Just got a 7wk GSD pup and plan on adding ground eggshells in his diet. HOW to prepare (washed/raw/cooked/baked??) and how much do I then add per DAY to the little guy's (11lbs) food? Hoping lots of you know way more than I do on this. thanks

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Just got a 7wk GSD pup and plan on adding ground eggshells in his diet. HOW to prepare (washed/raw/cooked/baked??) and how much do I then add per DAY to the little guy's (11lbs) food? Hoping lots of you know way more than I do on this. thanks

What is his diet? Are you feeding raw? Eggs and the shells can be a good part of the diet, but it sounds as though you are counting on shells as a major calcium source, so you need to clarify.

Are you feeding a balanced raw diet now and just want to add eggs? Or are you trying to figure out a way for egg shells to substitute for bones (in RMBs, or raw meaty bones)?

We need more info. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The fact is I am hedging bets: raw lean grnd beef or raw chicken in the morning. At noon and night a 50/50 mixture of National Puppy formula kibble and my cooked up stuff: basically boned chicken, brown rice, and veggies (celery, carrot, sweet potato). This is what I am doing at least for now. That and meaty raw bones.... a little cultured yogurt or cottage cheese added a couple of times a week.

appreciate you kind response!

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The fact is I am hedging bets: raw lean grnd beef or raw chicken in the morning. At noon and night a 50/50 mixture of National Puppy formula kibble and my cooked up stuff: basically boned chicken, brown rice, and veggies (celery, carrot, sweet potato). This is what I am doing at least for now. That and meaty raw bones.... a little cultured yogurt or cottage cheese added a couple of times a week......

If we don't hand the dog an intact prey animal, then we want to duplicate as closely as we can what the dog would eat in nature. I think that the most important ratio we have to keep track of is probably the meat-to-bone ratio (or the phosphorous-calcium ratio).

So when you say "raw beef or chicken" and "raw meaty bones," how much muscle meat to how much RMBs?

This is a link to a Q and A list, including the questions about muscle-meat-to-calcium. Of course, we don't have to worry about every grain of calcium and so on, and the big picture is where we need to have the ratios right, as opposed to each meal --- but that ratio is crucial, in the big picture.

Egg shells can certainly be part of the picture, too.

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm

and specifically, about calcium and phosphorous:
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#ratio

It sounds like you have the idea of variety (good!), and maybe just need to double-check on the calcium (shells, bones) to muscle meat.

If you read the links and have questions, I would be more than happy to help. I can't tell, though, what amount of calcium the dog gets now.

P.S. I would skip the rice. If you're feeding a commercial kibble, you're feeding lots of grain already.

Good luck, and please PM or post if you need any help!

My dogs get about 2 raw eggs a week with the shell for calcium, but they are all over a year old. Calcium levels for a large breed puppy like a GSD should be pretty closely watched. I don't give raw eggs every day because raw eggs contain a protein called avidin which binds up an important B vitamin called biotin, which is a cofactor in numerous important chemical reactions in the body. So raw eggs are very healthy and a good source of calcium (two out of the three will just eat the shell along with the egg without it being ground up).

I have a GSD/lab mix as a foster for about a week from the local humane society. He was one of those "let's get a dog and abandon it in the backyard" kind of deals. His coat was coarse and brittle and he was shedding like crazy. I'm giving him 4 fish oil capsules a day, 1 vitamin E capsule, a peanut butter Kong to work on in his crate while I am gone for the day, and a raw egg and/or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over his kibble. I can already tell the difference in 6 days!! The shedding is slowing down, he's not as itchy, and his coat texture is already improving. So yay for the good fats.

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...... So yay for the good fats.

Excellent point, and double-yay for salmon oil! And, as you say, Vitamin E (which is needed by the dog in the processing of oil supplements).

Biotin deficiencies have been reported following the ingestion of raw egg whites without the yolks. So it's is best if raw egg whites are not fed to dogs or cats........ unless it's a whole raw egg (yolk included). The yolk is very high in Biotin and if the whole egg is fed, the avidin in the white is more than canceled out by the Biotin-rich yolk.

So..... excellent point about no raw whites unless it's the whole egg.

Maren,

My understanding is that the avidin is in the egg white, while the yolk is an excellent source of biotin. The egg white is an excellent source of other "good stuff" and it's a shame to not give it to the dog. My vet's opinion is give the whole egg and stop worrying about it - I supplement with biotin just to be sure.

Yes, you and Connie are right about the avidin. I still feed 2 eggs a week to each dog (whole egg) and sometimes 3 or more if I just got some fresh eggs from the local farmer who sells them down the street. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> If my landlord would let me, I'd buy two layer hens to make eggs just for the dogs as I don't use eggs all that often except in cooking occasionally. Apparently you can keep a few chickens in an XL wire dog crate with the bottom pan removed as a chicken tractor and just move it around the yard every other day or so. The chickens love it!

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.....I still feed 2 eggs a week to each dog (whole egg) and sometimes 3 or more if I just got some fresh eggs from the local farmer who sells them down the street....

And if you can talk that farmer into feeding flaxseeds to the hens (and it's great for the hens, too) then the eggs will have a lot of Omega 3 EFA's in the yolks.

If you can't, or for people who have to go get eggs at the store or farmers' market, both places have Omega 3 eggs. There is no downside to this: the hens thrive on flaxseed, and the eggs are then an Omega 3 source. Better for us; better for the dogs.

JMHO! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I buy the organic or cage free eggs from the super market when I can't get it at the produce stand from the local farmer. I'm far from being a vegetarian or anything, but cage free or organic eggs seem a very small price to pay for more omega 3s in the eggs and the chickens being at least somewhat comfortable.