eggs in homemade meals

[guster girl]

Hey, I just had a question. Finn is 8 weeks old, and, I feed him four times a day. I gave him an egg yesterday and one today, but, his poo was runny today. I was thinking it was because of the egg, but, I wanted to know if they do that, or if it is unrelated. I know I keep hearing mention of an egg a day, but, he is pretty small, so, I'm thinking maybe just part of one. I also gave him a spoonful of tofu, could that have done it? I'm going to skip both for tonight and tomorrow just to see if his poo goes back to normal. Runny poo sucks for me, because it's nearly impossible to "pick up" outside, and, I'm sure it's yucky for him, too! Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Shelteez2]

I believe soy is bad for dogs. I can't remember what I heard about it, wolfsoul could probably tell you.

As for the eggs, I think 1 a day is too much. I give my dogs one a week or so.

[Karen]

I;ve know people who give their Labs an egg a week for shiny coats, but that's fullgrown dogs I'd stick with just puppy food for now, it's specially formulated for what puppies need. No "supplements" required, especially in one so little - his tummy has enough to do just keeping up with his growing body right now.

[guster girl]

Cool, I'll give him just part of an egg as a treat once in awhile until he's older. I've not heard that about soy, though, and, I've seen tofu listed in many recipes, but, I'll do a little more research on that, as well. As for feeding him puppy food, I'm all over the homemade diet, and, completely avoiding commercially processed food. But, I'll definitely stop with the whole egg! THank you so much for the replies!

[tatsxxx11]

Ditto to much of what has already been said. 1 egg per week is plenty for an adult dog. 1 a day would be far too much for a puppy's sensitive tummy to handle. After he's an adult I think 1 egg per week would be fine. Some peope serve it up scrambled; others mix it in raw For now, with all of the excellent puppy foods available, I'd also say hold off

[guster girl]

And, just as another comment, he was being fed Iams when I got him, and, his poo was not extremely runny, but, it was shapeless, and, as soon as I got him home and had fed him two meat and veggie meals, it firmed right up. But, anyway, just wanted to throw that in there.

[guster girl]

Originally posted by tatsxxx11
I'd also say hold off

Is everyone so far saying not to even feed homemade? I've heard nothing but the opposite from several vets and several others that I've talked to about starting them off on the homemade diet as soon as possible. I'm up for suggestions, though, on why it's better to feed a puppy commercial diets and yet for the most part, people are saying it's not so good to feed adults the commercial diets? I'll definitely stop with the egg and with the tofu (until I do some more research), but, what's the reasoning for not feeding meat and veggies? I'm not trying to be bratty, it's just that it's the exact opposite of everything else I've been told!

[binka_nugget]

I'll just echo what has been said. One per day is probably too much for a pup to handle but I know of some people who give their dogs one raw egg a day. I personally say 1 or 2 a week is plenty.

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by guster girl
Is everyone so far saying not to even feed homemade? I've heard nothing but the opposite from several vets and several others that I've talked to about starting them off on the homemade diet as soon as possible. I'm up for suggestions, though, on why it's better to feed a puppy commercial diets and yet for the most part, people are saying it's not so good to feed adults the commercial diets? I'll definitely stop with the egg and with the tofu (until I do some more research), but, what's the reasoning for not feeding meat and veggies? I'm not trying to be bratty, it's just that it's the exact opposite of everything else I've been told!

I think starting a pup off homemade would be great! So long as the owner knows what they're doing. The main reason why I'm not feeding my dogs homemade right now is because there's just too much to worry about such as the phosphorus/calcium ratio. But if you know what you're doing, keep on doing it! I think homemade diets are great.

[guster girl]

I've not been told about the phosphorous/calcium ratio, so, I'm going to research on that topic, too. But, yeah, I mean, I've been told the whole purpose of homemade diets is to more simulate their wild cousin's diets, and, puppies of wolves and foxes, after they are weaned, don't get special puppy food, so, I've always been told to get them off of processed dog food as soon as possible. I'm still interested in the pros of feeding processed puppy food, though. I'll keep an eye on this post for any answers.

[wolfsoul]

Thanks Shelteez. I feel special hehe.

Soy can be hard to digest and might cause gas. It might even contribute to bloat in a deep chested dog. I don't think it's that bad for a treat once in a while, but just not all the time.

I agree with what people are saying about the eggs...One or two times a week is plenty. Since he's a lab, he'll probably have a nice shiny coat anyways.

[guster girl]

Thanks for the advice about the eggs, and, like I said, I'm definitely going to make that a treat once in awhile and a once a week thing when he's bigger. I never really considered soy even for myself until recently. And, it's not that I didn't realize where milk came from, but, it wasn't until I read an article (either posted here or on guster's -my favorite band- site) clearly stating it as the mammary secretions of another species, that made me switch to soy milk. But, I'm doing research right now on soy for people and for pups.

[guster girl]

I'm still researching! I haven't been able to find anything yet on soy (good or bad), so, if anyone has any links I can check out, please post them. As for eggs, I'm finding a lot of sites are recommending egg shell powder for calcium. Any comments on that? One site recommended 3 teaspoons per pound of meat. Doubled for puppies. And, I keep running into sites saying fowl bones are dangerous, even though I've heard several comments here that they are fed. I'm not saying I believe one more than the other, but, I would like some feedback on feeding, for example, turkey necks or chicken backs. It does seem like they would splinter, I know personally, I have had a bad experience with chicken bones. But, I don't know, it's why I'm asking. I'm all for giving raw bones, but, I'm leaning towards beef bones from the meat shop for the dog to chew, but, as far as a puppy is concerned, would it be better to serve ground bones? I just don't see how a puppy could really EAT bones....chew, yes, but, do they really eat the bones? I think I'm taking a break from the research, it's overwhelming! I have a few questions for my vet when I see her next, but, I wanted some opinions from here, too!

[Shelteez2]

Another thing about eggs is that if you feed them it is very important to feed the whole egg. Something in the white is bad and takes something from the dogs, but the yolk contains enough of whatever it is to make up for it. And if that wasn't completely vague then I don't know what is, LOL Sorry I just woke up from a nap and my head is a little fuzzy.

And I think homemade diets are great. If I ever get around to finding a good source of chicken I will switch my dogs to completely raw. As it is now they get fed kibble during the week and raw on the weekend.

The calcium/phosphorus ratio is very important. It is why you are supposed to feed raw meaty bones, not just raw meat. I *think* the raw meaty bones are supposed to be 60% bone 40% meat.
People that sometimes give a meal that consists of more meat will even it up by adding crushed eggshells to the food.

[guster girl]

so, just as an idea, I could do meals with meat chunks or ground up meat with egg shell powder and other meals of raw meaty bones and that would be good as far as the ratio. I mean, I know I'm not going to get the ratio exact, but, from what I'm understanding, if I feed meat in the bowl with veggies, I should add egg shells, right? But, a raw meaty bone could replace that meal? I just want to make sure I am understanding. Thanks again for the advice. And, as far as the egg itself, I am going to skip it entirely until he's grown.