Puppy Supplements- Are They Needed?

The cute little puppy that you bring home can suffer from lot of problems as a result of separation from its mother and its litter group. It needs special care and attention during this time. A sharp change in the environment creates a natural stress in its mind which makes the poor little thing feel a little miserable. For this reason it needs much more nutrition than an adult dog initially. Puppy supplements are some such food with therapeutic and nutritional value that not only take care of its needs but does good work in making it feel comfortable and secure in the new environment quite easily.

Their calorie requirements are high in the initial period of their life since they need extra nutrition for their growth and movement and also something to keep their spirits high during troubled times. As such over supplementation or under supplementation of the puppy supplement can cause it harm. The required ratio should be maintained. During its growth period the puppy would require the right amount of calcium and phosphorus for the growth of its cartilage and bones and help maintain a very healthy life. So a change in these mineral elements can bring a misbalance which is really not desired.

Usually it is advisable that you do calcium supplementation under the supervision and instructions given by a vet. He or she would be able to tell you the exact amount that would be required by your pet for the purpose of growth. But it has been found among many puppies that they suffer from skeletal abnormalities on the administration of too much of calcium in their body. A deficiency in calcium is observed very frequently if the puppy is only supplied with meat everyday. And as such it has been found that young puppies are not much capable of assimilating calcium directly from the food they consume everyday. This is the reason why they are required to be given with calcium supplements at this point of time.

But then if your puppy belongs to a small breed then you will find that it is less sensitive to the imbalances that are a result of inappropriate amount of calcium. While this problem is more obvious with large size breeds. You will observe that your puppy will show intolerance to calcium intake through food that you provide it for a period of the first ten months of its life.

Problems like canine hip dysplasia are some of the problems that can arise as a result of lack of calcium supplements in the diet of your puppy. The problem is more acute with some of the susceptible breeds of dogs.

Usually calcium citrate is more effective and helpful as a calcium supplement than calcium carbonate. And as you see that there are lots of problems associated with the overdose and deficiency of supplement can cause a lot of trouble, so it is always better to take the instructions of vet before you administer the doses for your little puppy.