Here's a nutrition question. I try and keep a bit of variety in the dogs diet as neither are voracious eaters particularly, and Alby in particular could get quite skinny. They get a fair quality dry food, also chicken wings and the odd marrow bone. They stick their nose up at veges in the bowl, and eat round them (which is funny as both are grass grazers). I was thinking I might throw the odd egg in but I was told the egg whites are not good for dogs. Has anyone heard this before? Should it be ok? What is better, raw or cooked? Thanks in advance!

I can't help with the egg question but this is what I cook for my dogs, all human grade, chicken breasts minced, minced beef & roo, minced peas, beans, carrot & broccoli, cooked together with pasta, rice & garlic powder. that's how I get them to eat their vegies & they get Eukanuba Dog biscuits. I was reading an article in Dogs Life magazine about good & bad food for dogs but didn't see anything about eggs, of course I've just passed my copy on so can't go back & have a look.

Thanks.I was hoping to get the extra vitamins from the eggs, because I've tried everthing to get them to eat greens, disguising them, the lot, and they just wont! They don't like grains either. It's more variation I'm looking for, because they just don't eat alot (they will eat endless raw meat, chicken and bones of course). My understanding is that dogs are omnivores, so I'm a bit puzzled.

If the eggs are raw, there is something in the whites that binds biotin (a B vit), which, if they have them often, could be a problem, although an occasional raw egg shouldn't have that effect. However, raw eggs are a big risk for salmonella, so my preference has always been to cook them.

I give my girls eggs without any ill side effects, maybe because they are fresh my hens. I give it to them every now and again. They are more partial to fish products then anything, I also feed them chicken necks, and sometimes beef. And bones, they love their bones. In fact we have to say B's when we discuss should we give them one because they recognised the word bones and qo quite ballistic when we do mention the word bones.

Thanks Koolie Mum, and yeah, Ceejay...I have to spell C-H-I-C-K-E-N W-I-N-G-S and P-A-R-K.

An egg once or twice a week mixed in with dry food it OK for you dog and GREAT for their coats too. Lovely and shinny. But NEVER two feed in a row and never more that twice a week.

I have always feed my guys raw eggs with no problems

I feed my tribe of seven a egg/milk drink (four eggs mixed in 1.5lts milk between the seven)every morning on work days Mon-Fri and they do not appear to have any ill effect and have healthy shinny coats. Perhaps I need to feed less but I cannot get out of the kitchen in the morning without their egg/milk mix. Poppy will even do a dance on her hind legs to encourage me to hurry up.

Night feed they are now on cooked stew with mixed veges and pasta and sometimes tuna or sardines with Optimal dry food. with also some chicken frames and meaty bones

Never heard that eggs could be harmful.
Have fed them to my dogs for decades, going back to Doberman bred by father and grandfather.

I put one egg a day into all our litters meals though this is shared between the litter.
They are fresh and from the local chooks.
Eggs have always been a great source of protein for our dogs and gives them lovely coats.

I also feed regular eggs to convalescing dogs, mixed in with their food just to give them a pick up.

I agree the eggs are good, fortunate to have our own chooks and they have regular eggs. On the occassion we have puppies they will have them even more regularly. They will enjoy cooked egg just as much and scrambled with some milk is a treat. If you are trying to build up some condition if you can access some milk straight from the cow it does a great job (jersey is best of course!).

The protein in the eggs that affects biotin absorption is called avidin. The effects of inadequate biotin include a dry, flaky skin and coat, so if your dogs don't have that and you're feeding raw eggs then you must be feeding a small enough amount that they are still getting enough biotin.

I doubt anything is lost nutritionally by cooking the eggs, and that would reduce risk of salmonella. Salmonella is more of a risk with free-range eggs (there is more risk of older eggs being sold with an incorrect use-by date) or eggs that aren't very clean. And it is one of those things (most cases of food poisoning are) where luck has a large contribution to whether you have a problem or not.

So eggs in moderation has the thumbs up. I'm glad, because they are such a good source of protein and nutrition (apparently they have every major Vitamin except C), and they do like them.I also give them milk, which they love, and tuna occasionally, which they double love :)

I was told not to feed the egg whites raw, so i always just zap them in the microwave, and mix with the raw yolks .

Well, I reckon mine will get just good old boiled eggs. I can boil up a few once per week, and keep them in the fridge, easy :)

I actually feed raw ostrich egg to mine, always fed raw eggs like many people but many I know screech at feeding raw eggs due to the salmonella & digestion issues...but I've never had issues but I only feed twice a week.

i also feed mine raw eggs and don't get any problems, my guys have dry food as their main diet with tuna mixed in twice a week, egg mixed in twice a week, milk twice a week and one night just plain dry but this does change from week to week i do cook up stews for them with lots of vegies which they love and also i cook up a big pot of oats and mix that with their dry food and milk and i don't get any tummy problems bones and chicken are a big treat as they are hard to get out here.

I've got this real cool butcher at the moment, one of the ladies that work there used to work at the local kennels and I got to know her when my tribe stayed there a couple of years ago. She puts bones/frames and meat aside for me. I get a (banana box size) box of bones for $10 and same price for chicken frames and pet mince (which is made up of whatever they don't sell minced up so can be anything). It has been a real saving being able to by bones and meat in bulk.

Got to love dog friendly butchers, if it wasn't for our guy, we wouldn't be able to care for the many rescues that come through.

Well they only chuck the bones and left overs out anyway so why not help out dog owners!!!