Calcium content in diet for large breed puppies.
I've always been an advocate for awareness in calcium content in diets for large breed puppies. In the course of my foray into canine nutrition and diet, I've come to realize the importance of limiting calcium content in a large breed puppy's diet.
Research has shown that a diet high in levels of calcium leads to an increased risk of skeletal disease in large and giant breed puppies (greater than 60lbs) later in life. High calcium intake may result in abnormal joint growth and subsequent orthopedic issues such as Hip Dysplasia, Osteochondritis Dissecans and Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy.
A puppy's body is not able to regulate or limit absorption of dietary calcium. High calcium absorption and assimilation from their diet affects the natural process of skeletal development of the puppy, leading to skeletal and joint abnormalities. Once a puppy reaches adulthood, they are able to regulate calcium absorption and retention, by excreting excess calcium out of their bodies naturally. Only then does excessive calcium in their diet cease to be a problem.
It is important to determine what equates to 'high calcium level' when talking about large breed puppy nutrition. Recently, AAFCO has revised their maximum calcium guideline levels for puppies from 2.5% (dry matter basis) to 1.8% (dry matter basis) in view of current research findings on the dangers of high calcium intake for large breed puppies.
Excerpt from AAFCO's nutrient profile:
Because of concerns for excess calcium to produce detrimental effects in growing dogs of large and giant breeds, 10-13 the 2007 CNES deemed that additional restriction to the maximum limit for calcium was warranted and lowered the maximum calcium concentration to 1.8% DM. The CNES did not believe it necessary to decrease the previous maximum calcium concentration of 2.5% for adult dogs or growing dogs of small or moderate size breeds. However, the AAFCO Pet Food Committee felt that only one maximum value should be established, especially to ensure all life stage products were properly formulated. Thus, the AAFCO Pet Food Committee elected to set the maximum calcium for all dog foods formulated to meet the Dog Food Nutrient Profiles at 1.8% DM.
Hence, while conversing on calcium levels for large breed puppies, a value greater than 1.5% dry matter basis would be considered high, and discouraged. A more comfortable calcium value to target in would be about 1% to 1.2%. Until the growth plates in joints have properly closed and fused, I would recommend limiting calcium intake to below 1.2%. A large breed puppy's joint plates only fully close at about 2 years of age, compared to smaller breeds at about 1 year of age.
Determining calcium intake values is easy if you're feeding dry food, but extra research has to be done if you're feeding raw or cooked meals. When feeding raw, it would be prudent to limit the amount of bone and egg shells given in each meal and treat times. Please avoid calcium supplementation, when feeding a complete commercial diet. Also, a lot of nutrient profiles in a commercial diet list only its minimum calcium content, hence their actual content could be significantly higher. Do not overlook calcium content in treats.
*I am not an expert in food nutrition for dogs. I have no qualification to dispense advice on canine nutrition. The purpose of this post is merely to share what I have learnt*
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