It’s easy to understand why people are so confused about whether or not feeding dogs raw eggs every day is safe.
The world wide web is riddled with false information and half-truths that keep us guessing.
Even the American Kennel Club misleadingly states that “Prolonged feeding of raw egg whites can also lead to a biotin deficiency, as they contain an enzyme that ties up biotin and prevents absorption of biotin into the body.”
The title of the article is “Can I Feed My Dog Raw Eggs?” and the leading text is “There are a few concerns about feeding raw eggs to your dog that dog owners should be aware of:”.
A misleading article to say the least.
The majority of people who read the article, and articles like it, will likely think what many people do; that raw eggs are dangerous or unhealthy.
The whole truth is that yes, egg whites do in fact contain an enzyme that prevents biotin absorption. However, eating/feeding egg yolks (whole eggs) is the key to balance. If you eat/feed only egg whites, the avidin doesn’t have the biotin in egg yolks to bind to, so it binds to biotin from other sources such as organ meat.
As always, we humans find it necessary to pick our food apart. Egg yolks were once deemed unhealthy so people turned to just eating the whites. The result of eating one part of the egg and not whole eggs is/was that people were/are consuming enzymes that act as anti-nutrients, without consuming enough of the actual nutrients (biotin) to balance out the antinutrients.
Whole eggs are a complete source of nutrition. Egg whites are not.
Even though avidin (the enzyme the AKC article doesn’t mention by name) binds to biotin, making it un-absorbable, egg yolks are full of biotin. The question then is, does avidin bind to all the biotin in the yolk and does it have time to claim it all as it quickly passes through the carnivore’s digestive system, in raw form?
The answers to these questions will help us determine if feeding dogs raw eggs every day is safe.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry, Volume 86, Issue 2 states the following:
- Levels of biotin and avidin were assayed in eggs from Small White turkey hens having 12–15 week average hatchability of fertile egg records (HF) of 13 and 99%.
- The median level and concentration of avidin was higher in eggs of the 13% HF (2.72 mg and 42.5 μg/ml, respectively) as compared with the 99% HF (1.39 mg and 23.8 μg/ml, respectively).
- Calculations for total biotin to avidin binding in the eggs revealed that all eggs in the 13% HF and residual free avidin levels after total biotin was complexed to avidin.
- This complex formation is expected to have limited the availability of biotin for embryonic development.
Read more about avidin from the Protein Data Bank in Europe.
According to The Weston A. Price Foundation, egg yolks are the 2nd best source of biotin (containing 25 mcg per yolk). Liver comes in first at 27 mcg per 3 oz.
As someone who feeds your dog a raw diet you understand the importance of feeding raw liver on a regular basis. This means that your dog is getting around 27 mcg of biotin per 3 oz of raw liver.
If feeding eggs alone for biotin, according to the literature above, your dog could become deficient. If you fed just egg whites and no good source of biotin (liver and other organs), your dog would become deficient pretty quickly.
However, so long as you’re feeding raw biotin rich liver on a regular basis as a part of an 80/10/10 raw diet, feeding dogs raw eggs every day is safe.
Organ meat is going to be your dogs’ main dietary source of biotin. To boost your dogs’ biotin intake (when necessary) feeding additional raw egg yolks on top of the whole raw eggs your feeding, is a good option. In doing so you’ll be effectively providing your dog with more biotin than the avidin can likely bind to, making feeding dogs raw eggs every day, healthy.
Another way to increase your dog’s intake of biotin is an alternative to chicken eggs: duck eggs. Duck egg yolks are much larger than chicken egg yolks and make up more of the egg. The same can be said for quail eggs. The ratio of yolk to white is in favor of the yolk. This most likely results in more biotin in each egg and less avidin to adhere to it, increasing the healthfulness of feeding dogs raw eggs every day.
Finally, always feed eggs from pastured hens for eggs with higher levels of nutrients.
To quickly recap, feed your dog a healthy amount of liver and other organ meats (10% of their raw diet) and add additional egg yolks to their meals, on top of the whole eggs you’re feeding, when needed.
Why Biotin is so Important to Your Dog’s Health
Biotin (vitamin B7) is a water-soluble vitamin that’s a part of a group of key nutrients needed for healthy metabolic, digestive, nerve and cardiovascular functions.
Biotin is needed for the metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids. This means that when your dog eats foods that are sources of fats and proteins, biotin must be present in order to convert and use these macronutrients.
Biotin also plays a major role in maintaining the health of hair/fur, nails and skin.
