To give or not to give calcium to large breed dog?
I brought my 10 week old Neapolitan mastiff puppy home from the breeder (who is also a vet) 3 weeks ago. She instructed me to supplement him with calcium daily. When I brought him to the vet last week, she told me I shouldn't give him calcium as he could potentially develop bone/hip/joint problems if his bones grow too quickly. Apparently this is more common in large breed dogs. Any thoughts on the conflicting advice?
I was always under the impression that large breed puppies needed *less* calcium in their diets (as well as protein, etc.) in order to support normal bone growth…thus, the reason for feeding large breed puppy food, or adult food to large breed puppies.
From a quick web search, I’m seeing a lot of results that support this theory. This statement keeps showing up:
"1. Calcium: The ideal calcium content, on a dry weight basis is 0.7%-1.2%-. AAFCO recommendation is 1%-2.5% which is generally acceptable though not ideal; however, for giant breeds, such as the Great Dane, the lower end of this range is especially recommended. It is believed that calcium in excess of 3% on a dry weight basis can predispose to significant skeletal abnormalities, such as those mentioned above. Keep in mind, also, that adding of vitamins, particularly Vitamin D, will also increase absorption of dietary calcium (to possibly excessive levels)."
You’re in a difficult spot, given that your puppy came from a vet. I might contact a couple of other vets in your area and get a consensus, or try to find a Neapolitan Mastiff email list or Yahoo Group that might include other breeders who could answer your question.
Here’s one on the US Club’s website:
http://www.neapolitan.org/phpBB/index.php
Frankly, I’d take more stock in the opinions of responsible breeders who know the breed well, rather than relying on vets’ opinions.
Go with what your vet says. Some breeders really don’t know what their talking about.
Make sure you are feed him the best food you can afford.
get a third opinion. That oughta resolve it.
The breeder of your dog is not only someone who has greater experience with the breed but also the line, and is also a veterinarian? That is a no brainer listen to your breeder he/she has had experience with the tendencies of relatives in that line, and in your case is as educated as your vet.
I’m not a vet, so I’m not positive but I give my 70 lb. Pit Bull Tums from time to time when her stomach is upset and it doesn’t hurt her. Personnaly I would listen to the vet before the breeder, it is what they went to school for after all.
NOT. Too much calcium will cause problems, especially if you mess up the calcium/phosporus ratio. I have a large-boned breed.
Large breeds will develop hip/joint problems if they grow too fast. So your vet is right to say no to calcium supplements. Your dog should get enough in his diet. You should look for a food with 1.6% calcium and 500mg of glucosamine. Be careful with protein too. It also makes them grow fast. Feed him high quality nutritious food. Ours gets Orijen for large breed puppies, which is so nutritious that additional supplements are very much discouraged. It’s very high in protein so we just monitor for fast growth. Canidae,Nutro, and Innova are also good.