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Have you been told, or have you read, that you would need to add calcium to a fresh food diet to avoid growth abnormalities in puppies?
Unless that advice comes from someone who has calculated the nutritional value of the food you feed on a dry matter basis (equation below if you would like to check this for yourself), this advice is reckless, misinformed, and likely being used to scaremonger you into feeding an alternate food type.
Do not add calcium to a pre-made raw diet because someone has told you to, without doing your research, or popping in to see us so we can look into it for you.
Calcium is among the few nutrients with maximum thresholds set by regulatory guidelines for pet nutrition, because excess calcium can cause health conditions, such as phosphorus malabsorption and skeletal deformity.
If you feed a high quality pre-made raw diet, it's unlikely that you would need to add calcium. If you're feeding a homemade fresh food diet, and are not feeding adequate bones or adding a calcium supplement, have a chat with us today about supplementation.
Calcium MINIMUM requirements:
Growth and Reproduction - 1% dry matter basis
Adult Maintenance - .6% dry matter basis
Calcium MAXIMUM requirements:
Growth and Reproduction and Adult Maintenance - 2.5% dry matter basis
Dry Matter Basis Equation:
(Guaranteed % Nutrient / % Dry Matter) x 100
Calculating Dry Matter = 100 - % Moisture
Example: Big Dog Pet Food - Turkey
Calcium = .6%
Moisture = 71%
Dry Matter = 100-71 = 29%
Calcium on a Dry Matter Basis = (.6 / 29) x 100 = 2.06% Calcium on Dry Matter Basis.
Therefore, Big Dog Turkey has adequate calcium for growth and maintenance life stages.
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