Dried Egg Product in dog and cat food

Is it OK for dogs and cats?

Dogs

The sources cited here do not show harm from dried egg product in complete dog foods, and Merck notes that egg has been given the highest biologic value, a measure of protein quality. Egg was a confirmed allergen in 11 of 297 food-allergic dogs (about 4%) in one review.

Cats

The sources cited here do not show harm in complete cat foods. Egg fat supplies arachidonic acid, which cats, unlike dogs, cannot readily make from linoleic acid. Egg allergy was reported only in individual cats in the reviewed studies.

How settled this is: No known concern at the amounts used in complete foods

What dried egg product is

The EU Catalogue of feed materials lists 'egg products, dried' as pasteurised dried eggs without shells, or a mixture of dried egg white (albumen) and dried egg yolk in different proportions. Crude protein and crude fat must be declared, and moisture if it is above 5%. In US human-food rules, 'dried eggs' or 'dried whole eggs' are dried liquid whole eggs. They must be made so that the finished food is free of viable Salmonella and contains at least 95% egg solids. On US pet food labels, ingredients must be listed by their AAFCO-established names and definitions.

Why it is in pet food

Egg protein scores well on measures of protein quality. Merck notes that egg has been given the highest biologic value, and the higher the biologic value, the less protein is needed to supply essential amino acids. In a chick growth test of protein ingredients used in dog and cat food, the spray-dried egg products were among those with the highest protein efficiency ratios, alongside one low-temperature dried chicken product. Spray-dried egg white scored lower. That study used chicks as a model, not dogs or cats.

What it does in the food

In one analysis, spray-dried egg was about 50% protein and 35% fat on a dry-matter basis. Spray-dried egg white was about 83% protein with almost no fat. Merck notes that egg yolks are a good source of biotin. Egg fat contains arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid that cats need in their diet because, unlike dogs, they cannot readily convert linoleic acid into it.

Safety and limits

Raw egg white contains avidin, which binds biotin and can cause biotin deficiency when raw whites are fed. Merck lists avidin among antinutritional factors that are destroyed by cooking, and says naturally occurring biotin deficiency is very rare in dogs and cats. The sources here do not say how much avidin activity remains after egg is pasteurised and dried. Allergy: in a review of food-challenge studies, egg was a confirmed trigger in 11 of 297 food-allergic dogs (4%) and in individual cats. The authors say these figures do not show true prevalence.

What depends on the amount and the recipe

The mix of whole egg, egg white and yolk, which changes the protein and fat content; processing heat, which can reduce the availability of some amino acids such as lysine; and whether the individual pet is allergic to egg.

Not the same as

• Eggs (whole, fresh) — Whole eggs with or without shells. The EU Catalogue lists them separately from the dried product.
• Dried egg white (albumen) — Egg white only, with almost no fat. In one analysis it was about 83% protein, compared with about 50% for spray-dried egg.
• Dried egg shells (eggshell meal) — The dried shell left after the yolk and white are removed. It is declared by its ash (mineral) content.
• Egg powder, sugared — Dried egg with sugar. It is a separate EU Catalogue entry that also declares total sugars.

Sources

1. Commission Regulation (EU) No 68/2013 on the Catalogue of feed materials, consolidated text of 24 July 2022 (entries 9.15.1 to 9.15.5) — Publications Office of the European Union, 2022. Definition of 'egg products, dried' (pasteurised dried eggs without shells, or mixtures of dried albumen and yolk) and its compulsory declarations; separate entries for eggs, albumen, sugared egg powder and dried egg shells.
2. 21 CFR 160.105 Dried eggs — US Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), 2026. US human-food standard: 'dried eggs' or 'dried whole eggs' are dried liquid eggs, free of viable Salmonella, with at least 95% total egg solids.
3. Reading Labels (Understanding Pet Food) — Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), 2024. US pet food ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight and by their AAFCO-established names and definitions.
4. Donadelli RA, Aldrich CG, Jones CK, Beyer RS. The amino acid composition and protein quality of various egg, poultry meal by-products, and vegetable proteins used in the production of dog and cat diets. Poultry Science 98(3):1371-1378 — Poultry Science (via PubMed Central), 2019. Spray-dried egg about 50% crude protein and 35% fat, spray-dried egg white about 83% protein (dry-matter basis); spray-dried egg products and one low-temperature dried chicken product had the highest chick PER, with egg white lower; higher processing temperatures can reduce lysine availability.
5. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals, Merck Veterinary Manual, professional version — Merck & Co. (Merck Veterinary Manual), 2024. Egg has been given the highest biologic value; cats need arachidonic acid, found in fat from meat, poultry and eggs, and cannot readily convert linoleic acid; egg yolks are a good source of biotin; avidin in raw egg whites binds biotin and is destroyed by cooking; naturally occurring biotin deficiency is very rare in dogs and cats.
6. Mueller RS, Olivry T, Prélaud P. Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research 12:9 — BMC Veterinary Research (via PubMed Central), 2016. Egg was an offending allergen in 11 of 297 dogs (4%) and in individual cats with confirmed food reactions; figures do not show true prevalence.

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-15. Definitions are in our own words. This is a reading aid, not veterinary advice: a vet who knows your animal comes first.