Introduction
More and more pooper scoopers are choosing to prepare their own food for their dogs at home, which is a good attempt. However, when shovelers prepare food for their dogs, they often overlook the importance of calcium in their dog's diet.
If your dog's diet lacks calcium, then your homemade dog food will not benefit your dog. On the contrary, your dog's body may experience problems if he or she ingests calcium-deficient food for a long period of time.
Why Is Calcium So Important in A Dog's Diet?
For dogs, the blood calcium levels in the organism must be maintained within a normal range to keep them healthy. If blood calcium levels are abnormal, this can lead to many serious health problems in dogs. These health problems include muscle weakness, seizures, convulsions and even death.
Adult dogs can absorb calcium from their diet (adult dogs have the ability to control calcium absorption) in order to control their blood calcium levels. On the other hand, the extent to which a dog absorbs calcium can also be affected by the amount of vitamin D in the diet at the same time, as vitamin D promotes calcium absorption.
Note that puppies have little control over calcium absorption, so they are susceptible to the negative effects of too much or too little calcium and vitamin D in their diet.
Dogs can regulate the amount of calcium in their blood by storing it in their bones and then calling up the calcium from the bones when they need it (when calcium is deficient in their diet). When adult dogs don't get enough calcium for a long period of time (e.g., a few months), they can develop a condition called nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. In this case, the dog's body produces excess parathyroid hormone and gets the calcium it needs from the bones, which also leads to increased phosphorus levels in the blood.
Parathyroid hormone is completely different from thyroid hormone and is called parathyroid hormone because the parathyroid glands are adjacent to the thyroid gland. Parathyroid hormone is responsible for regulating calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood. Hyperparathyroidism (overproduction of parathyroid hormone) can also be caused by parathyroid tumors (primary hyperparathyroidism) or advanced kidney disease (secondary hyperparathyroidism of the kidneys).
Nutritional secondary hyperthyroidism is usually associated with a calcium deficiency and sometimes with too little vitamin D. The body produces too much vitamin D in the blood.
When the body produces too much parathyroid hormone, it can lead to decalcification of the bones. This can lead to lameness, bone pain, limited mobility, decreased activity, and sometimes even spontaneous fractures in dogs. Adult dogs may develop spinal deformities, loose teeth, or neurological symptoms. Puppies are more likely to develop deformities in their legs and joints and cause them to be unable to walk properly.
If the calcium deficiency is not corrected quickly, it may lead to long-term orthopedic problems in your dog.
Now do you know how scary a chronic calcium deficiency in your dog's diet can be? I'm not being alarmist, I'm just telling you that it's very important to provide the right amount of calcium in your dog's diet.
When Do We Not Need to Give Our Dogs Calcium Supplements?
If you are feeding your dog a complete and balanced commercial dog food, then you must stop supplementing your dog with extra calcium. The amount of calcium in a good commercial dog food is appropriate, and over-supplementing your dog with calcium can be detrimental.
Most homemade dog foods require added calcium, but there are exceptions.
You are feeding your dog raw bones and meat, which includes raw bones (like chicken necks), which are rich in calcium and phosphorus. So if you are feeding your dog meat with bones in it, then there is no need for you to add additional calcium.
A Detailed Guide to Adding Calcium to Your Dog's Diet
In the vast majority of cases, you will need to add calcium to your dog's homemade diet. The amount of calcium added can be determined in a few different ways that include the weight of the dog, the percentage of dry matter in the food, and the calories your dog needs. Each of these methods is not as simple as you might think:
Small dogs have higher nutritional requirements per unit of body weight compared to large dogs. So you can't use a simple linear formula to calculate how much calcium you need to add to your dog, such as “x amount of calcium per kilogram of body weight”. If someone tells you how much calcium to add per kilogram of body weight, they really don't understand the principles of dietary nutrition for dogs.
The moisture content in food spans a wide range, from about 10% in dry food to as much as 80% in wet food. So, when calculating how much calcium we should add, we should all translate to a dry matter standard.
Calculating the nutritional requirements for calcium based on your dog's calorie needs is the easiest way to do this, but there are many factors that affect your dog's calorie needs. Caloric needs change depending on the dog's activity level, age, metabolism, and more.
The National Science Council's (NRC) Canine Nutrition Guidelines in 2006 recommended feeding adult dogs at least 1 milligram per calorie (1 mg/kcal) of calcium.
