nancy in AZ Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 I'll be checking with my vet on this, but does anyone supplement their dogs with calcium? Minnie has just had 2 *more* teeth broken in the last 2 months. I'm wondering if she is calcium deficient and if supplementing would help. She does not get bones to gnaw, but until this last tooth broken on Friday I'd been give her rawhide chewies. She gets thyroxin for low thyroid and I've heard that can cause leaching of calcium from bones. My vet attributed the broken teeth to heredity. She's always had regular annual dental maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted July 19, 2005 Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 Tooth weakness is something that happens during development, while the teeth are forming. So supplementing calcium during adulthood wouldn't do anything to make Minnie's teeth stronger. One of the things you look for when examining either fossil hom teeth or historical/modern skeletal specimens is enamel hypoplasias, which are basically linear defects in the surface of the teeth. If you find them they indicate that the individual went through some sort of physiological stress while growing up. Once you have them you're stuck with them for life no matter how much calcium you ingest. Solo has weak teeth too -- it's either heredity or perhaps the result of developmental stress. Considering how he grew up, the latter wouldn't surprise me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted July 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2005 Thanks for the insight Melanie. Have you found anything to give Solo that satisfies the "chew" desire but won't put his teeth in jeopardy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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