# Feeding raw eggs & cholesterol



## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Ike just had his 4 year check up and he passed with flying colors. He even had '_Very Sweet_!' and '_well behaved_' written down as the Dr's observations.  She did note that his cholesterol was higher than it had been but was still well within the acceptable range. She suggested it could have been elevated from a treat he had eaten prior to the appt. Well, that morning I had given him a raw egg, his new favorite treat. Admittedly, I've given him a raw egg 3 times in one week before and I'm wondering if that is too often. 

Those of you who give raw eggs as a treat, how often do you give them? I give him Eggland's Best Cage free, which has 25% less cholesterol than the average egg, plus is higher in other beneficial nutrients.
Just Wondering....?


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

Well I know that some people will probably jump all over me but Vendetta ( american pit bull terrier) gets an egg every morning. She gets her egg mixed with Whey Protein Isolat. The reasone she gets this is because of a study I read on Springer Rage. Lower levels of Trytophan can cause a dog to become mreo aggressive. My breed has is bred to be DA so I started giving her the whey at age 5mos she gets it everyday and she has only show DA towards one dog.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

General V said:


> Well I know that some people will probably jump all over me but Vendetta ( american pit bull terrier) gets an egg every morning. She gets her egg mixed with Whey Protein Isolat. The reasone she gets this is because of a study I read on Springer Rage. Lower levels of Trytophan can cause a dog to become mreo aggressive. My breed has is bred to be DA so I started giving her the whey at age 5mos she gets it everyday and she has only show DA towards one dog.


Do you know her cholesterol level? 
Ike loves eggs. He prefers them to other treats. I'm curious if others feed eggs daily and if their dogs cholesterol levels were affected.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm probably not much use since I don't know Ranger's cholesterol, but he gets a raw egg 1-3 times a week. Three times a week when his coat/skin is looking dry, once a week for maintenance. Like Ike, Ranger loooves his raw eggs. He comes running when he hears the cardboard egg carton open or when he hears me cracking an egg for baking or something. 

Has Ike learned how to crack them? Ranger figured it out ASAP but his friend Blue still needs them to be cracked for him.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

My golden (3.5 years old) gets about 4 eggs per week and his cholerstrol is alway normal in a very good consistent range.

Did your vet check his thyroid levels? A low thyroid level even in the low normal range can result in higher cholesterol levels. This could be a reason why it has gone up. Most vets will not point out low normal range to owners. However, performance owners especially (I'm one of them) pay attention to a level in the low normal range because it can impact drive most notably and would start thyroid medication if it were.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

Just curious, did you have any thyroid tests done? I know in the past as my Goldens started having Thyroid issues their Cholesterol went up as well. 

_Edit: (I just read the above from rhondas and we had the same question)_

As for a raw eggs I just give it to mine once ot twice a week.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Yes, I had Ike's thyroid level checked and it is fine, not a low normal as I knew to look for that. He has no symptoms of thyroid disease. I was just concerned if giving eggs too often would raise his cholesterol since it's higher than his last blood work-up, but still within the normal range. 

When I first started giving him eggs, I had to crack it for him. Now I can give it to him in the kitchen and he'll happily trot outside and play with it until it cracks and then he laps it up. He loves the shell as much as the inside.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

When my Toby had a high cholesterol reading the vet told me it usually has more to do with when they last ate rather than what they last ate. I wouldn't worry about it from that standpoint.
However, you might find this article of interest:
COMMON FOODS THAT ARE HARMFUL OR EVEN FATAL TO DOGS - Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

hotel4dogs said:


> When my Toby had a high cholesterol reading the vet told me it usually has more to do with when they last ate rather than what they last ate. I wouldn't worry about it from that standpoint.
> However, you might find this article of interest:
> COMMON FOODS THAT ARE HARMFUL OR EVEN FATAL TO DOGS - Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia


Wow, I knew of the other dangerous foods but I was always told raw eggs were safe to give. I do wash the egg though, so I hope that would eliminate the salmonella risk. I also thought that it was aiding his coat, not drying it out. Time for some more research...


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## zephyr (Sep 29, 2009)

paula bedard said:


> Wow, I knew of the other dangerous foods but I was always told raw eggs were safe to give. I do wash the egg though, so I hope that would eliminate the salmonella risk. I also thought that it was aiding his coat, not drying it out. Time for some more research...


Okay I'm definitely NOT a nutrition expert, but I believe the "problem" with raw eggs is that egg whites contain avidin protein, which binds to biotin vitamin (a beneficial component for hair/skin). Egg yolks also contain biotin, but unless you cook the egg or separate yolks/whites, you can't access much of the biotin during digestion because it gets bound up by the avidin.

People who feed eggs for nutritional purposes (e.g. in homemade dog food) just cook them first to denature the avidin (the biotin is not harmed by cooking). At least that seems to be the idea from what I've read! 

I give Oscar raw eggs occasionally, but I just feed them separately from his meals in case they might interfere with getting those nutrients. (And I don't sweat the salmonella issue; raw food should be fine for healthy dogs with normal digestion.)


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

It's my understanding that the egg yolk is very high in biotin which offsets the avidin in the egg white. After the avidin and biotin cancel each other out, there's still going to be some extra biotin available. And dogs, most generally, get a variety of nutrients in other foods -- I don't think anyone is feeding their dog raw eggs exclusively. 

