As omnivorous beings, dogs can eat different types of foods. Since they love eating chicken, chicken eggs can also attract them. Boiled eggs seem safer for most of us as they don’t include oil. Before that, we have to know: Can dogs have hard boiled eggs?
The good news is that boiled eggs, or any form of egg, are safe for dogs. Just make sure your dog eats it in small amounts, based on his size and health condition. Besides, exercise the cautions related to feeding boiled eggs to dogs. Such as maintaining the required quality, cutting the egg into small pieces, and so on.
This article will make you certain about the right way of feeding eggs to our four-legged friends. So stay tuned.
Can Dogs Have Hard Boiled Eggs?
Eggs don’t contain any toxic elements but are loaded with nutrients. Hence, we can consider them a safe treat for our paw friends. Whether they are poached, scrambled, or hard-boiled, eggs are safe for dogs in all ways. Just don’t add salt, spices, or any other ingredients like we do while making a frittata.
Anyway, boiling eggs would be the best way to prepare them for your dog. The reason is that hard boiled eggs don’t require oil or any other ingredients. Moreover, they offer vitamins, proteins, fatty acids, and anti-inflammatory properties that can do good for any dog.
Benefits Of Having Hard Boiled Eggs For Dogs
Hard boiled eggs can not only offer benefits to humans but also dogs. They are a good source of high-quality protein that aids in muscle development, healthy skin, coat, and overall growth. Moreover, eggs have fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins that act as building blocks in dogs’ bodies.
The nutrients include vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K. These will all support your dog’s bodily functions, including immune system function, bone health, and cell protection.
The fatty acids found in egg yolk contain both saturated and unsaturated fats. Besides, they include anti-inflammatory properties that can contribute to your dog’s heart health, skin health, and coat health.
Along with egg yolks, egg whites are a rich source of nutrients. Their main nutrients are avidin, a protein, and some amino acids. Here, the amino acids are histidine, lysine, leucine, threonine, valine, tryptophan, arginine, isoleucine, methionine, etc.
Surprisingly, egg shells also offer nutrients, which are mostly minerals. They are calcium, copper, zinc, iron, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, selenium, manganese, phosphorus, and so on. These all can improve a dog’s brain health, heart health, skin health, muscle health, teeth health, bone health, blood sugar level, haemoglobin level, etc.
Risks Of Having Hard Boiled Eggs For Dogs
Dogs can eat eggs, but that doesn’t mean eggs are going to be safe for them every time. Let’s say you have made big pieces of the egg or your dog gulped the whole egg without chewing. This can cause him to choke, resulting in difficulty breathing.
Some dogs can’t withstand protein because of allergies. In that case, hard-boiled eggs are a no-no for them. These eggs can upset the stomach and cause skin irritation, rashes, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc. in allergic dogs.
Eggshells do indeed offer nutrients and health benefits. Yet, we remove the shell and eat the egg white and yolk only. Why? Because they are hard and splinter easily, resulting in the tearing of the GI tract. The shells of hard boiled eggs are too hard to digest. If your dog eats them out of curiosity, he will have a major disruption in his GI tract. Besides, dogs who are dealing with an upset stomach should avoid eggs and certain human foods.
How To Offer Hard Boiled Eggs To Dogs?
Start by boiling the egg at 160°F for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once it is boiled hard, remove its shells and cut the egg into small pieces, i.e., bite-sized pieces. Then let your dog eat one small piece of the egg. Monitor his reactions and symptoms. If he is comfortably eating the egg, you may offer him another piece. In this way, you can introduce any food to your paw friend.
Sometimes, you can add the egg pieces to the dog food or with chicken and other meat. If your dog loves eggs, you may serve him the egg alone, making tiny pieces of it.
When Can Dogs Have Hard Boiled Eggs?
As said earlier, hard boiled eggs can sometimes pose health risks to dogs, especially when they don’t eat them in the right way. Moreover, dogs should be healthy enough to consume it. For instance, eggs contain some allergens that trigger allergies in most dogs. Or you can say some dogs have egg-sensitivity. Maybe you don’t know if your pet has this allergy or not. That’s why you should consider asking his vet before feeding Jim any food.
How Many Eggs Can Dogs Have?
Dogs should not eat eggs as a primary source of food. Moreover, the amount of egg that a dog should eat depends on his age, size, and health conditions.
For instance, Pomeranians and other extra-small breeds can eat ⅛ of a hard boiled egg. Small breeds, like miniature American Shepherds, can eat ¼ of it. Medium breeds, like Australian Cattle Dogs, should not have more than ½ of the hard boiled egg. German Shepherds and other larger breeds can eat one boiled egg. Lastly, extra-large breeds, like Saint Bernards, can have 1 ½ eggs a day.
Apart from all these, you must keep the age of your dog in mind. Suppose your puppy is just 1 week old. It is an extra-small breed, but you can’t offer him a hard boiled egg. Similarly, dogs with allergies and other health issues should take eggs in a very small amount.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can Dogs Have Hard Boiled Eggs?
Can dogs have hard boiled eggs every day?
Hard boiled or any other form of egg should not be part of a dog’s daily diet. Eating it every day can increase their calorie intake and sensitivity to eggs.
Are raw eggs safe for dogs?
Eating raw eggs can be harmful to dogs as they contain salmonella and bacteria. These can lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, infection, lethargy, etc.
Why do dogs like eating hard boiled eggs?
Dogs find boiled eggs a bit interesting to eat, as they are not too soft or too hard. Besides, they are digestible, which gives dogs almost zero trouble while eating.
Can dogs eat eggshells?
Raw eggshells are prone to bacteria and salmonella. Meanwhile, boiled egg shells can be safe to eat as they don’t have bacteria. However, this can cause choking hazards for dogs if eaten in large pieces.
Final Thoughts
After learning about some potential side effects of eggs, we may think again: Can dogs have hard boiled eggs? The answer is yes if they are not allergic or do not have egg sensitivity. Also, the quantity of eggs should be less, and it should be an occasional treat for dogs.
Never add any flavour or fry the hard boiled egg. It is because oil, salt, or any spices can increase the risk of heart disease and toxicity in the bodies of our canine friends. Most importantly, you have to ask their veterinarians before introducing any item to their diet.