Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Calcium
Is anyone worried about your dogs getting to much calcium. I am more worried about this then to much protein.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Adina P on
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Worried about getting it from where? Are you referring to supplements?
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Permalink Reply by Janie on
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No, in what you feed them. I was told by my vet to worry more about to much calcuim then to much protein( as long as it was a good quality protein). He said not more then 1.8 of calcium. I was wanting to know what you all thought.
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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1.8 grams of calcium?
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It would be pretty hard for a dog (or anyone) to get more than 1.8 grams of calcium from any kind of normal diet.
That's 6 cups of milk or cottage chesse, or four cups of yogurt. -
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Janie, what is your concern, with homemade diets or with kibbles? From what I have read, dogs need a lot of calcium, especially puppies. The kibbles are balanced for the recommended minerals & nutrients. There is usually a concern with them not getting enough from homemade diets, hence the addition of bone meal, eggshells, etc. Have you heard about a problem with excess calcium in a particular food or diet?
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Both. My vet said when you check your kibbles make sure the calcium is no more them1.8 percent. I do not know how this measures up to grams.
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I don't think he meant percent of the total diet...that still doesn't tell you if he means percent by weight, by volume, or by calories. I think he probably meant 1.8 grams per day. The commercial foods are regulated to provided for the correct amount, and homemade diets need supplementation to even approach an adequate amount of calcium. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
What did he say was the problem with an excess of calcium? Is he concerned about rapid bone growth? Has he seen a problem with this in his practice? I haven't heard of that before. -
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Yes, rapid bone growth. I will have to ask him again to see if I have it wrong.
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If you look just below at the AAFCO standards, the recommendation for adult dogs is 1.7 gms calcium for every 1000 calories consumed, so I think that's what he means. All commercial dog foods are formulated to fall within the AAFCO guidelines by law. So no worries there. And homecooked diets are very low in calcium by nature, that's why people add the calcium supplements. plus, keep in mind that the AAFCO standards are minimum requirements, just like our RDA.
This is not meant to criticize your vet, but they are not nutritionists, and their knowledge of nutrition is perfunctory, just like human MD's. They learn the basics, along with nurses, dentists, and personal trainers, lol. The fact that so many vets prescribe the Hill's products testifies to that.
I don't think there is any danger of a puppy getting too much calcium from any premium dog food, and no danger at all from a homemade diet. If anything, the opposite. I wouldn't worry. -
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From the Pet Diets Website:
http://www.petdiets.com/faqs/display_topic.asp?TopicID=2&Page=1
Question
How many milligrams of calcium does a 30 lb dog need daily? How about 40 lb dog? Can I just grind the calcium supplement tablets (made for humans) into their home made food? I would appreciate your answer very much!
Answer
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommends that the diet of an adult dog (maintenance life stage) supply 1.7 grams of Calcium per 1000 kcal diet consumed.
A 30 # adult dog would require (on average) 794 kcal ME/day. This calculates to 1.35 grams Calcium per day (= 1350 mg).
A 40 # adult dog would require (on average) 986 kcal ME/day. This calculates to 1.68 grams Calcium per day (= 1680 mg).
There is likely some calcium provided in the diet ingredients of your home made food. Therefore it would be best to have your diet checked to determine exactly how much additional Calcium needs to be supplemented. Yes, this calcium supplement can come from human Calcium supplement tablets.
When you are feeding a homemade diet to your pet(s), it is important to ensure that any homemade diet you choose to feed is nutritionally balanced. -
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Here's a link to Dr. Pitcairn's discussion of calcium requirements for dogs & cats, with the calcium content of many supplements.
http://www.drpitcairn.com/pdfs/calcium.pdf -
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The calcium and phosphorus ratios and total amounts in the diet are very important factors, especially in rapidly growing, large breeds. The results of ongoing research clearly document that the unique nutritional needs of the large breed puppy are best provided by a diet matrix containing a minimum of 26% protein (high quality, animal-based source), a minimum of 14% fat, and 0.8% Calcium and 0.67% Phosphorus. Also the ideal amount of calcium in the food is 1.0 to 1.8 percent of the dry weight of that food. Low quality dog foods often contain 2 and even 3 percent of the dry weight as calcium. This is due to the large amount of ground bone in the meat, poultry or fish meal. Diets with high amounts of "meat and bone meal" may surpass the optimal percentage of Calcium.
This information is from The Pet Center .Com...does this tell you what I'm trying to say -
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