You may have grown up hearing you should drink plenty of milk for strong bones and teeth. The calcium in milk may work for people, but it's not an ideal source of calcium for your puppy. Determining the appropriate amount and source of the calcium in Duke's diet can be tricky.
Calcium for Puppies
Before you add calcium to your puppy's diet, ask yourself -- and your vet -- if it's necessary. If Duke's eating a quality commercial puppy food, he should be getting all the calcium he needs. However, if the vet's recommended a bit extra or if you cook for your pup yourself, commercial supplements can provide him the calcium he needs. If you cook for Duke or want to give him a bit of extra calcium, try yogurt and cottage cheese, two dairy products he may enjoy. If he doesn't mind eating vegetables, add leafy greens such as spinach and veggies such as yams to his dinner plate. Ground eggshells are a great source of calcium because they don't add additional phosphorous to your pup's diet; calcium and phosphorous must be fed in proper proportion to each other to ensure Duke's healthy bone development. Though calcium helps a puppy grow strong, too much can mean he grows too fast, potentially giving him problems later.