breeders question - Page 1

Do you use a calcium/phosphorous suppliment for your dam?

no - just feed a good quality food, make sure her weight is good, and start feeding puppy food or higher calorie/protein food about 1/2 way into the pregnancy - mainly to maintain her weight..

molly

No, I feed a raw diet that is balanced in all what they need.

I guess if I was not then I might.

EK

Most commercial kibbles are very high in calcium. The labor cost that would take to remove the bones in the protein source, skeleton meat, before grounding up and other processing will be too high for profitability in most cases.

Many high protein kibbles, with animal protein as first ingredient, have calcium concentration of 1.2-1.5%, which many articles I read state as the high end of acceptability for dam and puppies.

If the dam gets 75% of calories from a premium grade commercial kibbles, there will be enough calcium.

Mine is in the middle of her seventh week. She is eating very well. I opt for a food that has the lower calcium, as fed,  1.2%. I even use RO water to reduce calcium in her drinking water. Later I found out that even very hard water does not have very much calcium, but I do it anyway, as I drink RO water myself.

Thank you for the responses. I am feeding a raw diet full of turkey, venison and fish. mother and puppies all doing fine

I think the only time when a bitch might need higher calcium is in the few weeks of lactation for a large litter, but even then I won't use calcium supplement. I plan to use a higher protein food that is consequently higher in calcium, 1.5% instead of 1.2% calcium during lactation.

If the main ingredient of a premium kibble is "chicken meal", then usually the higher the protein content, the higher the calcium level. There is, practically, a link between high protein and high calcium, for reason I stated. What part of the chicken used in making "chicken meal" can be cost-effectively de-boned before making "chicken meal"? None, I think. So the more meat the more bone that goes with it; the higher protein the higher calcium. For my brand, 24% protein 1.2 % calcium, 30% protein, 1.5% calcium.