# Are crushed or ground up egg shells for calcium good for dogs?



## Fenris-wolf (Apr 17, 2018)

I'm not sure about how much and how often, but I do know that people grind the egg shells and add it to their dog's food.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If you feed boneless meat or other protein, you need to balance the phosphorus with calcium. Ground eggshell is one readily available source - the amount needed is 1 teaspoonful per kilo of meat/half a teaspoonful per pound. But commercial and other complete foods should already contain the right amount of calcium, and adding more could cause problems. A small amount of extra meat as a topper - 10-20% of total calories - should not need extra supplementation.


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## Olive Love (Jul 22, 2020)

I give Olive some of them. Do not give your dog too much!


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## FloofyPoodle (May 12, 2020)

I think if you’re feeding raw and want to make sure that the dog has enough calcium in their diet, that would be a good idea if you weren’t feeding bones for some reason (toothless dog, maybe?). But nowadays, they add it to food, much like vitamins, from what I understand. Which is why it’s typically advised not to give your dog vitamins unless they are shown to be deficient in one, as it turns out to be expensive urine. I don’t know how true this is, though. And typically chickens eat a homemade diet supplemented with feed, so maybe that’s why?


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

If you are feeding raw, then you would be feeding raw eggs including the shell. The shell is equivalent to a bone. I never ground up the shells, though.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

When I hard boil eggs - I put in a couple of eggs for Asta. Just get it a little start and Asta will eat the shell as well as the egg. This is one real good treat. Wonder now if he gets too much calcium. Also when I eat an egg, he wants the the shell.when I peel it.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Grinding ensures the dog can absorb more of the calcium. The occasional whole egg shell is fine, but calcium in excess can cause problems, so it is not a good idea to add ground shells to an already complete diet.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Thanks everyone! Because eggshell pieces seem sharp to me, I had no idea you could feed these to dogs unless ground up. 

I'll add that I've been feeding mine Royal Canine kibble each day with a generous mix of leftovers usually in the evening. It's usually baked chicken and maybe a few veggies, and including eggs once in awhile, but w/o the shell. I think I'll add occasional ground up shells from now on.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Cooked eggshells can be pretty sharp so I think they should be ground fairly fine. Raw eggshells break up more easily themselves. I use ground bone meal to supplement the dogs since it has a proper calcium to phosphorus ratio.

BTW I supplement my birds for calcium with oyster shells crushed up (not by me, buy them crushed). Laying birds do need the extra calcium and interestingly regulate their consumption. When I've had oyster shell available to pullets they leave it until just before the first egg or two appear.


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## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

I feed raw, so my eggshells were not cooked, I did not think about the cooking process since you all seem to feed cooked eggs. I will admit also that my eggs were fresh. Fresh like I walk out the back door and take them from the nest. That may also make a difference.


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