My Dog Ate Eggshells: What Should I Do?

My dog ate eggshells; what should I do? That’s a question many dog parents grapple with from time to time. Of course, eggs are safe and nutritious for dogs. But still, you can get worried if your dog eats eggshells. If you notice white stuff in your dog’s poop, then your dog might have taken eggshells. 

A dog’s digestive system hardly completes the digestion of eggshells and can experience serious blotting. Tiny white remnants in your dog’s poop might also imply salmonella poisoning. If this is the case, don’t hesitate to call your veterinarian or take your dog to the nearest animal health center.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms to Check If Your Dog Ate Eggshells?

Here are the signs and symptoms you’ll want to observe if your dog ate many eggshells and is experiencing boating or other stomach problems:

• White Specks in Poop – It is the first thing you’ll notice if you are a good observer. White specks present in your dog’s poop imply incomplete digestion of calcium from the eggshells.
• Stomach Inflammation – Pathogenic bacteria in eggshells can cause stomach inflammation.
• Gastrointestinal Perforation – If pathogenic bacteria present in eggshells penetrate your dog’s abdominal cavity, his small intestine or large intestine may get perforated.
• Diarrhea – Your dog can experience loose stools after eating bacteria from the eggshells.
• Oily Discharge – You might notice oily material in your dog’s poop.
• Weight Increase – The presence of albumin on the eggshells will theoretically result in weight gain.
• Vitamin Deficiency – If your dog eats excessive eggshells, he may suffer biotinidase deficiency. Eggs have avidin, which has a higher efficiency of binding to biotin. You’ll want to check if your dog has crusty skin.

What To Do If Your Dog Ate Eggshells

Eggshells have a unique flavor that dogs find attractive. If you notice that your dog has embraced such eggshell eating behavior and you want to change this ill behavior, here are things you should do.

First, even if your dog looks fine, you’ll want to withhold food until the next day. However, you must provide your dog with plenty of water to drink throughout the day. Afterward, you can change your dog’s diet. Change to a lighter diet comprising rice, chicken, scrambled eggs, or fish. However, ensure that you feed your dog with this diet in small portions 4 to 5 times every day.

Once you notice that your dog has regained normal health and has normal poop, moderately reintroduce the normal feeding diet for the coming days. Your dog will have regained his normal health status after a few days since the bloating problem is often a short-term issue. 

If that’s not the case, and you find out that your dog is succumbing to severe bloating, consider contacting your veterinarian or visiting the nearest animal healthcare center. Eggshells are often associated with a gastrointestinal infection, especially if your dog eats dirty eggshells with pathogenic bacteria.

Is It Necessary To Contact A Veterinarian If My Dog Ate Eggshells?

As a good dog owner, you want to be very close to your pet and take good care of her. If your dog eats eggshells and you notice persistent vomiting and diarrhea that affects your dog’s health condition, you should contact your vet promptly. 

Your vet will want you to monitor your dog for all unusual behaviors. Also, your vet will ask you to take note of your dog’s stool. Monitoring your dog closely will help the vet diagnose gastrointestinal infections.

If there are chances of gastrointestinal infections, your dog may get hospitalized to prevent sepsis. Your veterinarian may also prescribe antibiotics for your dog. In addition, your vet can ask you to take further caution while handling your dog, such as maintaining high hygiene standards. 

You will need to wash your hands with soap after feeding your dog and put on gloves while feeding your dog to prevent you from getting infected. Be sure to disinfect all areas contaminated with diarrhea or vomit from your dog to maintain hygiene.

Can Your Dog Eat Eggshells?

Despite the risks involved, you can wonder if it’s still good for your dog to eat eggshells. Eggshells are rich in calcium and nutrients that are primary sources of a well-balanced diet. But if you want to feed your dog with eggshells, first, you’ll consider your dog’s health condition and age. 

For example, you will want to prevent your dog from eating eggshells if she is pregnant. The rationale is that eggshells are harmful to pregnant dogs and can compromise your dog’s health. Eating eggshells once in a while can positively impact your dog, but only if you provide the correct quality and ensure the eggshells are clean and uncontaminated.

How To Properly Feed Eggshells to Your Dog

Your dog has a sensitive gastrointestinal tract system that can hardly digest eggshells. Therefore, you will want to pulverize the eggshells before feeding your pups. The first step is to roast or boil the eggs and remove their shells. Afterward, you can crush or grind the eggshells into powder.

By doing that, you will have made an effective calcium supplement for your dog. Ensure that you source fresh eggs from the farm and not from the stores. Eggs from retail stores are usually bleached and may lack some eggshell nutritional properties. However, before giving your dog the eggshell powder, consider consulting your veterinarian for further specifications. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, eggshells are a good supplement for your dog, and adding them to your dog’s diet is not a big deal. All you have to do is consider the health conditions of your dog. However, you must use the appropriate means to feed eggshells to your dog. It is not recommended that you give your dog eggshells or calcium-rich supplements if she is pregnant.