Supplementing (Calcium)

[Judi W]

Because his genetic propensity makes him vulnerable to the influence of his footing. If it were just the floor, all dogs who live on hard flooring or kennel flooring would be flat footed and down in the pasterns. They are not.

[VON KIRCHER]

Got it. After I sent the reply, I thought duh, you know that:p
If someone did not try to improve this, what woul be the consequenses?

[Rott-Wiley]

Originally posted by VON KIRCHER
.............If someone did not try to improve this, what woul be the consequenses?

The dog will become flat footed and down in the pasterrns.

[TrishB]

I know it's been said - but I'm going to say it anyway.

Do not supplement Calcium. The balance between Calcium and Phospherous is imperative to the health of your dog. Throwing that balance off could adversely affect your pup. If your puppy is on a high quality diet, you should NEVER have to supplement Calcium. There are very few situations where you should have to supplement Calcium to a dog.

I agree with genetics. My dog is on hard wood floors and is neither down on his pasterns or has splayed feet. If a dog has been bred to have tight feet, they will. Constant pounding on slippery floors might be an issue in older age, but no one would / should allow that to happen anyway. :)

If a dog has not been bred to have tight feet, then you need to give them extra support (i.e. footing that prevents slippage) to give them every chance not to develop the problem. It's no guarantee, but setting them up for success tends to be more successful than setting them up for failure. ;)

[CarolineS]

Originally posted by Rott-Wiley
Did your vet do any bloodwork to see if the dogs calcium level was in fact low?

The calcium result you see on bloodwork is a measurement of circulating blood calcium and isn't a reflection of the dog's diet. Bloodwork is good to give you an idea of your dog's overall health, but there are very few results that will tell you exactly where, and if, your dog's diet is unbalanced.

The ratio of calcium to phosphorus should fall between 2:1 and 1:1 with 1.3:1 being ideal. With pups, it's important that it be as close to ideal as possible. Rott-Wiley is right in that you shouldn't start to supplement with calcium unless your vet has identified a problem. Adult dogs can excrete any excess calcium they should eat via the feces. Puppies under approximately 8 months of age cannot do this; excess calcium gets taken up and causes bone deformities.