As 'Golden Retriever Egg Challenge' Becomes Internet Trend, Vets Say it is Dangerous For Dogs

A viral trend earlier this month including a Golden Retriever had caught the attention of the internet. The breed known for its gentle mouthing behavior would be given a raw egg to see if it holds it or breaks. Most of the dogs would hold the brittle egg with care in their mouth and give it back to their humans. The trend began after someone tested if the Golden Retrievers like they are known for soft cupping items, can really hold an egg in their mouth without breaking them.

It became an internet challenge after one of the pet parents shared the video of their dogs spitting out the egg without breaking it. Known as the 'Golden Retriever Egg Challenge', the trend gained momentum on social media with many of them sharing it.

Soon people with Golden Retrievers as pets started trying the challenge with their pets and shared the videos on social media. Thousands of pet owners uploaded videos of their dogs, while most held the egg gently, some broke it resulting in a complete mess.

Here are some of the videos:

While golden retrievers were the star of the challenge, some also tried it on other breeds.

Hilariously, some refused to give it up and kept the eggs for themselves. While the 'amusing' videos garnered a lot of eyeballs on social media, veterinarians do not think so. According to animal doctors, placing a raw egg in a dog's mouth can prove dangerous for them. It can be a choking hazard if it gets stuck in the dog's throat. She said it could even c.

BuzzFeed quoted Doctor Paula Parker, the president of the Australian Veterinary Association as saying, "Placing a raw egg (in the shell) in a dog’s mouth is a health risk. It is choking hazard as the egg may become lodged in the dog’s throat. However, there is also a risk of the dog contracting an infection from bacteria that is present on the outside of the eggshell, for example, salmonella."

She added, "Salmonella can be present both inside and outside the shell, so even if the egg does not break, if the bacteria is present on the outside of the shell it could lead to health concerns including diarrhoea and vomiting."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 26, 2018 11:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).