The American Feed Control Official Write (AAFCO) recommended increasing the amount of calcium added to 1.25 milligrams per calorie (1.25 mg/kcal) in its 2016 revision.
There are many forms of calcium that can be added to your homemade dog diet. Any form of regular calcium is fine, do not include other ingredients such as vitamin D.
Dogs do need vitamin D, but they don't have a high need for it, and adding extra vitamin D may result in too much vitamin D in the diet.
Calcium carbonate for dogs are usually the cheapest and most readily available source of calcium. They contain more elemental calcium than most other calcium compounds, so you will have less calcium powder to add to your food.
Dried eggshell powder is a very good source of calcium, and it is mostly just made up of calcium carbonate for dogs. Eggshell powder is easily available in the market.
A whole eggshell makes about 5.5 grams of eggshell powder, which will provide about 2 grams of calcium.
Some people like to try whole shelled eggs for their dogs, but I don't think this is a good idea. Eggshells that have not been ground into a powder are hard for your dog to digest, so your dog will have a hard time absorbing the calcium from the shell.
If you notice eggshells in your dog's feces, that's a sign that the eggshells are not being digested and absorbed by your dog. But if the dog absorbs an entire eggshell, then you may be giving your dog too much calcium, especially for some puppies.
So, if you want to use eggshells to provide your dog with a diet with the right amount of calcium, I would recommend that you go with eggshell powder for this addition, as it is the safest and most effective thing to do.
If you're using a calcium supplement that also includes phosphorus (such as bone meal or dicalcium phosphate), then you'll need to add more calcium supplement compared to calcium carbonate for dogs to make it work.
When you decide that you want to give your dog a calcium supplement that contains phosphorus, you must first subtract the amount of phosphorus from the amount of calcium, and then calculate how much calcium supplement you should give your dog based on the amount of calcium remaining.
An example. If you are using bone meal as your dog's calcium supplement, then each teaspoon of bone meal contains approximately 800 mg of calcium and 300 mg of phosphorus. You should actually then use 500 (500=800-300) milligrams of calcium to calculate how much calcium supplement you should be using. If your dog needs 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day, then you should add two teaspoons of bone meal to your dog to make it work. The purpose of this calculation is to equalize the calcium to phosphorus ratio in your dog's diet.
In this case, you can double the recommended intake of calcium supplements in Table 1, which will make it easier for you to calculate how much calcium powder to add to your diet.
What Is the Proper Calcium Supplement for Dogs?
The dog's life, hairy father and mother is broken old parents heart.
Want to raise the dog white fat, strong and strong, every day is good food and drink to serve.
In addition to daily dog food, will often boil bone soup, buy nutritional products.
Just to let the dog supplement more calcium.
Is this really the right thing to do?
Animal bones are made up of protein fibers (mainly collagen) and minerals.
Nutrients associated with bones include:
Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Copper and Iron in addition to Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid and Vitamin K.
All of these nutrients are essential for your dog's bone health.
Calcium and phosphorus are the primary and most important minerals in bones.
All of these essential nutrients play an extremely important role in the animal's body and are closely intertwined with each other, so an imbalance in their ratio can affect the absorption and presence of other nutrients.
Eating a single nutrient when supplementing your dog's diet will result in a nutritional imbalance in the long run.
1. Two major misconceptions about calcium supplementation for dogs
Eating bones can supplement calcium
The main component of bone is bone marrow, and the vast majority of bone marrow is fat, so give your dog bone soup, supplement is mainly fat, not calcium.
Can eating bones directly supplement calcium?
Eating bones directly will easily cause injuries to your dog's esophagus and gastrointestinal tract, and there is no guarantee that the calcium contained in the bones will be absorbed into your dog's body intact.
Does a large dog need extra calcium to grow well?
Large dogs grow so fast that many parents are concerned about inadequate calcium intake. It is true that large calcium supplements can make bones grow fast and strong, but they can affect the health of your dog's joints in specific cases.
When a dog is diagnosed with oil hip dysplasia (as a puppy), calcium supplements can cause the bones to grow faster than the muscles, leading to structural changes in the hip joints, which can evolve into degenerative arthritis over time, and in the worst case scenario, the dog will be unable to stand.
2.What Kind of Situation Is the Need of Calcium Supplementation for Dogs?
