# calcium concern??



## sickdog19 (Mar 24, 2011)

i took my GSD to get second set of puppy shots!! His ears are not up yet the vet told me he needs more calcium and vitamins! i thought cause of his teething!! What can i feed him that have calcium? what kind of vitamins do i need to get him?


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

No, no, no. If your puppy is getting a good quality kibble, he's getting more than enough calcium and vitamins. Adding more, especially the calcium, can cause long term problems. Your puppy is still young and it's not unusual for the ears to not be up yet. You can start to worry as he approaches 6 month and then either the ears will go up or they won't; there's not much you can really do about it.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

GSD ears do not always stand up early some go up and down all through teething. Some do not stand period. 

Giving him something to chew on and work his muscles like a knuckle bone or bully stick. Read the threads here Ears Up?????? - German Shepherd Dog Forums

Did your vet say to up the calcium because his ears weren't up? Or was there another health concern?


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## sickdog19 (Mar 24, 2011)

They told me because of the ears weren't up.. I been feeding him purina puppy chow, they advised me to buy the same brand but high performance for big breed. What about the vitamins?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Forget the calcium... to much calcium is no good for large breed puppies. You're vet is completely wrong and giving you horrible advice.

First, how old is your puppy? Is he done teething yet?

Second, purina puppy chow is a very low quality food. Probably one of the worst quality kibbles on the market along with pedigree, beneful, etc. I'd definitely look into upgrading that diet. If you can find the kibble in the supermarket or gas stations, it's no good.

Do you have any petco or petsmarts near you? What about pet specialty stores with brands you may not have heard of... like a mom and pop type pet store?


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## sickdog19 (Mar 24, 2011)

His 10 weeks and still teething.. thats what i been reading on this site about puppy chow. I will start changing his food but i'm concern about his stomach. Will it effect him?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

sickdog19 said:


> His 10 weeks and still teething.. thats what i been reading on this site about puppy chow. I will start changing his food but i'm concern about his stomach. Will it effect him?


At 10 weeks you have nothing to worry about if the ears aren't up. Don't even start to worry until at least 5-6 months. Whatever your vet said, ignore it. Amazing what some vets will tell people... almost makes you wonder sometimes.

Soft ears are typically genetic. Did both your pups sire and dam have ears that stood up?

As for changing the food.. what exactly are you concerned with? If you do a nice, slow transition, there shouldn't be any issues.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

change his food~slowly and watch out for over feeding(better quality means feeding less)! Lots of threads on nutrition here....get some raw fresh beef knuckle bones for your pup to chew. 
The joint cartilage is beneficial and chewing will build muscle in the head to help the ears to stand. Take the bone away so it doesn't dry out, and fridge it in between knawings. If it does dry over a few days time, then pitch it, splintering may occur and cause issues.


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## sickdog19 (Mar 24, 2011)

yeah the vet are not always right! Im a change his food slowly see how that works. Thanks guys!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

At 10 weeks, he isn't "still teething". He hasn't started teething yet. He will start around 4 months, and they are done around six months of age. If his ears go up before he starts teething, they may go down during teething, but will go up again when he is done. No need for extra calcium or anything.
Others have given you good advice to follow.


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## s14roller (Nov 18, 2010)

Agreed...mine had her ears go up around 3-4 months...

Switch the food out for a better one...there is a huge thread at the top of this subforum for best puppy food. Easiest thing to do is read the ingredients...you want high quality meat ingredients first...no byproducts.

As for calcium, you want the opposite...large breed puppy food uses less calcium as you don't want the breed to grow too quickly for it's bones...


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

At least the vet said a higher end purina. Pro-plan is purina and a lot of people feed it with good results. It is certainly not the best food, but it is better than puppy chow. 

Remember that finding the best possible food is difficult, because it may not be the best food for your dog, in fact it may not work very well for your dog. For a puppy, if I was looking for a new food, I would probably go with this stuff: 

Natural Ultramix Puppy Food | www.castorpolluxpet.com.

Raw meaty bones to chew on and cheese for training treats, is probably what I would do. 

No need to worry about those ears yet, and overdoing it on calcium now can cause your puppy joint problems in the future. 

Good luck with your new pup.


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