Let’s review whether dogs can eat eggs and go over the different cooking variations to see if they are safe for our pups. 

Can Dogs Eat Eggs?

Generally, eggs are safe for dogs to eat. They are a highly digestible source of protein and fat for our canine companions. The average cooked egg contains about 75 calories, nearly 6 grams of protein and just over 5 grams of fat. 

The protein fraction of eggs contains a complete essential amino acid profile and they are very highly digestible, giving them the reputation of being a good source of dietary protein. Processed egg products are a common ingredient in many commercial dog foods.

Dogs and Eggs: Preparation and Types

Eggs contain a yolk, an egg white, and a shell. The yolk is rich in nutrients, since this is where embryos grow if eggs are fertilized. The egg white, which surrounds the yolk, is composed of a thin and thick substance called albumen that is made up primarily of water and dissolved proteins. The egg white contributes to around half of the protein content of an egg. Encasing these soft structures is the egg’s shell. The shell is a rigid structure composed predominantly of calcium carbonate.

When it comes to nutrition, people generally discard the shell and cook the white and yolk. But when it comes to preparing eggs for dogs, there are some things you should keep in mind. 

Can Dogs Eat Raw Eggs?

Experts consider raw eggs unsafe for dogs for a number of reasons. First, raw eggs may be contaminated with bacteria, potentially transmitting infections including E. coli and Salmonella. Studies show that the risk of Salmonella is significantly greater in dogs who eat raw eggs (2). Not only can these bacteria cause serious illness in dogs (and their owners), but these infections may be hard to treat. 

In addition to the food safety concerns, there are nutritional concerns with respect to raw eggs. The egg white contains a protein called avidin, which binds biotin, a B-vitamin (3). Biotin is not an essential nutrient for dogs, meaning it doesn’t need to be present in their diet as dogs can synthesize it themselves. Yet, feeding raw eggs can actually induce biotin deficiency as the synthesized biotin is bound by the avidin and cannot be utilized by the dog. 

Can Dogs Eat Egg Shells?

Generally, you should avoid feeding egg shells to your dog. Egg shells are composed predominantly of calcium carbonate, a very calcium-rich, highly digestible compound. This provides a large dose of calcium in addition to the calcium provided in a dog’s main diet. 

Calcium recommendations are quite strict for dogs and even more so for growing puppies. Adding extra dietary calcium can easily imbalance the diet, especially from a source such as egg shell that is rich in calcium but deficient in phosphorus. The imbalance of the calcium to phosphorus ratio can impact vitamin D status and have effects on skeletal metabolism (4). 

Furthermore, the kidneys filter calcium and phosphorus from the blood. Mineralization of the kidneys is a component of chronic kidney disease and can be exacerbated by high levels of dietary calcium.

Can Dogs Eat Egg Yolks?

Dogs can eat cooked egg yolks, as long as it’s in moderation. Egg yolks are very energy-dense (i.e. high calorie) and rich in fat, including cholesterol. In humans, dietary cholesterol can cause many adverse health effects. However, in dogs, we do not have quite the same concerns as cholesterol seems better tolerated. 

However, dietary cholesterol can exacerbate several dog health conditions including lipemia and hypertriglyceridemia (elevated levels of fat in the blood) and pancreatitis (5). In these dogs especially, egg yolks should not be fed. 

For healthy dogs, a dose of fat and cholesterol from egg yolks may not be harmful, though pet parents should be aware of the risk of inducing pancreatitis. Certain breeds of dogs, including Miniature Schnauzers and Terriers, are at increased risk of developing pancreatitis. 

Can Dogs Eat Cooked Eggs?

Cooked eggs are less dangerous to dogs—though that does depend on how you prepare them. Cooking kills pathogenic bacteria and reduces the risk of Salmonella. 

However, cooking doesn’t change the nutritional composition of eggs and the high fat content is still present. Additionally, if eggs are fried, the added fat from oil or butter can increase the risk of an adverse reaction. If eggs are scrambled with added milk, the risk of diarrhea increases, as many dogs do not tolerate dairy products well. 

Interested in feeding your dog cooked eggs? Boil or scramble them without any additives. It’s also important to consider the portion size when feeding eggs to dogs. The average egg contains about 75 calories. Dogs should consume a maximum of 10 percent of their daily energy from incomplete food sources, including eggs. That means only dogs over 50 pounds could eat a whole egg in a day as part of a balanced diet. 

Can Dogs Eat Hard-Boiled Eggs?

