Conditions apply
Can dogs eat eggshells?
Finely ground, cooked eggshell is a usable calcium source, but only as part of a diet formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. Coarse shell fragments are sharp.
Why
Eggshell is almost pure calcium carbonate — roughly 380 mg of calcium per gram. That makes it useful in a formulated home diet and dangerous to guess with, since calcium excess is as harmful as deficiency, especially in growing large-breed puppies.
How to prepare it
Baked to kill salmonella, then ground to a fine powder.
Never in this form
Coarse or sharp fragments. Any quantity chosen without a nutritionist's calculation.
Also check for
- salmonella on raw shell
- sharp fragments
- calcium excess
How confident is this
established
Well established in the veterinary literature and consistent across sources.
- NRC (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats.
- Merck Veterinary Manual, Toxicology of Food-Associated Hazards
Further reading
Check another food
Informational only, and not a substitute for veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and this page cannot account for your dog's age, size, health conditions or medication. If you are worried, phone a vet — that call is always the right call.