Low calcium dog food is a dog food that contains a small amount of calcium. So, how much calcium do you think a 75-pound dog can have?
A pound of calcium! It is a very important mineral for dogs. It is very easy to get the balance of these important minerals in your dog’s diet wrong. Especially when you choose to make your own dog food, you want to avoid this mistake and ensure the right amount of calcium in your dog’s diet.
Although it will be difficult for you. But if you read this article completely to make this difficult task easier for you then hope you get answers to all the questions related to this.
However, let’s break it down without delay so you can maintain a balance of calcium and other minerals in your dog’s food.
The Importance of Low Calcium Dog Food
About 99% of a dog’s calcium is already in its bones. Phosphorus and calcium are essential for maintaining good skeletal health, so it is recommended to have adequate amounts of these in his diet.
Calcium supports cell structure and enzyme activity in dogs. Apart from this, it is also found in the blood and lymphatic system. It can also support hormonal, cardiovascular, and immune functions.
Calcium stimulates cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters on nerve endings release calcium ions into the muscle and prevent the muscle from contracting. The main reason for this is rigor mortis calcium.
After death, muscle cell membranes become more permeable and offer no barrier to calcium entry. Normally, here ATP i.e. Adenosine triphosphate and calcium relax the muscles. But ATP is not produced until death, so excess calcium inhibits muscle expansion in rigor mortis.
Rigor mortis shows the importance of low-calcium dog food. High calcium or low calcium in your dog food can cause your dog to have seizures, lose muscle control, and even eventually die.
Dog Food with Low Calcium Levels
Parathyroid hormone pulls calcium from his bones in dog food with low calcium levels to maintain the calcium influx rate. If this continues for weeks or months, you will notice bone problems, such as rickets, bone loss, limping, stiffness, muscle tremors, and even bone pain.
Puppies are more at risk of not getting enough calcium than adult dogs. But puppies need high-calcium food for bone growth. Due to the lack of high calcium in puppy food, it is prone to osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), hip and elbow dysplasia, and panosteitis. This can happen if there is an imbalance in the amount of calcium and phosphorus.
What Dog Foods Are Low in Calcium and Phosphorus
Dogs suffer from a problem called nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. It is just because of not having enough calcium in the diet. This occurs due to a lack of essential phosphorus and vitamin D. Parathyroid hormone is then produced at an abnormal rate and calcium is absorbed from the bones at an abnormal rate. As a result, the bones become weak (this is osteopenia) and neurological symptoms of low blood calcium may occur.
It also presents muscle tremors or convulsions. A proper combination of calcium and phosphorus in nutrition can solve the problem of secondary hyperparathyroidism.
4 best dog food that offers low phosphorus in their dog food and can prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism and kidney disease. Below are the names of dog food:
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Multifunction Renal Support dog food
- Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets NF Kidney Function Canine Formula Dog Food
- Blue Buffalo Natural Veterinary Diet KS Kidney Support Chicken Dry Dog Food
- Dave’s Pet Food Chicken and Rice Delicate Canned Dog Food, Restricted Bland Diet Wet Dog Food
You can easily find the above-mentioned dog foods at your local pet store and on Amazon.
High Calcium Dog Food (Hypercalcemia)
High-calcium dog food causes hypercalcemia in your dog’s blood. This happens because the hormone calcitonin moves calcium from the blood into the bones.
Adult dogs do not have much trouble dealing with excess calcium in their diet. But they should have little trouble keeping their blood calcium levels correct except for constipation.
But puppies can’t. While an adult dog can maintain calcium balance, puppies struggle to maintain it. High calcium can cause problems for joints and bones. Especially if it is not compatible with calcium, phosphorus, other minerals, and vitamin D.
But if the dog is fed a balanced diet for all life stages, the diet should not contain insufficient calcium and should also be balanced with phosphorus. However, be sure to check the food label and see if it says, “complete and balanced.” Then you’ll know the foods you’re buying for your dog meet the minimum nutritional requirements set by AAFCO, the Association of Feed Control Officials.
Puppies are already balanced. So, there is no need to add extra calcium as a supplement to their complete and balanced diet. But when cooking at home and feeding your dog raw, you must add calcium to his food.
So, let’s look at the sources of calcium and how much you should be feeding your dog.
How Much Calcium Do Dogs Need on Food?
A dog’s food should contain both calcium and phosphorus in the right amount. These are regulated by parathyroid hormone and vitamin D in the dog’s body. But calcium must combine with phosphorus before it can be deposited in bones. Low calcium or too little phosphorus can cause skeletal problems in dogs. So, it is clear that calcium and phosphorus together strengthen the bone structure and give them strength.
When you put too much phosphorus in your dog’s diet, the phosphorus pulls calcium from the bones to maintain blood levels. But the presence of high levels of phosphorus in the diet inhibits bone growth and causes calcium deposits in soft tissues. When preparing food at home you need to pay attention to calcium and phosphorus. In this case, keep the following three points in mind namely:
- Calcium and Phosphorus content of food
- The ratio of calcium and phosphorus
AAFCO Calcium Requirements
AAFCO has set minimum and maximum levels for calcium and phosphorus in dog food. So, you can use AAFCO’s prescribed chart to balance calcium and phosphorus when cooking at home. Puppies have additional calcium needs.
