Vitamins and Minerals Can Be Dangerous for Pets – Calcium & Phosphorus
In a previous blog we discussed why iron, zinc, and vitamin C supplements can be harmful. Let’s explore other minerals included in multivitamin and mineral supplements that also have the potential to cause harm.
Calcium and Phosphorus--in Excess
Calcium and phosphorus are two minerals that all pets need, but they can cause serious health problems when given in supplements. Even when vitamin and mineral supplements are formulated specifically for pets, they are seldom ideal because the proportion of individual ingredients is not likely to match your particular pet’s ability to absorb and excrete them. For example, if you provide a vitamin and mineral supplement that has a little too much phosphorus for your pet, it will cause calcium deficiency and weak bones. If you provide a supplement that has a little too much calcium for growing puppies or kittens, it increases the likelihood that they will have bone irregularities and arthritis as adults. Bone pain and arthritis are chronic problems that take the joy out of exercise and playing with the family.
Milk Fever Is Caused By Calcium Supplements
Another example of harm that can come from supplements is milk fever that is caused by calcium supplements. Milk fever develops if we give calcium supplements to pregnant dogs and cats. When bitches and queens receive calcium supplements, their absorption of calcium decrease in order to maintain a normal calcium and phosphorus ratio. When these pets deliver their young and begin nursing, they suddenly need an increased amount of calcium but the mechanisms for increasing absorption have been turned off and are slow to turn back on. Nursing dogs and cats that cannot switch calcium absorption into high gear quickly develop milk fever or eclampsia due to hypocalcemia. The nursing mother with milk fever has muscle trembling, seizures, and irregular heart rhythms. Without emergency care, these nursing bitches and queens die because the brain, heart, and muscles don’t have the calcium they need.
More on the Dangers of Supplements To Come
In future blogs, we’ll cover other vitamins and minerals that cause problems when given in supplements. For most pets, it’s wiser to give whole foods than to give multivitamin and mineral supplements.
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