Calcium during pregnancy and growth:
To supplement or not to supplement?
By Stacey Amirov

 The reproduction seminar given by Myra Savant Harris in Chicago was a big hit and was well worth arriving early for.  One of the more important subjects she touched upon was whether or not to supplement the diet of pregnant bitches with calcium.  Breeders tend to have varying opinions on this subject.  They also have many ways of supplementing calcium in their bitch’s diets that they may not even consider supplementation. 

 Switching to a puppy food during pregnancy may be considered supplementing with calcium since many puppy foods have much higher levels of calcium than maintenance diets.  Feeding a raw diet high in raw meaty bones is adding extra calcium to the diet.  Feeding cottage cheese or yogurt is also considered supplementing calcium, as well as the more obvious forms such as adding bonemeal powder, dicalcium phosphate, Osteoform, etc to the bitch’s food.

 Why is feeding a high calcium diet and/ or supplementing with calcium not a good idea for the pregnant bitch?  The short answer is that it predisposes them to uterine inertia with resultant c-sections, as well as eclampsia.  Here is the detailed answer:

 Calcium is not only involved in building healthy bones and teeth.  It also plays a large role in muscle contractibility.  It helps muscles contract smoothly and strongly.  If a bitch is fed a high calcium diet and/or given supplemental calcium during pregnancy this can alter the ph of her blood.

According to Myra, “If the ph is altered, the hormone secreted by the parathyroid gland will do a less than efficient job of causing the release of calcium from the bones of the bitch when she needs calcium for strong contractions.  The higher ph level will render the hormone from the parathyroid gland to be virtually useless.  That hormone is the facilitator for releasing extra calcium out of the bones when the bitch needs it for uterine contractions.

The result will be:  inertia, inability to push out a puppy, and inability for the uterine muscle to contract appropriately to bring about the repositioning of the puppy for delivery. 

 Following delivery, the decreased calcium level will cause the mother to be unable to figure out how to mother.  She may lick incessantly, bark or growl at her puppies or lie on her tummy refusing to allow them to nurse.  A few days into the post partum time, she may go into eclampsia, which is a seizure disorder caused by low calcium levels.  

AGAIN......these problems generally stem from the calcium that is fed to the mother while she is gestating. 

If you never supplement but feed your bitch a good quality, mid-priced kibble designed for adult dogs and you do not supplement with anything, chances are very, very good that your mom's ability to pull out calcium from her bones for those times when she need extra calcium for uterine contractions, parenting skills and production of milk.....will be intact.  In other words, it is when we tamper that we run into problems.   Give not a shred of extra calcium to the gestating bitch.” 

At the seminar, Myra asked if there were any chihuahua breeders in the room that did not need c-sections on their bitches.  A small handful of people raised their hands.  When asked about the diet they had their bitches on, they all had one thing in common.  They were feeding adult maintenance kibble that contained about 300 mg calcium per 100 kcals or less, and they were not supplementing with calcium in any way, shape or form.

Keep in mind that most adult maintenance diets have an AAFCO statement on the bag of the bag that reads “Complete and balanced for all life stages”.  These are the types of “maintenance” diets recommended for late gestation.  If the AAFCO statement reads “complete and balanced for the maintenance of adult dogs”, then the food will not be sufficient for late gestation.

How do you know how many mg calcium per 100 kcals are in your brand of dog food?  Well, you can contact the manufacturer and ask, or you can do the math (email me for specific directions if this is the route you would like to take).  You would need to know:

·        The weight of a cup of kibble (n/a for canned or raw diets)

·        How many kcals (calories) in a cup (or per oz for canned or raw diets)

·        The actual as fed % calcium in the food (not the number on the label of the bag- this number is a guaranteed minimum and is generally lower than what is actually in the food.  You will need to contact the manufacturer for the As Fed % calcium) 

Puppy foods, pre-made raw diets, canned foods and super premium foods that contain the correct amount of calcium do exist, so if you prefer to feed a higher end diet to your pregnant bitches it is possible to find one that will not provide her with excess calcium. Just be sure to take the time to get the correct values and do the math.  There are just as many, if not more, that contain excess calcium so it is important to find out the amount of calcium in any diet you choose to feed.   If you would like help or ideas on brands, please email me at Starsen@cox.net.

*Please note that after a bitch has whelped her puppies, it is safe for her to receive extra calcium in her diet.  It is only during pregnancy that it is important to not supplement or feed high calcium foods.

 Calcium during growth

Calcium also plays a very important role in the growth of puppies and too much calcium in a puppy’s diet- even in a toy breed, can create as much havoc as excess calcium in a gestating bitch’s diet.  We have all heard of large breed puppies developing skeletal abnormalities due to being fed diets high in calcium and/ or calories.  What is not as well documented is that this can also happen in toy breed puppies.

When we have puppies that are knuckling over, down in the pasterns, standing east/west even though their front legs are perfectly straight when suspended, and/ or having issues with splayed feet, these are all signs of over-nutrition. 

 Even toy breeds need to grow at a controlled rate to minimize the risk of orthopedic defects.  When puppies of any size are fed a diet too high in calcium and/ or calories, their bones can grow faster than normal.  Unfortunately, the tissue that supports these bones can only grow at one rate- it cannot speed up to match bone growth.  So, when we overfeed or feed rocket fuel type diets to our puppies, their bones can grow too quickly and there is not enough tissue to support them. That is when we see structural issues such as knuckling over, down in the pasterns, etc. 

 The worst thing we can do for our puppies is to supplement them with calcium, phosphorus or vitamin D if they are already on a balanced commercial diet.  A good puppy food for a small breed should have about 300 mg calcium per 100 kcals or slightly less- fortunately the same range as the correct amount of calcium for a pregnant bitch.  So, it is possible and convenient to find one AAFCO “All life stages” food that matches this criterion and feed it to all of your dogs, puppies and breeding bitches.  Be aware that most of the grain free kibbles on the market have excessive levels of calcium and that different varieties of the same brand of food will often have wide variances in calcium content.

 If you have a puppy displaying signs of over nutrition, put him on a diet that contains the above recommended amount of calcium and do not supplement it at all,  with the exception of vitamin C. 

Also, make sure to not overfeed or over exercise the puppy.  As long as the growth plates have not yet closed, these issues should resolve in about 4-6 weeks.

Vitamin C supplementation has been found to help with weak ears and bone growth issues during the teething stage- Pat Hastings recommends gradually increasing the dosage from about 25 mg up to 150 mg daily for a 5 lb puppy and continuing on this dosage until teething is through, then gradually decreasing to about 50 mg daily until the growth plates close. Ester-C should not be used as it contains calcium and we do not want to supplement calcium to a growing puppy.

Thank you to Myra Savant Harris for permission to quote her and for her wonderful seminar and K9 Reproduction Yahoo email list.  Thanks also to Pat Hastings for her research on over-nutrition in puppies and excellent seminar.