Biotin Deficiency Risk Factors
Because the body doesn’t store biotin it’s rare that your dog would ever consume too much. You’d have to be feeding a very imbalanced diet to cause biotin toxicity in your dog.
The fact that the body does not store biotin also means that your dog needs to consume it daily through raw organs and/or raw eggs (yolks). This alone makes feeding dogs raw eggs every day (specifically the yolks and in addition to organs) a healthy practice.
Although biotin deficiency is rare, it can be more common during:
- consuming lots of raw egg whites
- intestinal malabsorption issues or serious digestive disorders like leaky gut syndrome
- long-term use of certain anti-seizure medications
- pregnancy
- prolonged antibiotic use
When it rarely occurs, symptoms can include:
- brittle hair/fur
- chronic fatigue
- cognitive impairments
- digestive tract issues
- dry skin
- hair loss
- irritated skin
- lack of energy
- mood changes
- muscle aches and pains
- nerve damage
How many eggs would your dog need to eat to develop a biotin deficiency, when feeding dogs raw eggs every day? LiveStrong.com says “…if you eat two or more raw egg whites a day for several months, it is possible that you will develop a biotin deficiency.” while another site states that “an adult would have to eat 24 [whole] eggs per day for several weeks to become deficient.”
I must point that there are no scientific studies noted with either of these claims. But what both sources (and others) suggest is that it takes a lot of eggs eaten/fed over an extended period of time to cause a deficiency.
So long as you’re feeding a balanced diet that includes organs – liver making up ½ of the organs – you shouldn’t have a reason to worry about feeding dogs raw eggs every day.
My dogs get eggs just about every single day (so long as the hens are laying) and they’re all the healthier for it!
Biotin Daily Recommended Values
According to the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine the daily recommended value of biotin (for humans) is:
5 micrograms for infants
6–8 micrograms for ages 7 months to 3 years old
12–20 micrograms for ages 4–13 years old
25 micrograms for adolescents
30 micrograms for male and female adults over 19 years old
30 milligrams for pregnant women
35 milligrams for women who are breastfeeding
For your dog(s), so long as you’re feeding a raw diet of 10% organ meat, which includes liver, you likely don’t need to worry about your dog’s biotin intake. For a dog that has malabsorption issues, additional egg yolks added to the diet on a regular basis will be a good boost of biotin.
Food Sources of Biotin
Biotin levels fluctuate quite a bit in foods. For that reason, the USDA does not list the amount of biotin available in common foods. However, according to studies published by Oregon State University, the foods below were some of the highest tested, although you will see the amount of biotin within each still range quite a bit.
Liver: 3 ounces cooked, 27-35 mcg
Eggs: 1 whole, 13-25 mcg
Salmon: 3 ounces, 4-5 mcg
Other types of fish are also thought to be good sources of biotin.
Feeding Dogs Raw Eggs Every Day
Eggs should be fed as a nutritional extra, not in place of muscle meats or organ meats. Feed raw eggs to tolerance and add raw eggs to the diet, slowly. If your dogs’ stools become loose when you feed raw eggs, reduce how much/how many you’re feeding to the point that your dogs’ stools firm back up.
Biotin Health Benefits
- Biotin Supports a Healthy Metabolism
Biotin regulates gene expressions that are critical in carrying out functions of the metabolism. Biotin and other B vitamins are needed to convert the food into usable energy.
For example, biotin helps the body use amino acids by activating fatty acids from fat-containing foods like animal fats.
- Biotin Helps Maintain Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails
According to studies, taking high doses of biotin can help treat weak hair and brittle nails.
Other biotin benefits have been found to include helping protect skin from fungal infections, rashes and severe dryness.
- Biotin Supports Brain Function
Biotin benefits the health of the nervous system through its role in nerve signaling and neurotransmitter activity. Together, B vitamins influence memory function and defend against age-related cognitive impairment.
B vitamins such as biotin (vitamin B7) support mental health, boost energy and increase concentration, through their role in synthesizing hormones.
- Biotin Supports a Healthy Cardiovascular System
B vitamins help defend against common causes of heart disease including inflammation.
- Biotin Supports Thyroid and Adrenal Function
B vitamins are needed for healthy thyroid activity.
A deficiency in B vitamins can result in thyroid and adrenal complications, creating negative symptoms such as fatigue and weight gain or loss.
- Biotin is Needed to Build and Repair Tissues
Biotin helps with the growth and maintenance of bodily tissues, including helping repair and build muscles.