The Role of Calcium in Your Dog's Diet

It is important that your dog's diet contains all the essential vitamins to ensure excellent health. Calcium is one of the important nutrients in your dog's diet. When we think of calcium, strong teeth and bones come to mind. Your dog's diet should be rich in calcium to support healthy teeth and bones, but there is a delicate balance between calcium and your dog's diet.

It is possible to have too much or too little calcium in your dog's diet. When a dog's diet contains very little calcium, the dog may develop a condition called rickets. This condition creates soft bones that curve under the dog's weight.

In contrast, excessive calcium intake can lead to bone abnormalities as well. Dogs with large breeds, for example, who are given the same amount of calcium as puppies in their diet, will develop large, low-density bones. Strength is an issue in such bones due to a large amount of calcium supplementation.

When your dog's diet contains adequate levels of calcium, such bone deformities will occur infrequently. This is just one more reason to carefully choose a suitable diet for your dog. Always consult your veterinarian to determine the best amount of calcium in your dog's diet.

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

Calcium works with phosphorous. There has to be a balance between nutrients, calcium, and phosphorous in a healthy ratio to ensure a dog diet that maximizes the potential benefits for your pet. Studies involving animal feeding show that a ratio of 1.0 to 2.0 parts calcium should be combined with 1.0 parts of phosphorous. When calcium and phosphorous levels differ significantly from this range, bone problems can occur.

A dog diet made exclusively of meat will not provide the right amount of calcium and phosphorous for healthy bones. This diet results in about 1.0 parts calcium to 18 parts phosphorus. The absorption scale is where the problem starts.

Vitamin D is another nutrient that affects calcium and phosphorous absorption. If a dog's diet lacks the proper amount of vitamin D, then other nutrients will not provide all of the benefits to your pet. Excessive amounts of Vitamin D can have toxic effects on your dog. It is essential to maintain adequate levels of Vitamin D in your dog's diet. Once again, feeding your dog with food from a reputable company will allow you to be confident in knowing that your dog's diet is healthy.

During pregnancy or while breastfeeding your dog, high levels of calcium are important in your dog's diet. At this time, feed your pet extra amounts of balanced dog food. You do not have to add a supplement to your pet at this time.

Milk fever or preeclampsia cannot be avoided with calcium supplements. Preeclampsia is not a lack of nutrition, but rather a metabolic condition that affects the dog after the puppies are born and the feeding begins.

Avoid supplementing your dog's diet with calcium or other nutrients without a specific discussion with your veterinarian. When calcium is, for example, unbalanced, health can really be affected. Feeding your dog a balanced diet is essential. Reputable dog food companies have researched animal nutrition to ensure the best possible health for your dog. Providing your dog's diet with a healthy, balanced formula may be the best way to care for your pet.