The egg is a magical treasure chest of health for pets and beyond

Things not to forget to make the best use of the egg.These are the nutritional properties and advice from experts.

• Eggs are perfect for feeding dogs and cats, but they are also essential for the human diet.
• The only danger is salmonellosis which can hide in eggs that are contaminated or consumed raw.

The egg it is truly a panacea well-being in the diet of human beings and pets.The discovery of its importance in the nutritional field has re-evaluated this product of nature after years in which it was demonized as the cause of various problems ranging from increased cholesterol to liver damage.Let's try to take stock of the situation with the help of nutritionists on the occasion of the World Egg Day, which was held last October 14.

The properties of the egg and the pet diet

One medium egg provides approx 65 kilocalories, 6.5 grams of protein And 4.8 grams of fat.The yolk is rich in fat, most of it mono And polyunsaturated. Its yellow-orange color is given by the antioxidant compounds present, in particular lutein And zeaxanthin.It is also rich in vitamin B1, vitamin A, phosphorus and iron.The egg white is made for the 90 percent from water and for the rest from proteins, traces of minerals, vitamin B12.Proteins are very rich in essential amino acids, so much so that the egg is used as a comparison for the biological value of all other proteins.By convention, in fact, it is attributed 100 to egg proteins:all other foods have lower biological heat.Explain the Doctor Chiara Dissegna, veterinary doctor expert in animal nutrition:“But pay attention to theavidin contained in the albumen.Capable of binding B group vitamins, in particular biotin, it is considered an anti-nutritional factor.The problem is easily solved by cooking the eggs;cooking in fact inactivates this substance.For this reason dogs And cats they can eat eggs cooked in various ways, all equally functional from a dietary point of view."

It is important to administer the egg on certain occasions

• in puppies, during pregnancy/lactation and in elderly animals
• in sporting dogs
• during renal pathologies (especially albumen)
• during liver disease
• in dogs affected by ammonium urate urolithiasis
• during behavioral and neurological pathologies

Its importance in human nutrition

The importance of eggs in human nutrition is decidedly fundamental.“We can consider the egg as a true mine of nutrients, which concentrates a high protein value in just a few calories.In fact, it contains proteins rich in all the essential amino acids that we are unable to produce independently, as well as carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, capable of increasing the antioxidant action in ocular tissues, with a possible protective effect on vision.It then provides mineral salts such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins, in particular TO And D, folic acid, the B6 And B12 and the choline, essential for the integrity of cell membranes. Two to four eggs a week they certainly enrich our diet,” he explains Evelina Flachi, nutritionist and expert in food science during the first episode of the campaign “around the table, one health appointments” promoted by Msd Animal Health.

Danger of salmonellosis

One of the dangers that eating raw eggs can pose comes from contagion with salmonella, a bacterium associated mainly with the ingestion of contaminated foods during storage and handling.And it is above all foods of poultry origin, raw egg on the head,  to be a frequent cause of salmonellosis.The severity of symptoms of infections of this type ranges from simple disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with fever, diarrhea And abdominal pain,  up to more serious clinical forms, which however occur above all in people already debilitated by other diseases.How to avoid the danger?Salmonella is sensitive to chemical and physical agents.Refrigeration, for example, if it occurs at temperatures lower than 5°C, prevents bacterial multiplication, even if it does not kill microorganisms.Freezing, however, causes a moderate inactivation of the bacterium, as well as preventing its growth.But it's just there cooking the food to drastically reduce the risk of infection, since salmonella are destroyed by heat.Eggs cooked, therefore, in various recipes and preparations to guarantee optimal use of the nutritional properties of this important animal product.