At 03:33 PM 7/13/98 EDT, you wrote:
>anyone here eat raw eggs,
>someone has been telling me that eating raw eggs causes one to develop a
>biotin deficiency...

I don't eat raw eggs, but I do feed them to my dogs and have done so
without any apparentl problems for a couple of years now. The issue of
biotin deficiency from raw eggs regularly comes up on another list I'm on
(Wellpet). It's my understanding that the biotin deficiency issue came
about because awhile back, somebody did a study in which they fed massive
amounts of egg white to rats, and they found that the avidin in the whites
created a biotin deficiency. Sorry I don't have an exact reference for the
study, it's mentioned in a natural health book for pets. However, in a
veterinary nutrition text that I have, it states that if you feed *whole*
raw eggs, there's no problem as the biotin in the yolk more than makes up
for any deficiency that the avidin in the white would create (Lewis LD et
al. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition III. Topeka, KS: Mark Morris
Associates, 1990:2-12.) OTOH, while hunting the archives of the Paleo Diet
list, I found mention by Loren Cordain as to the fact that egg white
contains an iron binding lectin called conalbunin which can interfere with
iron absorption *in humans* (no mention of dogs) - referenced to: Alderton
G. et al. Identifification of the bacteria-inhibiting, iron binding protein
of egg white as conalbumin. Arch Biochem 1946 11:9-13.

It's sort of a moot point for me as the idea of eating raw eggs sort of
turns my stomach, but WRT my dogs I have to wonder who cooks eggs for wolves?

Kathy Partridge
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Artworks website: <http://www.borg.com/~atelierk/>
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Atelier Golden Retrievers & Goldens Portrayed
Member GRCA, up in central New York