Hard boiling eggs will kill pathogenic bacteria, making it a safe option for dogs. However, as with the section on cooked eggs above, hard-boiled eggs are still high in fat and calories. That means the risk of excess dietary fat still exists if you feed dogs hard-boiled eggs. Dogs known to have health conditions such as triglyceridemia, lipemia, or pancreatitis should not get hard-boiled eggs. 

Keep portion control in mind. Dogs should not get more than 10 percent of their calories from treats and dietary additives including eggs. 

Can Dogs Eat Deviled Eggs?

Deviled eggs should not be fed to dogs. The added mayonnaise brings even more fat and could cause adverse effects. Even if the fatty snack doesn’t cause pancreatitis, dogs could still suffer other effects from excessive fat such as steatorrhea (greasy diarrhea). 

If your dog happens to gobble up some deviled eggs from counter surfing, keep a close eye on them for signs of gastrointestinal upset such as lip smacking, drooling, and vomiting. If you have concerns, you can always give your veterinarian a call. 

What Are the Health Benefits of Eggs for Dogs?

Because of their nutritional profile, eggs offer many amazing benefits to humans. Fortunately, many of these same benefits carry over to dogs as well. When properly fed to your pooch, eggs can contribute positively to his health. 

Eggs are one of the most nutritionally dense foods. Packed with protein, vitamins and minerals, the nutritional profile of eggs includes:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B12
• Iron
• Fatty Acids
• Folate
• Protein
• Riboflavin
• Selenium

Included in many pre-packaged dog foods, eggs can provide an array of health benefits for pups. The high level of protein in eggs is a crucial ingredient in your dog’s health, helping him stay fit and strong. Additionally, the fatty acids found in the egg yolk help build and maintain your dog’s cells. Finally, the vitamins and minerals contribute to a healthier immune system, stronger teeth and bones, and a shinier coat. 

Keep reading to learn the best ways to prepare and feed eggs to your dog to get the most out of these potential benefits. 

How to Feed Dogs Eggs

If you want to feed eggs to your dog, only offer plain boiled or scrambled eggs free of any additives. Add them to your dog’s food at mealtime or as a snack or treat during the day.

Feeding too large of a portion could unbalance your dog’s diet or lead to unwanted weight gain. If you give a portion of an egg to your dog, subtract the amount of calories from their regular meal and reduce the portion respectively.

If you have any questions about portion size or feeding dogs eggs, speak with your veterinarian.  

How Often Can Dogs Eat Eggs?

There isn’t really a defined frequency for feeding dogs eggs. If you’re wondering how many eggs dogs can eat a week, the universal recommendation is to avoid feeding more than 10 percent of a dog’s diet from treats, snacks, and scraps. 

Eggs are high in fat and cholesterol. Take this into account before feeding them to your dog, since not all dogs will process eggs in the same way. Like humans, dogs are individuals. Consider their specific nutritional requirements before you add new foods to their diets. 

Consult your veterinarian to identify any nutritional concerns for your dog. Alternatively, there are also specialist veterinary nutritionists who can work with you and your dog to make tailored dietary recommendations to fit your dog’s needs. 

Dogs and Eggs Infographic

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Not only are avocados tasty, but they bring along a wealth of nutritional value as well. They are high in dietary fiber, low in sugar, and rich in minerals like iron and potassium. They are sources of fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K, as well as a plethora of natural antioxidants. They have a high ratio of polyunsaturated (good) fat to saturated (bad) fat, and avocado flesh is even known for having some anti-cancer properties (1). Avocados are also cultivated as an oil crop, yielding rich, vibrant and flavourful oil. 

No matter whether it is the flesh or the oil being consumed, avocados can be healthy dietary choices—at least for people. We know, however, that not all foods good for people are also good for pets. So can cats eat avocados? 

Is Avocado Safe for Cats?

This is a surprisingly controversial question. Depending on where you look, there are numerous statements both supporting and refuting the feeding of avocado to pets. To make matters even more confusing, there is some truth to both sides of the argument. 

In the 1940s, the first reports of possible toxic effects of avocado plant leaves fed to farm animals were published (2). Birds appear to be particularly sensitive, and not just the leaves but even the fruit itself may be toxic to some bird species. A report of two dogs suspected to have avocado toxicity has also been published, with both dogs living on farms with avocado trees present where the dogs are thought to have consumed large quantities of the fruit (3). Though blanket statements warning of avocado toxicity often also include cats alongside dogs, case reports of cats suffering from avocado toxicity are lacking. 

