Here's a good tip: Home-Prepared Cooked Dog Food Diets
By eHow
One of the most common mistakes that people make when feeding a home-cooked diet is the failure to add calcium. You must add calcium when you feed a diet that does not include bones.
Adult dogs need around 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium per pound of food fed. They also require the calcium to be supplied in a proper proportion to phosphorus.
The ideal calcium: phosphorus ratio in the canine diet is between 1:1 and 2:1. Meat contains a lot of phosphorus, so the more meat a diet contains, the more calcium will be required to reach the correct calcium:phosphorus ratio. Adding 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium will provide the correct calcium:phosphorus ratio even for a high-meat diet, unless you use a calcium supplement that also contains phosphorus. In that case, moderately higher amounts of calcium may be needed to balance out the additional phosphorus contained in the supplement.
One of the most common mistakes that people make when feeding a home-cooked diet is the failure to add calcium. You must add calcium when you feed a diet that does not include bones.
Adult dogs need around 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium per pound of food fed. They also require the calcium to be supplied in a proper proportion to phosphorus.
The ideal calcium: phosphorus ratio in the canine diet is between 1:1 and 2:1. Meat contains a lot of phosphorus, so the more meat a diet contains, the more calcium will be required to reach the correct calcium:phosphorus ratio. Adding 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium will provide the correct calcium:phosphorus ratio even for a high-meat diet, unless you use a calcium supplement that also contains phosphorus. In that case, moderately higher amounts of calcium may be needed to balance out the additional phosphorus contained in the supplement.
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Ground eggshell can be used as a calcium supplement. Rinse eggshells and dry them on a counter overnight, or in the oven, then grind them in a clean coffee grinder. One large eggshell provides one teaspoon of ground eggshell, which contains 2,000 mg of calcium, so add 1/2 teaspoon ground eggshell per pound of food fed.
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Don't use eggshells that haven't been ground to powder, as they may not be absorbed as well.
Homemade Calcium Supplement for Dogs
Whether you make your own dog food and need to add calcium for complete nutrition, or your dog has a condition requiring extra calcium, you can make a supplement at home using eggshells. Eggshells are an excellent source of calcium carbonate and since you are processing them yourself from a single ingredient you'll be assured there are no added ingredients, such as preservatives or colorings.
Instructions
Save eggshells from eggs used in your daily cooking or from the eggs you use if you make raw food for your dog. Wash the eggshells under running water and place them on several layers of paper towel to dry.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the eggshells on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. This will make the eggshells brittle and burn away any food-grade mineral oil coating applied by the egg producer to protect the shell.
Remove the eggshells from the oven and allow them to cool. Use the coffee bean grinder, blender or mortar and pestle to grind the eggshells to a fine powder.
Instructions
Save eggshells from eggs used in your daily cooking or from the eggs you use if you make raw food for your dog. Wash the eggshells under running water and place them on several layers of paper towel to dry.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the eggshells on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. This will make the eggshells brittle and burn away any food-grade mineral oil coating applied by the egg producer to protect the shell.
Remove the eggshells from the oven and allow them to cool. Use the coffee bean grinder, blender or mortar and pestle to grind the eggshells to a fine powder.
Tips & Warnings
Make sure the eggshells are ground very fine to avoid any sharp edges or large gritty pieces, which some dogs find unappealing.
One eggshell yields about 1 tsp. powdered shell, which is approximately 1,800 mg of calcium.
Store ground eggshells in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Don't grind eggshells in a grinder used to grind coffee beans. Caffeine from coffee beans is highly toxic to dogs. Use one grinder specifically for eggshells to avoid any risk of making your dog sick or use a different method to grind the shells.
Make sure the eggshells are ground very fine to avoid any sharp edges or large gritty pieces, which some dogs find unappealing.
One eggshell yields about 1 tsp. powdered shell, which is approximately 1,800 mg of calcium.
Store ground eggshells in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Don't grind eggshells in a grinder used to grind coffee beans. Caffeine from coffee beans is highly toxic to dogs. Use one grinder specifically for eggshells to avoid any risk of making your dog sick or use a different method to grind the shells.
