Symptoms of short-term excessive calcium supplementation in golden retrievers

Many owners will supplement their dogs with calcium when they are young, for fear that the nutrition will not keep up and the dog will grow abnormally. But many owners don’t know that calcium supplementation should be determined according to scientific methods or the dog’s own needs. More is not always better. Excessive calcium supplementation can even cause serious consequences.
If golden retrievers take too much calcium in the short term, most of the excess calcium will be excreted through feces, which will mainly increase the burden on the dog's gastrointestinal tract. Except for some golden retrievers, it may cause anorexia, constipation, indigestion and other symptoms in golden retrievers, but generally more serious reactions will not occur.

Symptoms of long-term excessive calcium supplementation in Golden Retrievers

1. Long-term excessive calcium supplementation in Golden Retrievers can cause hypercalciuria and increase the chance of forming stones in the urinary system.
2. It will cause premature calcification of the golden retriever's cartilage and premature closure of the anterior fontanel, resulting in microcephaly, which restricts the dog's brain development.
3. It will cause premature calcification of the Golden Retriever’s bones, early closure of the epiphysis, affect the development of long bones, and finally limit the height.
4. If there is too much calcium in the bones, the bones will become brittle and prone to fractures.
5. It will affect the dog’s appetite, thereby affecting the intestinal absorption of other nutrients.
6. Excessive calcium stored in the intestines will affect the Golden Retriever’s absorption of other trace elements, resulting in decreased immunity, anorexia, slow growth, etc.
7. Excessive blood calcium concentration will cause calcium to be deposited in the internal organs or tissues. If it is deposited around the cornea, it will affect vision. If it is deposited on the heart valve, it will affect cardiac function. If it is deposited on the blood vessel wall, it will aggravate vascular sclerosis.

What to do if a golden retriever has excessive calcium supplementation

Once you find that your golden retriever has excessive calcium, you should immediately stop calcium supplementation or adjust the dose of calcium supplement in time. Usually, as long as the dosage of calcium supplement and vitamin D is appropriately adjusted, the symptoms of excessive calcium will disappear quickly. However, once bone calcification forms, there is often no good way to eliminate it. Avoiding excessive calcium and vitamin D preparations may be the best way to delay further calcification.