Below is a chart arranged according to the different calcium requirements for adult dogs and puppies:
Calcium and Phosphorus for adult dogs
| Min Calcium | Max Calcium | Min Phosphorus | Max Phosphorus | Min Ca:P | Max Ca:P |
| 1.25g / 1,000 kcal | 6.25g / 1,000 kcal | 1g / 1,000 kcal | 4g / 1,000 kcal | 1:1 | 2:1 |
Calcium and Phosphorus for growth & reproduction
| Min Calcium | Max Calcium | Min Phosphorus | Max Phosphorus | Min Ca:P | Max Ca:P |
| 3g / 1,000 kcal | 6.25g / 1,000 kcal | 2.5g / 1,000 kcal | 4g / 1,000 kcal | 1:1 | 2:1 |
Dog food meat is high in phosphorus and low in calcium. But bones contain both calcium and phosphorus with a Ca:P ratio of 2:1. That is, a meat-rich diet is excessively deficient in calcium. So, you need to add calcium to it in small amounts.
Raw feeders add bone to their diet to maintain the correct Ca:P ratio. But the problem is that many raw-fed dogs cannot eat bones. Especially a senior dog, a dog with bad teeth, a small dog, or a puppy, it becomes difficult for them to chew on bones. As a result, they are at risk of calcium deficiency as well as bone splinters or broken teeth. So, these dogs need to add other sources of calcium to their diet to compensate for their calcium deficiency.
Feed your dog raw bones and add calcium to cooked food. Listed below are some calcium sources that you can consume in raw and cooked foods.
Where To Find Calcium Sources?
Not all calcium sources are the same and are inappropriate for puppies. But here are the top common calcium supplements and foods you can add such as:
- Eggshell
- Coral calcium
- Seaweed calcium
- Bone Meal
- Bone
These sources contain different amounts of minerals. Following is the dry matter breakdown:
Nutrients (Dry Matter)
| Calcium Source | Calcium | Phosphorus | Ca:P | Magnesium |
| Eggshell | 33.7% | 0% | – | 0% |
| Coral calcium | 34% | 0.1% | 425:1 | 2.4% |
| Seaweed Calcium | 34.2% | 0.8% | 41.7:1 | 3.42% |
| Bone Meal | 19.3% | 9.3% | 2.1:1 | 2.46% |
| Bone | 15.6% | 2.9% | 2:1 | 0.11% |
Real bone is the gold standard for adding calcium to a dog’s diet. Here, having a ratio of Ca:P of 2:1, it can provide more phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D. Seaweed and coral calcium do not contain as much phosphorus as expected. Eggshells are completely different from bones which contain no phosphorus and magnesium. Hence it is considered an unnatural substitute for bone.
Check out these calcium sources to understand how much calcium to add to your dog’s diet.
How To Add Calcium to Homemade Foods?
Kibbles and most commercial pet foods are formulated on a dry matter basis (i.e. the number of nutrients remaining after the moisture has been removed from the food). This works for kibbles because most kibbles are the same. But not for raw and home-cooked food. Because of their fat calories, they need to be made on a calorie basis, not a dry matter basis like kibble. In other words, 1,000 calories per serving of calcium. Because fat has 2 times more calories than protein or carbohydrates.
Below is a breakdown of each calcium source and how it balances out diets with different fat levels.
But we do not advocate feeding foods with more than 20% fat. Because fat is low in vitamins and minerals, your dog can become deficient in certain nutrients. So, you should eat a high-fat diet with veterinary guidance.
This is very important for puppies and pregnant dogs. They won’t be able to get enough nutrients from their food without eating more calories than they need.
Remember that most of your dog’s food is water weight, so a 20% fat diet will contain about 10% protein. So, 10% fat is good and not more than 15% fat.
Helpful Tips to Be Aware of Toxins and Heavy Metals
You need to be aware of the potentially harmful substances in any calcium source you choose. Let’s look at the possible problems:
Eggshell
Most store-bought eggs have a chemical coating that is toxic to your dog. Eggshells are not recommended as a source of calcium, so it is easy to avoid. But if you want to use them, buy them from a local farmer who only washes the eggs with water.
Coral and Seaweed Calcium
This type of calcium comes from the ocean and often contains heavy metals such as mercury, PCBs, and dioxins. It’s important that your ocean calcium source has tested low in these toxins.
Bone Meal
Bone meal has the potential to be a source of lead and glyphosate. The best bone meal to use should come from animals that are young. It should test low for lead, pesticides, herbicides, and other heavy metals.
In Conclusion
Never doubt Mother Nature. A bone meal is a good option when it comes to high quality and testing for heavy metals.
You should not feed them to puppies or pregnant/nursing dams. When used as a calcium supplement for adult dogs, they should only maintain a balanced diet of 10% fat or less (remember, adding oil to your dog’s food will add fat). When your diet is high in fat, you need to eat too much calcium or too much phosphorus, so you must stick to fatty foods.
Dicalcium phosphate, calcium citrate, and calcium proteinate are other sources of calcium. These are the chemical versions added to dog food, but you feed your dog raw or home cooked to give you a high-quality diet. These are the ones you’ll find in kibble and commercial foods, so it’s best to avoid them. And we don’t recommend using chemical minerals made in a lab food-based nutrients are always the best option over synthetic nutrients.
