As a true dog lover, you probably know that ” human food” can make your dog overweight or ill, but there are some foods which can be safely added to your dog’s diet to give a nutritional boost and a bit of variety to their meals.
The egg is one such food in particular that your furry buddy can eat and enjoy without many harmful side effects.
Eggs are a great source of protein, and a cheap and complete source of nutrition for your beagle. Eggs are replete with amino acids and essential minerals that can be great supplements to your beagle’s health in moderation.
Benefits of Eggs for Beagles
By feeding your beagle eggs, you’re able to provide them with an array of nutritional support at a very low cost.
Eggs are packed with essential nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B 12, riboflavin, folate, iron, selenium, linoleic, and healthy fatty acids that can promote good digestion and gut health.
All of these nutrients can also help improve the health of your beagles’ skin and coat. Additionally, the added protein from eggs can help your beagle build stronger muscle, and help them fight off the wear and tear of tissues from overexertion.
Each part of the egg from the yolk, to the white, to even the shell has a unique set of health benefits that you can take advantage of as a dog owner. Additionally, eggs are low in calories while remaining high in protein, making for a great snack to keep your beagle in lean health.
Eggs also lack carbohydrates, which can be turned into sugar once digested. This makes eggs great for those wanting to help get their beagles to lose weight.
Beagles can eat eggs raw or cooked, and they already naturally will love the taste! I like to mix in some raw eggs to my beagle’s hard dog food every once in a while to soften their meal up and get them some extra protein.
Eggs can also be used to help dogs who are suffering from anemia or even renal failure, as recent studies have shown.
While some dog owners and trainers advise against any and all human food, I stand by the fact that eggs are a natural and safe whole food that beagles should be able to take advantage of in their diet. I’ll explore the exact safety for beagles below.
Are Eggs Safe for Beagles?
In short, the answer is yes, eggs are safe for beagles.
There is a bit of a continuous debate as to whether the eggs should be cooked or given raw, and it is relatively safer to cook them, but beagles are not as prone to salmonella compared to us humans, and have heartier stomaches designed to digest raw eggs better.
The only time you’d have to worry about salmonella bacteria is if your beagle already has a medical condition that is weakening its immune system. In that case, you might want to play it safe and not introduce potential bacteria that could harm it in a weakened state.
Additionally, some veterinarians posit that cooking eggs actually diminishes their nutritional value that beagles would be getting. Though overall, cooking eggs doesn’t diminish their protein amount, and cooked eggs still make for a great, nutritious treat for beagles.
There are also some cholesterol related issues with eggs, but if given alongside a healthy diet and ample amounts of exercise, this shouldn’t be a problem for your dog at all.
How Many Eggs Can Beagles Eat in One Sitting?
Beagles notably love food and are almost always hungry, but it’s important to try and limit the amount of eggs that your beagle eats. One egg is roughly 70 calories and contains about 6.25 grams of protein. Doctors recommend that eggs should make up about 10% of your beagle’s daily calories for a healthy and balanced diet.
Many don’t know this, but both beagles and humans can consume too much protein, which can lead to something called gluconeogenesis, in which protein is converted into sugar in the body. It’s fine for beagles to have one to two eggs daily, but I personally like to use eggs as a treat just a couple of times a day.
This varies of course depending on how much food your beagle eats, and on how sensitive your beagle’s stomach is to eggs. Some dogs simply have a harder time digesting them, and by no means are they required to eat eggs.
Can Beagles Eat Egg Shells?
Because dogs are able to better stomach raw eggs, you may also be wondering about the egg shells as well. Fortunately, your beagle can eat both raw eggs and the surrounding shells (which have a few health benefits as well!)
This is great news for anyone that’s accidentally dropped an egg while cooking, and wasn’t able to clean it before their furry vacuum cleaner ate it up first, and for anyone who wants to liven up their beagles’ meals with some whole natural, protein rich foods.
Yes, dogs can eat eggshells. Just like eggs, they have some surprising health benefits! Consider again the way dogs would consume eggs in the wild – they don’t remove the shell. Instead, they eat the whole egg raw, shell and all.
If you’re ever not sure, just think about how your beagle would behave in the wild. Generally, their instincts are able to guide them to make a lot of the right choices, especially surrounding foods as common as eggs.
Eggshells can be great dietary supplements for your beagle because they are full of both calcium and phosophorus, which are important nutrients when it comes to supporting healthy bones and teeth. Phosphorus is characterized as a vital electrolyte, and can help keep your beagle hydrated and operating at 100%, whereas calcium can help contribute to heart health, muscle growth, and an improved immune system too!
Are There Risks with Dogs Eating Eggs?
As I mentioned up above, there are a few risks generally associated with feeding eggs to dogs, but they’re pretty mild and rare, and not something dog owners really need to worry about all that much. The chances of a dog getting salmonella from eggs are about 1 in 20,000, and if they’re in good health, the effects won’t even be that detrimental aside from some mild flu like symptoms.
Cooked eggs are the safest route, and have practically no risks associated aside from some stomach discomfort from overeating.
While rare, some dogs can develop allergic reactions to eggs, which can be a bit more of a problem. Some important symptoms to look out for with egg allergies include dry, itchy skin redness, sores, sneezing, and digestive problems. More extreme cases can also include coughing, snorting, swelling, hives, or even difficulty breathing. If you notice these extreme cases after your beagle eats eggs, you may want to consider consulting with a vet for nutrition advice and planning.
I would recommend not just feeding your dog egg whites, because egg whites contain avidin, which can deplete your dog’s levels of biotin. Biotin deficiency can lead to decreased cell growth, skin health, and slowed metabolism. Fortunately the egg yolk contains a lot of biotin, which cancels out the effects of avidin.
Overall, the benefits in my opinion greatly outweigh the potential risks of eating eggs for beagles, which is why I’m a huge supporter of including them in my dog’s diet.
Best Ways to Feed Eggs to Beagles
There are a variety of ways that you can serve eggs to your beagle.
As we saw above, it is considered safe to give your dog both cooked eggs and raw eggs, and it really comes down to your personal preference and your dog’s digestive reaction to the food. I’d recommend trying out each and see how your dog reacts, and try and see how much they like either of those options.
In terms of cooked eggs, you can prepare scrambled eggs, poached eggs, or boiled eggs for your beagle. You’ll just want to make sure top prepare these without any oil, salt, butter, or seasoning as these external ingredients may end up causing some digestive discomfort for your dog. You can also fry the eggs, but I wouldn’t recommend cooking them in the same dish as bacon or sausage, as that can also cause some digestive issues.
When it comes to giving your beagle raw eggs with the shell, I’d recommend washing them just to make sure that the shell is clean and doesn’t have anything on it that could harm your beagle. With all new foods, you’ll want to introduce it slowly, and see how your beagle likes the taste of it, and how it effects their mood and behavior while they digest it.
If you start slow, and really pay attention to your beagle, I’m sure eggs will become a staple of your beagle’s diet just like they are with mine.
Final Thoughts
Feeding healthy foods to your beagle is extremely important for their health and well being.
Any good food is useful only in moderation, including eggs. Of course, if consumed in excess, eggs can cause an upset stomach and obesity in the long term.
If you have any concerns about how beagle’s unique reactions to eggs, it’s best to just bring them into the vet to get a professional assessment.