In other animals, toxicity is most consistently related to the cardiopulmonary system, with signs including shortness of breath and cardiac dysfunction. In 1995, the toxin responsible was identified as persin. 

Persin is concentrated in the leaves and bark of the avocado tree, though it is also present in the seed and skin, from which small quantities may leach into the fruit. There are differences in the level of persin, and the level of toxicity, in different avocado varieties. Since avocado skins and seeds are known to contain persin, and contamination of the fruit is also possible, avocados are classified as mildly toxic to cats, according to Pet Poison Helpline.

If your cat enjoys avocado, feeding small pieces (no more than 15g) of ripe fruit is unlikely to be harmful. But that being said, no real serving of avocado to cats can be safely advised. Considering that avocado contains a known toxin, it is not recommended to intentionally feed avocado to cats. Just as there is a lack of data regarding toxic effects, there is similarly no data to demonstrate a safe intake level for cats. 

Is Avocado Oil Safe for Cats?

Avocado oil is also popular for the health benefits it may convey for people. The oil is predominantly derived from the avocado fruit, and would therefore likely be safe for feeding to cats. However, traces of oil from avocado seeds are found in commercial avocado oils. Considering that the seed is a more concentrated source of the toxin persin, this may pose more of a risk to cat health. 

Laboratory studies with rats have demonstrated harm when fed avocado oils containing fractions from avocado seed (4). It’s best to avoid feeding avocado oil to cats until safety has been demonstrated. 

Other oils including sunflower, safflower, and canola may be conservatively included in a cat’s diet as an alternative to avocado oil. 

Benefits of Avocado for Cats

There is no current evidence to demonstrate any benefits of feeding avocado to cats. 

However, one study from a prominent pet nutrition research institution looked at the use of avocado pulp in feline diets. In the experiment, avocado meal, derived from the pulp leftover after oil extraction, was fed to cats for three weeks. There were no adverse effects detected, and the research team concluded that avocado meal may be an acceptable ingredient for use in cat diets (5). 

It is possible that small amounts of avocado fed to cats or included in cat foods could convey similar beneficial properties as they do for humans, but veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists do not have enough information at this time to say whether avocado is beneficial for cats.     

Risks of Avocado for Cats

Just as there aren’t any known benefits to feeding avocado to cats, there also aren’t any documented risks of feeding avocado to cats. 

Though avocado fruit is known to contain small amounts of the toxin persin, there has been no evidence to demonstrate that this is as toxic to cats as it is to some other animals. The seed and skin have higher levels of persin, and these should be avoided. 

Though most avocado seeds are larger than could conceivably be swallowed by a cat, small seeds or fragments bitten off seeds could also pose a choking risk. 

Avocado is also high in fat and high in calories, so it shouldn’t be given to cats in large quantities and should never exceed more than 10 percent of a cat’s daily caloric intake. The risk of the fat itself for cats is relatively low, compared to dogs, and unlikely to contribute to pancreatitis in healthy cats. However, such fat-rich foods should be avoided for cats who are overweight.  

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But are our dogs also susceptible to the effects of this troublesome plant? Let’s dive in further to explore if poison ivy impacts our dogs.

What is Poison Ivy?

Technically, poison ivy isn’t really an ivy. Ivies are from the genus of plants called Hedera and poison ivy is a Toxicodendron. It does share some ivy characteristics though, as it can be a trailing or climbing vine, like ivy. Poison ivy can also grow as a shrub up to nearly 4 feet tall.

There are two common types of poison ivy, Eastern Toxicodendron radicans and Western Toxicodendron rydbergii. As the name suggests, Eastern poison ivy is predominantly found along the Eastern seaboard, though Western poison ivy can be found throughout most of Canada and the contiguous United States.

Poison ivy got its name from an oil in the plant’s sap, urushiol, which can cause a local allergic reaction on susceptible skin. Many animals are completely immune, with native animals commonly eating the plant and birds consuming the seeds. People, however, are quite susceptible, and contact with poison ivy causes an itchy, irritating, and sometimes even painful contact dermatitis or rash.

Can Dogs Get Poison Ivy?

Dogs don’t react to poison ivy like people do. They don’t get a rash from poison ivy and it doesn’t seem to affect them in any way. To date, there are no reported cases of contact dermatitis associated with poison ivy in dogs, so it appears that dogs are not allergic to poison ivy.

