Dog Community

Calcium questions

Posted : 7/24/2006 7:21:12 AM

I've been thinking about this and have some questions.

I know when feeding boneless meat a calcium supplement is supposed to be added in. But, I also know that adding in additional foods will then throw off the calcium/phos. ratio. So, it's never exact, right?

Also, I've heard mention that dogs do not digest milk. Is this true??

Also, Willow is an adult dog, what chances are there of her having some kind of skeletal disorder from lack of calcium at this stage. To me, this makes sense for puppies as they are still growing but I'm having trouble understanding it for an adult.

Thanks.

glenmar

Posted : 7/24/2006 7:25:39 AM

I can't discuss the calcium issue from a scientific standpoint so I won't try.....but as far as the grown bones go, well, think of your own body. Women start to loose bone as early as their 30's which is why it is recommended that WE get enough calcium from a young age, to feed those bones. They aren't dead things that don't need nourishment...they are a living part of our bodies that need to be nourished and given the stuff that they need to remain healthy, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the SAME applies to dogs.

mudpuppy

Posted : 7/24/2006 8:52:17 AM

yeah, most dogs are lactose intolerant. I guess you could feed them the lactaid milk if you wanted to. If you or your adult dog don't eat enough calcium your body takes it from your bones. It's absolutely critical you maintain a certain level of calcium in your tissues-- you'll drop dead if you don't, so your body raids your bones. Over time, if you don't replace the calcium by eating some, your bones will crumble and break. I think people get too hung up on the Ca

ratio. P is everywhere and abundant. If you focus on feeding enough calcium daily, that should cover it. For an adult dog, the minimal amount of calcium needed to prevent problems is 119 mg/kg per day.

papillon806

Posted : 7/24/2006 9:05:00 AM

The only reason I would add a concentrated calcium supplement would be if meat (w/o bones) was the main food your dog is getting. If you are just giving muscle meat for a single meal or a snack, adding lowfat yogurt or cottage cheese would be a good idea (adds a small amount of calcium but has extra protein) to help balance the ratio out w/ out over-doing it.

mudpuppy

Posted : 7/24/2006 11:59:45 AM

most dogs seem to get too much calcium. If you're feeding a raw diet that is mostly RMBs, it's likely you're feeding too much. Unless you are feeding a lot of boneless meat it's best to not supplement. Growing puppies can easily be crippled by too much calcium in the diet; adult dogs may develop bladder stones.

beth82

Posted : 7/24/2006 12:38:25 PM

The total amount of calcium and phosphorous in the diet needs to be balanced. There's a pretty wide range of healthy calcium to phosphorous ratios - anything between 1:1 and 2:1 is safe. For example, a pound of boneless meat typically has 500 - 900 mg. of phosphorous, depending on what type and how fatty it is. If you add 1,000 calcium to that lb. of meat, you'll get a ratio between 1.1:1 and 2:1.

I wouldn't rely on dairy for calcium, because it doesn't have enough to balance the high amount of phos. in meat. Milk and yogurt are already perfectly balanced as far as those two minerals, so adding meat would throw off the balance. Cottage cheese actually has more phos. than it does calcium.

willowchow

Posted : 7/25/2006 12:47:35 AM

I see, but I still don't understand how anything is balance when she's getting more calcium and more phos from other sources anyway. So, the meat is balanced but not the overall dialy intake?? Confused. . .

Then, of course, if I use bone meal that add more phos, right?? It's too confusing, too much fuss and I'm not sure for what really. I've never heard of any dog having problems from this and I know a LOT of people who just feed their dog meat or unbalanced home made food.

beth82

Posted : 7/25/2006 3:36:12 PM

If each part of the diet is balanced, then the whole diet is. You wouldn't unbalance her diet by feeding many different commercial foods, because all of them have correct calcium to phosphorous ratios. If you feed plain meat without bones, adding the correct amount of calcium to the meat would balance that part of her diet.

On the other hand, it doesn't have to be perfect. As you said, plenty of people just give meat along with kibble and don't worry about it. As long as she gets a good amount of calcium from somewhere, she should be fine.

Mandy Thompson

Posted : 7/25/2006 9:13:45 PM

im wondering if a person could use reptile calcium supplement
theres ones with phosphorous : calcium ratio...i think there are 1:1 or 1:2(cant remeber exactly)

also i have fed my dogs canned cream mixed with water and none of them have ever go upset tummies from it
there a difference between canned cream and milk??