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Dog Breeding: The Importance Of Di-Calcium Phosphate When Giving Birth
All breeds require di-calcium phosphate after whelping and throughout puppy-care stages. Very large breeds also often require this support late in pregnancy. Di-calcium phosphate is critical for a matron's ability to whelp successfully. This supplementation must continue through lactation, helping to insure healthy milk production.
Puppies' skeletal structures can be detrimentally affected if their dam suffers a di-calcium phosphate insufficiency through pregnancy and lactation. If the dam suffers from inadequate di-calcium support, she will "steal" her own temporary calcium to balance the puppies' needs.
During the period puppies are nutritionally sustained solely through their dam's milk, she requires ever-increasing amounts of di-calcium phosphate until weaning begins. Too much, too little or an improperly balanced di-calcium phosphate may also cause skeletal anomalies such as stunted growth. Di-calcium phosphate is not cumulative within the body. When not directly utilized, it is eliminated through the kidneys. It is of critical import to the dam and puppies, therefore, that a proper supportive dose therapy be managed daily.
The brand chosen should be of a low milligram dosage by tablet or teaspoon. There are nationally available brands offering doses too high, hundreds of milligrams per tablet or teaspoon. There are also products less expensive to purchase, which seem like a good deal.
Moderation demands selecting perhaps a slightly more expensive brand, one with a lower dose from a reliable and easily digested source. To remove guesswork from safe measurements, all supplementation must be carefully monitored and increases made only as necessary for a sane and conservative approach to dietary support.
Abnormal calcium levels from inadequate di-calcium phosphate by either dietary insufficiency or assimilation may cause a condition known as "eclampsia." The onset of eclampsia can occur late in a pregnancy or during whelping and early lactation. While the exact cause is unknown, administration of adequate di-calcium phosphate and vitamin/mineral supplementation to a nutritionally supportive diet will, in almost all cases, prevent the occurrence of this condition. Once eclampsia occurs, however, the matron must have immediate veterinary support therapy.
The earliest signs leading to eclampsia may be noted by a loss in appetite and stiffness of movement resulting from slight-to-moderate pain. If eclampsia is allowed to progress, the dam will exhibit restlessness and an increased respiratory rate. This aspect of eclampsia is often confused with normal signs of whelping. Whenever in doubt, call your veterinarian immediately. Eclampsia is life-threatening. It does not get better by itself, it requires fast medical intervention to effect a possible reversal.
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