I personally think the age old axiom, everything in moderation, applies here. I give Daisy 1-3 raw eggs a week. She's 10-1/2 years and going strong. They certainly do help keep her skin and coat in good shape and she's never had any symptoms that would suggest a biotin deficiency.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I went online and found contradictory assessments so I think I'll continue to allow him an occasional raw egg since he loves them so much. What confused me was the finding in Hotel4dogs link that the raw eggs can cause skin and coat problems, which goes against conventional thought.



> Raw eggs Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain _Salmonella_.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

One of the symptoms of a biotin deficiency is dermatitis. I have _never seen _that happen with Daisy. Quite the contrary actually -- when her skin is getting dry or flaky, a couple of raw eggs will turn things around quickly.


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## Braccarius (Sep 8, 2008)

paula bedard said:


> Ike just had his 4 year check up and he passed with flying colors. He even had '_Very Sweet_!' and '_well behaved_' written down as the Dr's observations.  She did note that his cholesterol was higher than it had been but was still well within the acceptable range. She suggested it could have been elevated from a treat he had eaten prior to the appt. Well, that morning I had given him a raw egg, his new favorite treat. Admittedly, I've given him a raw egg 3 times in one week before and I'm wondering if that is too often.
> 
> Those of you who give raw eggs as a treat, how often do you give them? I give him Eggland's Best Cage free, which has 25% less cholesterol than the average egg, plus is higher in other beneficial nutrients.
> Just Wondering....?


I do not know if it is the same for dogs but in human beings dietary cholesterol accounts for only 5% of your overall cholesterol level. People with substantially or dangerously high cholesterol levels have an inherited gene that causes them to not process fats correctly and as a result their cholesterol levels are through the roof. The best way to reduce cholesterol levels in human beings is exercise which is probably the same for animals.

On a side note, are cholesterol levels at all important to a dog? I would think that their lifespans aren't long enough to provide an opportunity for fatty accumulation on arterial lumen. Perhaps in extremely obese dogs??


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## moribstatam (Mar 11, 2012)

An increase level of cholesterol affects dogs more than cats. Dogs and cats with high cholesterol are however not predisposed to heart disease as in people. Warning symptoms and signs such as abdominal pain, seizures, patches on the skin, yellow bumps filled with a greasy, fatty fluid and nervous system abnormalities may be an indication that your pet has high cholesterol.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Hey, I know this isn't exactly the topic here, but I have never given Riley raw eggs and I was wondering - do you crack them for them? Give them whole? Put them in food? How do you give it to them exactly? Thanks!


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## Molly's Mum (Apr 1, 2011)

I'll be interested to hear what others think and do Valerie. For Molly I crack the egg for her and throw away the shell, I read somewhere that the shell is high in calcium and shouldn't be fed to the dog. But I'm not sure about that so would be interested to hear what others do


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Go ahead and feed the shell too. No need for a mortar and pestle or anything, your fingers can crunch them up into tiny enough pieces. Eggs are natures perfect food when fed in entirety.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

I feed all 4 of mine eggs but none of them will eat the shells. They just lick around it. I save all my eggshells to dry and grind to make bone meal. I use this to make a raw food for my daughters 15 year old Chihuahua. She has no teeth and major allergies so I have started her on ground turkey. I mix the bone meal into it for calcium along with some other stuff. I also make my guys some meatball treats and add in the bonemeal for added calcium.


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

Can I ask "maybe" a stupid question? If dogs are suppose to eat meat- raw meat etc.... why would they have to have low cholestrol? I never heard of such a test being done on a dog? I feed lola a raw diet. It consists of mostly turkey and chicken for the protein. I never thought dogs had to watch their cholestrol. Thanks for any education you can give me!


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## newport (Aug 8, 2011)

GoldenCamper said:


> *Go ahead and feed the shell too*. No need for a mortar and pestle or anything, your fingers can crunch them up into tiny enough pieces. Eggs are natures perfect food when fed in entirety.


I had heard that the raw shells could carry ecoli (spelling...) and that it was better to not give them the shells unless you bake them in the oven first-- The only reason you would give them the shells is for the calcium anyway.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I have fed both raw and hard boiled eggs, always shell on, for years. I have gotten them fresh from the farm, and at the supermarket. Never had any problems. 

This article may help dispel some myths about eggs for dogs.

Feeding Your Dog Raw Eggs – Good Or Bad? | Dogs Naturally Magazine


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I find a higher cholesterol sometimes correlates with hypothyroidism ......


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## morbidangel (Dec 19, 2011)

*Nishka gets a boiled egg every evening mixed with her kibbles ...**its been around 4 months I've been doing that & her cholesterol level checked last month was fine .. if your wondering why i give her a boiled egg, cuz she just wont eat royal canin else wise  . i do at times leave the yolk out & she still loves it .. nuts about eggs  well am too  *


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## morbidangel (Dec 19, 2011)

*& i prefer organic eggs & i leave the shell cause it's just too complicated for me with all the mix reviews about the shell i would rather prefer a calcium supplement  *


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## geenz (Aug 3, 2011)

Murphy loves raw eggs too. The first few times I gave him one he wasn't sure what to do with it, he just sat there licking it until I cracked it for him, but now he gets out there and cracks it himself, eats it all up and spends about 10 minutes licking the grass to get every last smidge of egg


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

The last time she was tested her cholesterol was on the lower end even with all the eggs. It could be that she is a VERY hyper dog. She eats 3cups of food a day and has no body fat at all.


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