Calcium and Phosphorus Supplements

tajo

Hello,

By the time I took Tajo, my JA, the breeder gave me a big can of calcium+phosphorus supplement pills.

Actually from what i have seen online, i noticed that calcium is not really recommended for JA.

What should I do? Stop giving him this supplement? (He is 9 Weeks old)

ttddinh

Sorry, I am not sure about this.

TeamLaika

I would not give him the supplement. Calcium supplements are not recommended for puppies eating commercially available diets designed for growth.

white_bear

I would suggest against it as well. Give calcium only if necessary. You can see from the way he develops if he needs it or not. I would rather take into consideration supplements for joints, these are a must, on and off, until the puppy turns one year. Also give vitamin C.

tajo

@white_bear:
Can you suggest me some brands of supplement for joints?

Thank you!

Saya

I know some who use this.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IKO0UG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thhooftwbo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007IKO0UG

I use two different joint supplements and now trying a new one to give it a try it just came today so not sure on it still.

Salmon or fish oil is good for joints I think might be wrong.

rikumom

My 11-year-old shiba is on the following supplements to help w/ joints:
Omega Tri-V Caps
NaturVet Glucosamine DS with Chondroitin Hip & Joint for Dogs
We get both from amazon.com, the vet said pretty much everything you can get OTC it's safe to double the dose, and that's what we've done w/ him.

B/c the 5-month-old JA is shedding her puppy coat, I started giving her a Omega Tri-V cap/day too

white_bear

Those that you mentioned above are very good, but they cannot be found in this part of Europe from what I know. @tajo, you can look for Petphos Special Grand Chien - this is only calcium and phosphorus, so careful about not overdoing it. Excessive calcium is not eliminated and it deposits where you may not want it - like on the spine. For joints the best product we found (we tried most of them) IF there are no visible problems is Canina Petvital Arthro GAG. If there are visible problems that need to be fixed there is another product but I don't remember the name right now. All supplements should be used at the advice of a breeder or experienced vet that knows show dogs. This is a difference that doesn't apply to the US I think but from what I remember you are from Serbia or somewhere like that and vets in these parts are not that experienced with show dogs (ps: i live in romania :-) ).

tajo

@white_bear, i currently live in Albania, which is even worse then Serbia regarding vets and Breeders, however Tajo was born in Serbia, and the breeder is very professional and with a very good reputation, he has clients apart from balkans also in Italy, Germany, Poland etc, and has a 10 year experience with the JA breed. He recommended me this Calcium+Phosphorus supplement, and i was giving it to my puppy. But i stepped on an article which mentioned the problems which can be caused by this supplement, so i did some research, and everybody was not recommending it. This is why i asked in this forum.

@rikumom:
are this joint supplements and fishoils recommended for 2 Months Old puppies?

rikumom

@tajo,
No, the supplements were recommended by my vet for the older shiba who started limping after longer walks. But I know breeders add olive oil or fish oil or salmon oil to their dog's food to help w/ coat growth. So gave puppy the Omega tri-v as well since we have it handy...

+@white_bear,
In the US some websites say green beef tripe has been fed to dogs in Europe forever... is there any truth to how common green beef tripe is? Puppy gets about a pound of it plus kibble, raw dehydrated and other treats daily.
http://www.backtothebone.ca/the-benefits-of-green-tripe/
http://www.rawdietusa.com/raw-diet-green-tripe.html

the other supplement that I swear by, that has nothing to do w/ joints or coat, is this sea weed supplement for dental hygiene called Proden PlaqueOff Dental Care for Dogs and Cats. Shiba won't let me brush his teeth anymore but his teeth and breath became fresh with this
http://www.amazon.com/Proden-PlaqueOff-Dental-Care-180gm/dp/B000QAEQXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355498150&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+plaque

ayk

When I went to a seminar given by a famous puppy evaluator, she cautioned about supplementing if the dog is already on a good dog food. The only supplement she recommended was vitamin C. I don't remember the dose though.

jellyfish

I've been giving Toki fish oil for a few weeks now...I think it has salmon oil included... Anyway. I give it to him to make his coat pretty and healthy, and allegedly it also helps with the amount of shedding and itching. I would say he sheds less than he did since starting him, but ya know, it's hard to say at this point because he could just be coincidence.

And yea, I agree with what everyone else has said, no calcium supplements.

*JackBurton*

I did Solid Gold Sea Meal and this post reminds me to start it back up again.

rikumom

Sorry we're kind of going off track on calcium and phosphorous, but I remember reading that dogs can synthesize Vit C themselves and ran a google search:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/1_7/features/5309-1.html

tajo

@rikimom:
Thanx for this usefull article, i already stopped the calcium suplement, and i will start with vitamine C since we live in a relatively polluted area (city center)

white_bear

@rikumom I cannot say that there is a tradition of feeding green tripe in Europe. It is true that before kibble existed people fed a lot of leftovers from butcher houses but I have not heard green tripe to be mentioned explicitly, so I cannot confirm.
@tajo Vitamin C is best for healthy joints, although it is wonderful for the immune system as well. We have specified in our kennel's agreement and contract for sale that new owners must give vitamin C to the puppy until he reaches the age og 18 months old. You start small and increase the dosage, if there are no problems with the joints 1000mg are ok for a dog weighing about 20-30 kilos. But you have to increase it gradually, as it may cause loose stools. We recommend Ester C if you can find it or a buffered type of Vitamin C.

tajo

@white_bear:

Thank you for the information, which should be a good starting dosage for a 10 week male JA? Or should I try to increase the dosage every week and if it develops loose stools i will lower the dosage?

white_bear

Hm, difficult to say, we usually start sooner. Try crushing a pill and sprinkle part of it on his food, adding a bit more every day. I would start with about 150 mg, keep the dosage for a few days to make sure it does not upset his tummy and slowly increase to 500mg as he grows - when he will weigh about 15-20 kg (about 4-5 months old) 500 mg is ok.

tajo

Thank you for the info

KyleLin

Base on what I have read, if ur puppy is already on commercial food that is designed for growth, then calcium supplements is not needed. Too much calcium is bad for the skeletal development.