What Calcium Supplement do you use?

[Rance]

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Calcium for dogs? give them bones hehe

[guilliam]

calactate both for growing pups and whelping mothers/dams.
in addition to dog food.
specially when GSD is teething(5-6) and the ears are not fully erected yet(3-6 months).

- g

[yasabi]

inquire ta ko ug naa ba basis aning paghatag ug calcium supplementation sa non erect ears sa gsd

[humper]

gud day.in terms of calcium supplementation,in a lot of aspect has an effect in the cartilage of the ears since the cartilage needed just enough calcium (not too much) to develope properly.in dogs,ear carriage is 80% genetics 20% proper management.how old is ur gsd?gsd's & most large breeds with erect ears tend to have a 'floopy' ear carriage when young.in my experience,with my dogs (as well as some of my clients') the ears are already erect (although still loosely),on or before 6 months of age,if not then,proper ear taping can be done to make it erect or improve its carriage.furthermore,i tend to noticed that working line gsd's or any line that has less bone mass or thinner ear leathers,has a tendency to erect its ears earlier than showlines which usually have heavier bones & thicker ear leathers.gudluck

[yasabi]

Thanks for the response Humper. Just got confused since I was under the impression that calcium supplementation is a fallacy for gsd ears that are floppy. A lot of vets and even some experienced breeders would actually advice this. But based on my readings, a gsd with floppy ear is a genetic defect just like what you said. From my understanding from the readings, as long as proper diet and nutrition is provided, no calcium supplementation is necessary since further supplementation increases the risk of developmental bone disease. Besides, it is said that cartilage is is mostly made up of elastin which is a protein. Isnt it the norm to return dogs with floppy ears to the breeders after all maneuvers are done? Thanks again

[humper]

yes ur correct,if proper nutrition is already on the surface no supplementation should be done.in fact when i started way back then,breeders and would be owners seem to make a big deal when it comes to calcium supplementation (until now).until canine nutritionists,in cooperation with pet companies,did a thorough research.and its not calcium alone per se that does the proper bone development,etc.,in order for calcium to be utilized properly it also depends on the ratio with phosphorous,the action of vitamin D as well as the proper functioning of the parathyroid gland,otherwise its useless and dangerous as well specially for growing large breed pups.
in line with ur quiry, well it actually depends on the breeder,breeders contract and what u want to do with ur pup and at the same tym,ur at ease with it.a reputable breeder would get the pup back in exchange with a better one,that is if u want a show quality specimen.if its just a pup intended for being a pet (pet quality) then,as long as the owner agrees with it,then its fine.a pet with a floppy ear carriage can be as good as the one with erect ones,as long as its not being bred or being shown.

[iring-kibol]

judge fids...anong nangyari sa bakit?...pwede po ba Anlene nalang gagamitin ko sa mga kittens ko?...akala ko ba uuwi kana dito? ano bang tinatagal tagal mo dyan ha??! at pwede bah, dont speak english!, kasi ang hirap intindihin eh! ur so intense!! whew!

[yasabi]

thanks. I think all pups with genetic defects which could not be bred should be retuned to the breeder like floppy ears, undescended testes, hip dysplacia etc. since even pet quality dogs could be bred as long as it does not propagate a genetic abnormality

[humper]

judge fids...anong nangyari sa bakit?...pwede po ba Anlene nalang gagamitin ko sa mga kittens ko?...akala ko ba uuwi kana dito? ano bang tinatagal tagal mo dyan ha??! at pwede bah, dont speak english!, kasi ang hirap intindihin eh! ur so intense!! whew!

ang sosi naman ng mga kittens mo iring kibs...sana ako nalang ang naging iring mo tsk,tsk!uuwi na ako but mamimista muna ako dito,u knw?....d' fud is great hehehe!!!pit senyor

[humper]

thanks. I think all pups with genetic defects which could not be bred should be retuned to the breeder like floppy ears, undescended testes, hip dysplacia etc. since even pet quality dogs could be bred as long as it does not propagate a genetic abnormality

health is a basic requirement for a breeding animal but pet quality dogs?= meaning they have disqualifying faults as per breed standard dictates, could be bred (afterall they can produce,literally coz of its functional reproductive organ),but ethically...they should not be.coz,fyi the only reason for breeding dogs is to improve a breed or line that comes up with a healthy & functional animal/s.basically,u cant improve on 'pet quality' dogs coz they already have flaws that could be hereditary in nature...unless ur only in it for profit (hope not)