs from my parents farm, so most days they get a raw egg as a topper and both love it


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

don't separate the yolks and egg whites .


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## Black Kali (Aug 31, 2013)

I feed 1-2 quail eggs/day to my past dog and I did routine blood work 2x year. Her vet always admired how healthy she was, and quail eggs have much higher cholesterol levels than chicken eggs.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

I'm jealous!!!!  Some of you are SO lucky to have fresh organic eggs! My husband won't let me have chickens b/c it would be too much drama with the dog trying to kill them or scaring them so much, they wouldn't lay! LOL

Quoting my vet:
_"high omega-3 eggs, comes from chickens that are fed flax. Chickens are able to convert the oils in flax into more usable forms of fatty acids better than a dog or cat can. For high DHA eggs, chickens are fed flax and algae, with the same good results. _

_You may feed raw or cook eggs lightly (if you wish) but *keep the yolk intact and uncooked to protect the fragile fatty acids from exposure to air and heat*. Some dogs don’t digest raw eggs well but do fine with them cooked.”_


So our 62 pound female gets 2 raw eggs 4 x week (total 8 per week).
Our 85 pound male gets 3 raw eggs 4 x a week (total 12). This is according to my holistic vet. So feeding an egg a day would be perfectly fine! I don't feed the shell b/c of the calcium (they are already getting that), and she says if your diet contains bone or bone meal, adding the shell may be more than what your dog needs, and that too much calcium may be harmful to large breed puppies. She also says that eggs should not be the mainstay of a dogs diet.

I would not feed raw eggs to a dog with a compromised immune system or cancer.

All in all, eggs are almost a perfect food providing Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Folate, Vitamin B12, Iron, and Selenium along with the fatty acids already mentioned.

Here is an article: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/feeding-your-dog-raw-eggs-good-or-bad/ 

Moms


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I have some that get an egg a day and one that gets 1-2 per day. Have fed this way for many many years Just depends on the dog.


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