A reader asked me two great questions today: Why dry eggshells before grinding and is tofu okay for dogs.
Drying eggshells in the oven achieves a few things:
- Sterilizes the eggshell and kills bacteria
- Dries out the thin membrane that sometimes remains after rinsing
- Makes the eggshell more brittle so that it grinds to a finer powder easier
- Removes any mineral-oil coating used to prevent eggs from drying out
I generally recommend this step, as it only takes a couple of minutes and I feel that it makes a safer product. However, don't cook them too long or it creates a horrible smell. My recipe for eggshell powder was recently featured in Modern Dog Magazine, as well as a thumbs up for Feed Your Best Friend Better.
Regarding tofu, I didn't include any recipes with tofu because vegetarian diets are something that are best prescribed by a veterinarian. While most of the amino acids (proteins) a 40-lb dog needs can be met with 1/3 pound of chicken thighs many of those same nutrients would need 1/2 to 5 pounds (!) of tofu to satisfy metabolic requirements. Usually supplementation of some amino acids is also recommended.
While it's not my go to choice for providing nutrition to dogs, tofu is a safe food to share for your dogs. If you have a favorite tofu recipe, send it over and I'll see what I can do about creating a recipe to share with dogs, or a take off that is dog friendly.
Because tofu only has only about 90 calories a cup (plus a little more depending on you prepare it) it can be shared as a treat in the following amounts:
10-pound dog: 1 tablespoon
20-pound dog: 2 tablespoon
40-pound dog: 3 tablespoons
60-pound dog: 1/4 cup
80-pound dog: 1/3 cup
However, always start with a small amount of new foods to see how your individual dog reacts to it and then work your way up.
Got a question, send it over.
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