CALCIUM IN PET FOOD

Calcium is required in the greatest amount than other minerals. Calcium is essential in the body for many functions including :

• Bone formation
• Blood coagulation
• Muscle contraction
• Nerve impulse transmission

The calcium content of food ingredients varies widely, such as :

• Bones
• Dairy products
• Leguminous plants ( contain large amounts of calcium )
• Cereal grains
• Meat and organ tissues ( contain small amounts of calcium )

Calcium deficiency 

Calcium deficiency was once a more common disease, it resulted primarily from animals fed diets high in meat and organ meats, which are high in phosphorous and low in calcium. 

If these animals were not adequately supplemented with calcium they would develop skeletal abnormalities often referred to as rickets. The bone could become soft or very thin and brittle. 

Feeding adequate calcium without the correct amount of phosphorous can prevent adequate uptake and utilization of the calcium, thus the calcium:phosphorous ratio is very important.
Calcium excess

Feeding high calcium diets with excess calcium is often blamed for contributing to bone problems in young, rapidly growing dogs.

There does appear to be a link between the incidence of hypertrophic osteodystrophy ( HOD ), Osteochondritis dissecans ( OCD ) and Hip dysplasia, and the overfeeding of calcium. 

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