MACRO MINERALS
Calcium
MDR
Calcium has the Minimum Daily Requirements per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of 54 mg and for a Growth Dosage of 145.5 mg.
Purpose
Calcium is needed for the mineralization of bones and teeth. Calcium is also needed for
continued bone strength through out life. Calcium is involved with muscle contraction and
relaxation, proper nerve impulse transmission, blood clotting, and cell signaling for the
bodies’ immune defenses.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Calcium can cause:
Skeletal deformities, lameness, milk fever (eclampsia), weak puppies, and nutritional
secondary hyperparathyroidism. (Note: Deficiency signs of calcium, phosphorus,
magnesium, manganese, or copper, when manifest as a skeletal disease, may be
indistinguishable.)
Signs of Excess
Too much Calcium can lead to:
Nothing reported but too much can lead to too little in another mineral because they are
so interdependent upon each other.
Natural Sources of Calcium
Calcium can be found in:
Milk, bone meal, dicalcium, phosphate, and canned salmon.
Phosphorus
MDR
Phosphorus has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of 40.5 mg and for a Growth Dosage of 109 mg.
Purpose
Phosphorus is needed for ATP (Main energy transfer system), mineralization of bone and
tooth formation, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, helps with both DNA and RNA
structure, locomotion, and the acid-base balance.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Phosphorus can cause:
Reduced weight gain, poor appetite, bowing and swelling of forelimbs in puppies,
muscular weakness and bone pain. (Note: Deficiency signs of calcium, phosphorus,
magnesium, manganese, or copper, when manifest as a skeletal disease, may be
indistinguishable.)
Signs of Excess
Too much Phosphorus can lead to:
Nothing noted but because of it’s interdependency on Calcium and other minerals if
Phosphorus is out of balance then the other minerals will not be utilized properly. Possible
calcification of kidneys and other non-skeletal tissues.
Natural Sources of Phosphorus
Phosphorus can be found in:
Milk, eggs, chicken, canned salmon, meat, bone meal, and dicalcium phosphate.
Sodium
MDR
Sodium has a Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of 5 mg and for a Growth Dosage of 13.6 mg.
Purpose
Sodium is need for fluid regulation, acid-base balance, and regulation of osmotic
pressures, muscle contraction, nerve impulse generation and transmission.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Sodium can cause:
Restlessness, increased heart rate, increase water intake, increase of hemoglobin
concentration, dry and tacky mucous membranes, weight loss, hair loss, acidosis, muscle
cramps, loss of appetite, and mental sluggishness. The lack of Sodium is very rare.
Signs of Excess
Too much Sodium can lead to:
Nothing has been noted. Maybe linked to hypertension in some dogs and also edema.
Natural Sources of Sodium
Sodium can be found in:
Salt (sodium chloride) and most natural ingredients.
Chlorine
MDR
Chlorine has a Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for a
Maintenance Dosage of 7.7mg and for a Growth Dosage of 20.9 mg.
Purpose
Chlorine is needed in the acid-base balance, transferring of extracellular fluids across the
cell membranes, basically serves the same as function as Sodium.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Chlorine can cause:
Reduced weight gain and in puppies can cause weakness and will have the same signs
as Sodium deficiency.
Signs of Excess
Too much Chlorine can lead to:
Nothing has been noted. Maybe linked to possible hypertension in dogs. The dog may
start vomiting.
Natural Sources of Chlorine
Chlorine can be found in:
Salt and most natural ingredients.
Potassium
MDR
Potassium has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for
Maintenance Dosage of 40.5 mg and for a Growth Dosage of 109 mg.
Purpose
Potassium is needed for Acid-base balance, kidney integrity, nerve impulse transmission,
enzymatic reactions, works with the bodies defense mechanism, and helps with transport
functions.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Potassium can cause:
Muscle weakness in the rear legs, ascending paralysis starting in the neck and working its
way down the body, depressed reflexes, general weakness later in life, heart and kidney
lesions, and poor growth in puppies.
Signs of Excess
Too much Potassium can lead to:
Nothing noted. Potassium and sodium are co dependent upon each other so if one is out
of balance then the other cannot function properly.
Natural Sources of Potassium
Potassium can be found in:
Most natural ingredients, potassium chloride.
Magnesium
MDR
Magnesium has the Minimum Daily Requirement per pound of body weight for
Maintenance Dosage of 3.7 mg and for a Growth Dosage of 10 mg.
Purpose
Magnesium is needed for bone and tooth formation, enzyme functions, carbohydrate
metabolism, building of protein, normal muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission,
maintenance of teeth, and hormone secretion.
Signs of Deficiency
The lack of Magnesium can cause:
Slowed growth rate of puppies, muscle weakness, reduced weight gain, irritability, and
convulsions in puppies, hyperextension of carpal joints and hind leg paralysis of adult
dog, and death. (Note: Deficiency signs of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium,
manganese, or copper, when manifest as a skeletal disease, may be indistinguishable.)
Signs of Excess
Too much Magnesium can lead to:
Nothing is noted.
Too much can be fatal but it would usually have to come about due to overdosing of the
mineral.
Natural Sources of Magnesium
Magnesium can be found in:
Natural ingredients, magnesium carbonate, and magnesium oxide.
1. The Collins Guide to Dog Nutrition, By Donald R. Collin, DVM (1989)
2. http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/dog_nutrition_final.pdf
3. http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/vth/sa/clin/cp_handouts/Nutrition_Adult_Dog.pdf
4. http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nutrit2.html
5. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/182902.htm
6. Understanding Nutrition, by Ellie Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes(2005).
7. Canine Nutrition, Choosing the Best Foods for Your Breed, By Willaim
D. Cusick (1997).
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ARTICLE RESOURCES FOR MACRO MINERALS