Similarly, there doesn’t appear to be any adverse effects for dogs eating poison ivy either. However, dogs can carry the oils on their fur, which can then cause an allergic reaction to any person who touches them.

Just because dogs don’t react to poison ivy doesn’t mean they are completely immune to contact dermatitis from contact with other poisonous plants. More common causes of contact dermatitis in dogs are plants like Trachelospermum asiaticum (Asiatic jasmine) and plants of the Tradescantia species.

What Causes Poison Ivy on Dogs?

The component of poison ivy that causes an allergic reaction for people is an oil in the sap that contains the poison urushiol. This reaction is an immune response known as type IV or delayed hypersensitivity, where the urushiol molecule acts as a hapten and binds to proteins in the skin, causing cell-mediated inflammation and dermatitis.

While dogs don’t react to this poison, they can pass it on to people as the oil can stay on their fur for hours after contact with the plant. Dogs who spend time outside and in wooded areas may come in contact with poison ivy and bring the oil into the house.

Symptoms of Poison Ivy on Dogs

As previously mentioned, dogs don’t have any reaction to poison ivy, so contact with the plant does not produce any specific symptoms.

However, symptoms of contact dermatitis from other poisonous plants and allergens can look very much like ours and include:

• Reddening of the skin
• Itching
• Skin welts

These symptoms of contact dermatitis usually appear on areas of a dog’s body with little to no hair.

Diagnosing Contact Dermatitis in Dogs

Since, poison ivy doesn’t cause any reactions for dogs, veterinarians do not diagnose poison ivy toxicity in our canine companions.

However, to diagnose contact dermatitis in dogs, veterinarians typically make a diagnosis of exclusion—meaning other potential causes for the reaction are ruled out. If there is a history of recent exposure to a known toxic plant, this can help determine the cause of the symptoms.

During physical examination, the obvious signs of reddened skin, trauma from excessive scratching, and papules or welts may indicate the location of the exposure—though this can be misleading and hard to differentiate from other allergic reactions, such as a dietary allergy.

Contact dermatitis is predominantly limited to hairless or sparsely haired regions of the dog’s body, including their chest and belly, their paw pads and between their toes, their muzzle, the inner surface of their ears, and under their tail.

A thorough history and ruling out of other causes of the symptoms is the most important step in diagnosing contact dermatitis. Other tests such as skin scrapings and biopsies of the affected skin aren’t often very useful, as they simply show dermatitis but give little indication of the underlying cause.

How to Treat Poison Ivy on Dogs

Poison ivy exposure doesn’t require any treatment for dogs, and there is no requirement for dogs exposed to poison ivy to visit their veterinarian. However, if a dog was seen to be exposed to poison ivy it is still best to remove the oil from their hair or they could transmit it to the next person who touches them.

A sudsy bath using a pet-friendly shampoo can remove the toxic oil from a dog’s hair and prevent it from being transmitted to a susceptible person. Though the act of lathering up the dog should be sufficient to remove the toxin from human skin as well, it is prudent to wear gloves if a person with particularly sensitive skin is washing the dog. It only takes about 10 minutes for the toxin to penetrate through skin, so hand washing within that time is necessary to prevent a reaction.

Treatment for Contact Dermatitis from Toxic Plants

For dogs who have been exposed to a toxic plant to which they are susceptible, the allergic reaction can be treated symptomatically with topical glucocorticoid (a type of corticosteroid). For cases with more generalized lesions, oral glucocorticoids may be required as well.

It is important that the dog is not able to lick the topical treatment. To prevent licking, the treated area must either be covered or an Elizabethan collar put on the dog to prevent them from bothering the area.

Dogs with chronic allergic contact dermatitis may develop secondary bacterial infections as the skin barrier has been disturbed, and topical and/or systemic (whole-body) antimicrobial therapies may be necessary. This would require a veterinary examination and prescription.

How to Prevent Dogs from Getting Poison Ivy

Even though dogs are not susceptible to the toxin in poison ivy, preventing exposure to the plant is a good idea, because dogs can easily transmit the toxic oil from the plant to their person.

In areas where poison ivy is seen or known to grow, keep dogs out of the undergrowth. Even dead poison ivy still has urushiol in it and can cause an allergic reaction if it or its sap comes in contact with a person’s skin. Unless the plant is buried under snow in winter, it’s safest just to steer clear of the area.

If contact is suspected, give your dog a bath when they get home to remove the oil from their hair and reduce the risk of transmission to people.

Related Conditions

• Contact dermatitis

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