The Job of Calcium in Your Dog's Diet

When we consider calcium, strong teeth and bones come to mind. Your dog's diet should be rich in calcium to support healthy teeth and bones, but a delicate balance exists in correlation to calcium and your dog's diet.

It is feasible to have too much or too little calcium in your dog's diet. When a dog's diet includes too little calcium, your dog may cultivate a state called rickets. This situation creates soft bones that bend under the weight of your dog.

In contrast, too much calcium can generate bone abnormalities, as well. Big breed dogs, for example, who are supplied too much calcium as puppies in their diet, will develop large bones that are low in density. Strength is a problem with such bones due to the large amount of calcium supplements.

When your dog's diet contains suitable levels of calcium, such bone abnormalities occur rarely. This is just one more reason to cautiously choose an appropriate diet for your dog. Always consult your veterinarian to agree on the best amount of calcium in your dog's diet.

Calcium plays an important role in your dog's diet, but other vitamins and nutrients work hand in hand with calcium. Some minerals are interdependent. Calcium happens to be one of such mineral nutrients.

Calcium works in concert with phosphorus. A balance of the two nutrients calcium and phosphorus has to be present in a healthy ratio to make certain a dog diet that will boost the potential advantages for your pet. Studies concerning animal nutrition demonstrate that a ratio of 1.0 to 2.0 parts calcium should be coupled with 1.0 part phosphorus. When calcium and phosphorus ratios vary greatly from this range, bone problems result.

Dog diets consisting exclusively of meats will not give the proper quantity of calcium and phosphorus to build healthy bones. Such a diet results in a ratio of about 1.0 part calcium to 18 parts phosphorus. The range of absorption is where the difficulty starts.

Vitamin D is an additional nutrient that influences the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. If a dog's diet lacks the correct amount of vitamin D, the other nutrients will not supply all the benefits to your pet. Excessive amounts of vitamin D can have negative effects on your dog. It is essential to maintain appropriate levels of vitamin D in your dog's diet. Again, feeding your dog food from a reliable company will allow you confidence in knowing that your dog's diet is healthy.

During pregnancy or when your dog is nursing, higher levels of calcium are key in your dog's diet. At this time, feed your pet additional amounts of a balanced dog food. You should not have to supplement your pet at this time.

Milk fever, or eclampsia, can't be avoided with calcium supplements. Eclampsia is not a nutritional shortage, but a metabolic situation that affects the dog after the pups have been born and start nursing.

Steer clear of supplementing your dog's diet with calcium or other nutrients without specific dialogue with your vet. When calcium, for example, is out of balance, health can truly be effected negatively. Feeding your dog a balanced diet is essential. Reputable dog food companies have studied animal nutrition to make sure the best possible health for your dog. Providing your dog's diet in a beneficial, balanced formula may well be the best way to take care of your pet.

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K9 Critical Care is a great resource for information and products to best care for you pet. Learn more about dog diet and dog health at K9CriticalCare.com

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