Non-energetic Dog Food Nutrients. Minerals, Vitamins, Calcium and Phosphorous

Water: It is essential for life; for every 1 portion of food served, 2 to 3 portions of water must me ingested. Each 100 kCal of energy used are equal to 10-16 grams of water ingested.

Dog Food Minerals: These constitute a small fraction of the body weight, which is why their proportion in the diet must be small as well. They are classified into two groups, depending on the amount required by the dog.

• Macro-minerals: calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and sodium.
• Micro-minerals: the rest.

Dog Food vitamins: Depending on how they are dissolved, they receive the names of:

• Soluble in fat (lipo-soluble): A, D, E and K.
• Soluble in water (hydro-soluble): C and all the B's.

Their benefit is undoubtedly good, as long as there are kept in their small proportion, nevertheless if these are used in excess it can cause a hyper-vitaminosis. This happens especially with vitamins A and D if their ingestion is not controlled.

Calcium and Phosphorous
Calcium in Dog Food: Of all the present minerals in the organism it is the most abundant one. A calcium deficiency is usually generated when dogs are fed with poor home made foods (only meat with no vegetables or fruits). Nowadays we know that the supplementation of calcium causes serious health risks, especially if it is produced during growth, like for example rachitis, among other sicknesses.

Phosphorous in Dog Food: It is the second most abundant mineral in the body. In a balanced and healthy diet, the proportion of calcium and phosphorous will be of 1,3:1 and any variation of this or another mineral can cause serious health risks. The ad libitum supplementation should not be recommended unless it is under the criteria of a professional. The higher the levels of protein in the diet the higher the levels of phosphorous because it is obtained from meat, chicken, fish, eggs, etc. Stomach dilatation/ torsion syndrome