What To Do If Your Dog Ate Eggshells?

Eating eggshells is not a good idea for my dog, but my pup did it anyway. What should I do now?

As the owner of a pet, you are responsible for taking care of them when they get sick or hurt. 

One common issue with pets is that they will eat things that are not meant for human consumption – such as chicken bones and rawhide chews. 

But what happens if your furry friend eats an item that does not have any bad side effects on humans – like eggshells? There’s no need to panic!

Here’s how to deal with your dog if he ate eggshells.

Can Dogs Eat Eggshells?

Eggshells are not harmful and can be consumed by dogs but might not be the best option considering they’re very high in calcium. 

While eggs provide iron, vitamin D, and other benefits, this isn’t something that you want your pet to consume regularly. 

This may cause problems with kidney stones later on down the line if your pet becomes too dependant on the high levels of calcium found in them.

Phosphorus, an ingredient found in eggshells, is also known to cause bladder stones.

Can Eggshells Hurt A Dog?

More often than not, no.

But sometimes an eggshell can create a hole in your dog’s digestive tract and this will cause an obstruction that requires surgery. 

So if you notice that your dog is vomiting food rather than eating it then there’s a good chance they have something stuck in their stomach. 

That something could be a piece of bone or some other type of object but more often it’s pieces of eggshells that got mixed into the food. 

Mixing eggs with foods that are difficult to chew – such as ground beef, for example, is asking for trouble because these sharp little bits can get lodged inside puppies and dogs all too easily after having been swallowed whole without chewing.

How Can I Tell If My Dog Ate Eggshells?

You are not going to be able to tell if your dog has eaten eggs when they eat them whole, so the best thing you can do is look for other signs of trouble such as vomiting or a change in their behavior. 

Dogs that have eaten too many eggs/eggshells might also start showing signs of weakness and become lethargic, indicating that something isn’t right with their stomach. 

If my dog ate eggshells then it’s my responsibility as an owner to see what my pup will consume next time before giving him another meal – or else he could get sick again!

How Many Eggshells A Day Can I Give To My Dog?

A general rule of thumb would be 1-2 eggshells per day. You should consult your veterinarian before feeding dog eggshells.

Dogs can have eggshells as treats, but not every day. 

Dogs’ bodies are different than humans because they cannot produce their Vitamin D naturally. 

A dog needs to have access to sunlight – OR – get their Vitamin D through other natural sources like Small Fish (e.g., sardines), Beef Liver, Cheese, or Milk so that the liver does not need to take up the work of producing this vitamin when there is plenty available in food. 

Additionally, eggs contain more phosphorus than dogs require and insufficient intake of calcium elsewhere will lead to bone problems down the line on top of exacerbating any existing issues with calcification due to dietary excesses involving phosphorus from eggs.

What Happens When Your Dog Eats Eggshells?

It depends on the type of eggshell.

Some common eggshells are made from calcium carbonate, which is a soluble salt. 

Salts are an important part of both human and canine urine and can help to balance pH in the body. 

When people ingest larger than recommended amounts of salts, they often experience heartburn or bloating since these types of salts cannot be easily dissolved by stomach acid with sodium bicarbonate as an example. 

A dog may react similarly when it consumes eggshells after eating too many eggs; this would be more easily noticed if you could keep watch on your dog’s behavior during and after eating eggs or some select food high in salt content like soy sauce or seaweed. 

If any of these symptoms are present, a trip to the veterinarian is necessary.

Some eggshells can be digested by pets without any issues because they contain calcium carbonate but in my case, my pup’s stomach may not have been able to handle it. 

The vet has advised that I should keep watch on my dog and if he displays signs of pain, my dog needs to be seen right away.

What Should I Do If My Dog Ate Eggshells?

You should try to induce vomiting. If that is not possible, make sure the dog drinks lots and LOTS of water. 

Cooked eggshells are tough; they can stick in the stomach for months. 

So the goal is simply to get it out of there as fast as possible before any damage is done. 

In addition, you need to monitor your pet’s bowel movements until they start coming without any problems because that may indicate a problem (such as obstruction or constipation). 

Check with your vet right away if anything continues after 24 hours or if you notice any signs of discomfort at home like fever, lethargy, difficulty swallowing or breathing, unexplained diarrhea, or blood in stool/vomit. 

Don’t be surprised if the vet overreacts and recommends an x-ray or blood work, but it’s likely just the eggshells.

An oral examination will be completed to evaluate if there are any physical signs of injury or adverse reaction. 

A possible diagnosis would be a gastrointestinal foreign body obstruction (bites off broken pieces of shell that block the digestive tract). 

The vet could also check for other secondary causes like intestinal obstruction. 

These were just two common emergencies associated with ingestion of raw eggs or raw eggshells; however, they are not life-threatening and can be addressed with veterinary care.

What Should I Do If My Dog Ate Raw Eggs?

If your dog ate raw eggs, it is important not to give him any more raw eggs. 

This would be critical ingestion in which the pet’s stomach can quickly become irritated and cause vomiting. 

Some vets recommend administering a hydrogen peroxide solution (1 tablespoon for every 2 pounds of body weight) or mineral oil (1 teaspoon for every pound of dog), as both promote gastric emptying and help empty the stomach contents. 

If he vomits after either treatment, offer water or yogurt to rinse out his mouth but do not overfeed him between now and when you see your vet, as this will worsen the inflammatory process in his gut that may have begun with the egg ingestion.

Your veterinarian may prescribe powerful antibiotics that are typically reserved for human use as well as a stomach tube to remove the eggshells from his digestive tract.

What Should I Do If My Dog Ate Cooked Eggs?

First, withhold the food and water. The eggs are okay to eat for humans, but they must be cooked to kill avidin. 

This protein binds the biotin needed for a dog’s metabolism, causing a deficiency that can cause hair loss. 

Wait until it passes through their digestive system before feeding them anything else. It should pass fairly quickly (a few hours). 

Second, find out if he got anything besides eggs because you might need to look at the symptoms of other things ingested as well. 

Call your vet (or take him) once you find out what all they ate or drank just to make sure there isn’t something else going on too. 

Cooking time may also have something to do with how long it takes for the eggs to pass.

How To Feed EggShells To Your Dog

You can add whole eggshells, with the membrane on, to your dog’s food. 

The benefits are many, including naturally calming them and aiding in their digestion by increasing mineral absorption (through the increased presence of calcium).

Adding a little bit of apple cider vinegar or plain yogurt also helps because both products contain probiotics that promote digestive health. 

I don’t recommend using wet dog food if you’re going to be adding eggshells as it tends to get slimy and watery rather than dry and crunchy like commercial dog treats. 

Just use something else ground up into small manageable pieces for this type of activity, then cover with a thin layer of wet kibble before sprinkling eggshell on top.

Conclusion

The first thing to do is to clean up the eggshells as best you can. 

If your dog has eaten a lot of them, then it could obstruct their stomach or intestinal tract. 

A vet visit may be needed if this happens! But there’ll also be some minor symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea which should pass over time with no treatment necessary. 

It might take a few days for all the eggs shells to pass through their system so keep an eye out on them during this period. 

I hope my advice was helpful – please feel free to mention any other questions below 🙂

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