Bitches before and after giving birth
From the beginning of the dog's pregnancy, you need to take calcium supplements for your dog, because the dog in the stomach will slowly grow to absorb the nutrition of the mother dog, calcium loss is too fast, so it is necessary to take calcium supplements at this time, until 15 days before delivery to stop, after the birth of the puppy because of the need to feed the puppy, you also need to replenish the large amount of calcium, until the puppy weaned.
After weaning
After weaning, puppies will enter a rapid growth period, if you can choose the right dog food, the calcium contained in it can basically meet the growth needs of the puppy, not providing enough calcium during this critical period will cause the dog's bones to develop unsoundly, the most obvious symptom is not standing on its ears, inside and outside the eight, or may be in the period of tooth replacement, such as double rows of teeth.
After orthopedic surgery
Just after orthopedic surgery, usually the doctor will let the dog take calcium supplements to help the bones join together.
Older Dogs
When the dog gets old, due to endocrine and other reasons, the intake of calcium will gradually decrease and increase the amount of loss. At this time, you can give your dog calcium supplements at the right time, and at the same time, maintain a certain amount of exercise, to avoid and minimize the incidence of osteoporosis, bone spurs, and bone fractures.
3.How to Help the Dog Correct Calcium Supplement
Pet-specific milk
The milk for dogs has a variety of calcium added to it, which can effectively help dogs absorb calcium.
Calcium tablets for pets
Crush the calcium tablets and mix them into the food, or feed them directly to help your dog supplement calcium. Clorox Calcium Hydrogen Phosphate Tablets.
Vitamin D Supplement
For better absorption of calcium, you can give your dog a vitamin D supplement at the same time.
Get plenty of sunlight
Adequate sunlight increases vitamin D, which helps in better absorption of calcium.
Exercise
Moderate exercise can increase intestinal peristalsis, promote digestion, good dog appetite, calcium absorption rate will also be improved.
Functions and Applications of Calcium in Pet Foods
The primary biological function of calcium lies in the formation of bones and teeth. In playing this role, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are the main minerals that are incorporated into the protein matrix that forms these structural parts of the body. Calcium is also involved in blood clotting, nerve function, muscle contraction, and cell permeability (involved in the movement of nutrients into individual cells as well as the movement of waste products out of these cells).
Calcium deficiency can lead to rickets in young animals and achondroplasia in older animals. This is sometimes the result of nutritionally induced hyperparathyroidism. Excess production of parathyroid hormone (PTH) will result in skeletal deformities and lameness.
Vitamin D is involved in calcium absorption and the deposition of calcium ions into bone matrix proteins. Excess phosphorus and magnesium inhibit calcium absorption. Excess magnesium replaces calcium in the bones and increases calcium excretion from the body. Calcium absorption in the GI tract, absorption in the bones, and urinary loss in the kidneys are controlled primarily by parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D3, calcitonin, and to a lesser extent growth hormone and sex hormones.
Calcium ions in the blood regulate the production of calcium-regulating hormones as a feedback mechanism for calcium homeostasis. Parathyroid hormone acts on bone and kidney to increase plasma calcium and decrease plasma phosphorus. Conversely, low blood calcium and magnesium lead to increased parathyroid hormone production. Vitamin D3 increases intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus by decreasing bone resorption. The regulatory mechanisms of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone become very important factors in prepubertal development, pregnancy, labor and lactation. Calcium ions in the blood regulate the production of calcium-regulating hormones as a feedback mechanism for calcium homeostasis. Parathyroid hormone acts on bones and kidneys to increase blood calcium and decrease blood phosphorus. Conversely, low blood calcium and magnesium lead to increased parathyroid hormone production. Vitamin D3 increases intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus by decreasing bone resorption. The regulatory mechanisms of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone become very important factors in prepubertal development, pregnancy, labor and lactation.
The efficiency of calcium absorption varies according to the body's needs and the level of dietary calcium. This is very important during pregnancy and lactation. In general, phosphorus deficiency decreases calcium absorption. Calcium is excreted primarily in the feces. Under normal conditions, calcium levels in the urine are low. Calcium carbonate (38-39.4% Ca) is the preferred source of added calcium in most dry, expanded pet foods.
However, in canned pet food, the use of calcium carbonate for dogs can cause the can to rise if the level exceeds 0.5% to 1%. This is a result of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas being produced by the carbonate fraction during thermal processing. To overcome this challenge, tricalcium phosphate (TCP; containing 30-34% calcium and 18% phosphorus) is commonly used in canned pet food.
