# Home cooked diet and calcium supplements



## puppatoos (Jul 23, 2012)

I know this question has been address before, and I'm aware of the ratio of 2:1 for calcium and phosphorus. I did some calculation from Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels, nutritional information and analysis – NutritionData.com for the diet I'm cooking for my 2 goldies (seniors) and trying to adjust their calories so they don't go even fuller, yet trying to balance the proportions of carbs, protein etc. It's been so hard! 
So I've managed (sort of) to come up with a nice low calorie diet, with good proportions, BUT the calcium ratio is horrifying. The phosphorus is too high and calcium is too low. I don't eat enough eggs to collect all the shells and I've been trying to shop for a calcium supplement (for dogs). All of which contain Vit D, or phosphorus or other stuff. So I bought Caltrate® 600 which contains 600mg of calcium carbonate or 1500mg elemental calcium. Is it safe to supplement with this? 
I'm in a country where I can't find the good calcium supplements for dogs, and the seaweed calcium from essential animal isn't available here and cannot be delivered here even if I want to order it. Could someone please give me some advice? Thanks in advance!


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

Here are two good links for you to read. I've done the home cooking myself and learning it was a bit of work for sure. 

DogAware.com Articles: Crash Course on Calcium (Dog World Magazine)

DogAware.com Articles: Homemade Cooked Diets for Dogs


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## goldentemperment (May 16, 2012)

Can you have a butcher grind up bones for you? Have you considered cottage cheese or yogurt? How about chopping up some collard greens, spinach or other high-calcium veggie?


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## puppatoos (Jul 23, 2012)

Thanks for the links GoldenCamper. I've read the articles and they are good, very informative and exactly what got me out there to hunt for a suitable supplement. Couldn't find one that was simply calcium with nothing else except Caltrate 600.

Goldentemperment, I've added spinach in their diet, but it isn't enough to meet the ratio. The supermarkets here aren't too obliging and simply sell ground meat, nothing much with a beef bone in there. Besides, I'd rather cook, giving them raw in this climate and humidity, I'd be risking parasites and stuff. 

Someone told me about NOW calcium carbonate powder.. which essentially has the same stuff as Caltrate 600, thing is, this is a human supplement, I don't know if I would be screwing things up for them, and I really don't want to go back to kibble though that would be 'complete'


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## Garfield (Apr 7, 2009)

Consider formulating a recipe through the Balance IT website using human supplements. It's inexpensive and will give you a fully balanced meal plan(s) as more than just calcium is needed, especially for older guys.


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## puppatoos (Jul 23, 2012)

Garfield said:


> Consider formulating a recipe through the Balance IT website using human supplements. It's inexpensive and will give you a fully balanced meal plan(s) as more than just calcium is needed, especially for older guys.


I did try that... and they faxed something to my vet, she was confused and told me I could just follow her 'idea of a balanced nutrition'... i also tried to order supplements from balanceIT, they don't deliver to Singapore ... if I had to make do with supplements available here, they are expensive, of not so good quality and very generic.I try to make my own, using human grade foods instead. So far I'm getting all my information off the web. I really need to get a book soon. This is stressful!


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## puppatoos (Jul 23, 2012)

I also bought a GNC ester c for human and giving them 500mg daily. How confusing that it's calcium ascorbate, which some sites say is another form of calcium carbonate... The ratio on my end is already confusing enough, this is confusing me further... I want to give them ester c for their painful joints but worried this backfires with the calcium cOnfusion. So far the books I have at home say nothing about ester c/ calcium ascorbate. Help, please?


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## w00f (Nov 4, 2011)

puppatoos said:


> I also bought a GNC ester c for human and giving them 500mg daily. How confusing that it's calcium ascorbate, which some sites say is another form of calcium carbonate...


Calcium is ascorbate bound to calcium, so that ester C product will have a bit of calcium in it, though not a lot really. I use sodium ascorbate here because my dogs have always tolerated it better (NOW brand).

Calcium citrate is one form of calcium. A lot of citrate is actually corn based (hard to find out details on this so I don't know which), and I know my dogs had loose stools on calcium citrate, so I don't use it. I have used the NOW calcium carbonate for years. It's thought to not be as well absorbed, but I've been happy with it.

You can also contact nutritionists like Monica Segal or Sabine Contreras.


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## puppatoos (Jul 23, 2012)

I've always been on commercial kibbles + some home cooked so it's my first time dealing with this ratio. It's hard... someone also told me about NOW calcium carbonate, I can't find it here in Singapore, so Caltrate 600 seems to be the closest except its in a pill which I will have to grind. 
As with Goldies, I've read here in the forum that many are giving ester C for HD and joint issues which is occuring in my girl who has almost no joint/cartilage in her knees, so I thought, instead of just vitamin C, I'll change it to ester C. A lady in another forum says ester C is only used in breeders to calm the bitch. IT is a a whole load of information out there about supplementing dos and don'ts... and I want whats good for them so I'll try to weigh it out, but afraid I'll end up buying a cabinet for their supplements only.


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