Egg

Egg Glossary: Egg is an ingredient used as a source of very high-quality protein in some dog and cat foods, and whole-egg protein is often taken as a biological-value reference because its amino acid profile is very complete and well absorbed. Egg also supplies fat, fat-soluble vitamins, choline and minerals: the yolk concentrates most of the fat and micronutrients, while the white is mainly protein (USDA FoodData Central). A cooking point matters and surprises many owners: egg should be cooked in foods, because raw egg white contains avidin, a protein that can hinder the absorption of biotin, a B-group vitamin, and cooking deactivates avidin and removes this risk besides lowering the microbiological risk (veterinary literature). Cooked egg is therefore the relevant ingredient in pet food. Crushed shell is sometimes used as a calcium source in a [home-cooked diet](/glossary/home-cooked-diet), subject to controlled dosing (NRC, 2006). On a label, egg or egg powder signals a reference protein supply, but its share remains to be checked. The marker: cooked egg is a very good-quality protein, provided raw white is avoided since it can interfere with biotin. It serves as a benchmark against which proteins such as [chicken breast](/glossary/chicken-breast) and [dehydrated chicken](/glossary/dehydrated-chicken) are judged in the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary).

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General documentary information. For an individual animal, a veterinarian's advice takes precedence over any online content.