My dog has high calcium. What dog food has the lowest calcium?

What you need to focus on in a large breed puppy is the calcium/phosphorus levels. If those are not in balance they can get growth abnormalities in their joints. For growth in large breed puppies, a dog food must (on a dry matter basis) contain: 1.2 to 1.8% calcium 1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio between 1:1 and 1.8:1 The protein and fat percent are not that important. My recommendation is to feed a commercial diet that abides by AAFCO standards (this will be on the label) and just make sure it is for large breed puppies. Don’t use nutritional supplements when feeding your large breed puppy any commercial diet as you will surely upset the balance of minerals. I was assuming you were talking about feeding large breed puppies. If you want information on feeding an adult large breed please ask your question again and be more specific. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

Hello, and thank you for your question! As a large breed dog, the ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio should be 1.1 to 1.3. So your current food is not ideal but it is definitely not too late to switch! Look for a puppy formula for large breed dogs. Good brands that have this formula include Science Diet, and Royal Canin. Keeping him on a large breed puppy formula until he is at least 1 year of age will help to prevent hip issues as he gets older. I hope this helps, and that Louie is happy and healthy!

The AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) recommend a minimum of 22% of protein, 1.2% calcium, and 1% phosphorus for growth. If you feed Louie a puppy food such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams, those brands will provide the needed levels of protein, calcium, and phosphorus.

I'm sorry to hear that Memi has kidney failure. Finding a food that he will eat and enjoys is very important and I applaud you for being willing to make his food. My best recommendation to make sure that the recipe is balanced is to have a board certified veterinary nutritionist create a recipe for Memi. One service that I frequently use is Balance It. https://secure.balanceit.com/ Your veterinarian may also have a recommendation for a nutritionist that they like. It is important to make sure that a recipe is balanced (not just low in phosphorus) to prevent any other problems with the diet. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for asking PetCoach!! Confusing is putting it mildly when trying to sort through good, scientific based information regarding nutrition for our pets. First of all, for large breed dogs, keep them on a good large breed puppy food until AT LEAST 12 months of age. For a German Shepherd, sometime between 12-15 months would be a good time to transition. (larger breeds do more growing for a longer period of time than small breeds, so need puppy food longer, which in a way seems counter-intuitive as they "age" faster than smaller breeds!) http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/04/when-your-baby-isnt-such-a-baby-anymore-when-to-switch-to-adult-foods/ As far as he Ca:P ratio, while still important, my recommendation would be to stick with something around 1.2:1. For large breed adult foods vs regular adult foods, the difference tends to be more geared towards long term skeletal and joint health; meaning in large breed adult foods you're more likely to find glucosamine/chondroitin supplementation built in, extra fatty Omegas, etc. I hope that answers your question. Thanks for asking PetCoach! https://www.petcoach.co/article/calcium-phosphorous-requirements-for-dogs/

I'm not sure what kind of food Luska is on right now, but as long as you are feeding a properly formulated commercial dog food, there is no need for her to have any additional calcium - in fact, adding supplemental calcium has been shown to cause a number of orthopedic problems, so it's not recommended to do this. As far as brands go, my favorites are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan, but any properly balanced adult dog food from any of the major companies (Purina, Iams, Pedigree, etc.) would be fine.

Most larger breed dogs physically mature between 12 and 16 months of age. It will take up to 2 years for him to mature mentally and socially. Giant breeds take even longer, smaller breeds mature sooner. It is generally recommended to transition to an adult diet at around 1 year of age since a majority of dogs will be at or very near adult size by this age. Feeding a puppy diet beyond may predispose a dog to obesity and orthopedic issues. The calcium level in the current diet is fine for Otis. As he nears adulthood, it can be decreased to 1.5%. As long as he is getting a balanced diet, he should be fine. Studies have shown that a low calcium diet have no effect on the incidence of hip dysplasia and other orthopedic abnormalities in growing dogs. A balanced diet and one with an appropriate calcium:phosphorous ratio is much more important and beneficial. You can read more here: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=652