raw egg - from pet question

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

First, I wish you pup speedy recovery!!

Second, we have 4 great pyranees livestock guard dogs on our farm. The

past week or 2 I have been putting 2 raw eggs in each of their dinner

bowls (we feed purina one large breed - I know, I know, it's not

wonderful food, but we haven't had the time to figure out the 'proper'

way to feed barf, and I will not do it half-asses.)

Anyway, I am adding 2 eggs to each bowl. We have eggs comming out of

our ears, and are spending a fortune on dog food, so I wanted to fed

them more eggs and less kibble. Anyone know how many calories dogs

should get in a day (100+ lb. dogs), and how many eggs is safe and

healthy to feed? Could I feed 3 eggs and cut their kibble in half? Cut

off a third?

Thanks for your help!

Kelli in Vermont

[Guest guest]

>Hi there,

>First, I wish you pup speedy recovery!!

>Second, we have 4 great pyranees livestock guard dogs on our farm. The

>past week or 2 I have been putting 2 raw eggs in each of their dinner

>bowls (we feed purina one large breed - I know, I know, it's not

>wonderful food, but we haven't had the time to figure out the 'proper'

>way to feed barf, and I will not do it half-asses.)

>Anyway, I am adding 2 eggs to each bowl. We have eggs comming out of

>our ears, and are spending a fortune on dog food, so I wanted to fed

>them more eggs and less kibble. Anyone know how many calories dogs

>should get in a day (100+ lb. dogs), and how many eggs is safe and

>healthy to feed? Could I feed 3 eggs and cut their kibble in half? Cut

>off a third?

>

>Thanks for your help!

>Kelli in Vermont

Hi Kelli,

I don't think anyone knows exactly how many calories your dogs need. It

depends on sevearl variables including their weight, age, activity level,

etc. You can figure it out basically by their weight over time. If you

substitute 3 eggs for some of their kibble per day and they gain weight,

then you know you can cut back either on the eggs or the kibble. If they

lose weight, add more food.

Having said that, I don't think it's wise to substitute eggs for kibble

without adding other fresh whole foods. The kibble, for all its horrible

aspects, should at least have adequate calcium. Eggs have essentially none.

So you will be causing a ca/p (phosphorus) imbalance by subbing one for the

other. Feed them whole bones or ground bones to balance this out and some

raw meat and organs once or twice a week if you can. There's no way to know

a perfect balance of vits/mins and other nutrients, but I think an attempt

should always be made to at least balance what we know should be balanced. I

don't know what *edible* bones are best for Great Pyranees, but I suspect

something larger than chicken parts - maybe turkey, lamb or pork?

Feeding raw is so much easier these days because there are many commercial

raw products to choose from. Some are formulated to be " complete and

balanced " (ha) and others are meant to be used as part of an overall

nutritional program. Reading a few simple raw feeding books and using some

of these products would still be better than feeding kibble by a long shot.

I've read many or perhaps all of the raw feeding books. None are

comprehensive or perfect. So far my favorite is Steve Brown's " See Spot Live

Longer " . FWIW.

Suze Fisher

Web Design and Development

http://www.allurecreative.com

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

http://www.westonaprice.org

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