Believe it or not, dogs can eat eggs! Eggs are high in protein and contain many essential fatty acids and essential amino acids. This makes them a yummy — and healthy — snack when cooked or boiled. In fact, eggs may even be able to help settle your dog's upset stomach and can also be an important source of protein in some commercial dog foods.

As with any treat, it's important to use moderation when feeding home-cooked eggs to your dog. Even though they're a fantastically healthy food, it's possible for your dog to eat too many eggs or, with repeat overfeeding, to become obese. Before you start adding eggs to your dog's meal plan, ask your veterinarian how you can safely introduce them to your dog's feeding.

Although cooked eggs can be a nutritious treat for your dog, raw eggs are dangerous. As with humans, raw eggs can expose dogs to harmful salmonella, which can then spread back to their pet parents (especially those with a compromised immune system). But beyond bacteria, there's another threat raw eggs pose to your dog's health: biotin deficiency.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) explains, "[Raw eggs] contain an enzyme that ties up biotin and prevents absorption of biotin into the body." Because biotin is a vitamin responsible for supporting critical bodily functions (including digestion, skin health and metabolism), deficiency puts your dog at risk for serious health complications.

When preparing eggs for your dog, you'll want to think about simplicity and safety. Dogs can eat scrambled eggs, but whole boiled eggs can pose a choking hazard. When feeding your dog a boiled egg, make sure you cut the egg into bite-sized pieces that are easy for them to chew and swallow.

Unlike in your own breakfast, your dog's eggs should be prepared without any of the additives we use to bolster taste, such as oil, salt and butter. According to the AKC, salt "can increase water retention, which is potentially fatal to dogs prone to heart disease." Meanwhile, fats like oil and butter can contribute to weight gain, which puts your dog at risk for obesity-related health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, osteoarthritis and respiratory problems — to name only a few.