# Is there a calcium/phosphorous imbalance in RAW?



## dingo (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi everybody,

Is it true that bones in RAW diet contain too much Phosphorous? 
I feed one raw egg including the shell (I believe that the shell is high on calcium compared to prosperous) to go along with about 3-4 lbs of raw meat (it contains bones as well). I am under the impression that bones in raw meat are high on phosphorous and contain little calcium. Is one egg shell enough to strike the right balance?
I am really worried if my boy is drawing calcium from his skeletal structure to balance the prosperous.
Waiting anxiously for opinions and information.

Best wishes,

BS


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Wow that's a lot of meat in one sitting! What kind of dog do you have? 

And from my understanding of it, the bones are what provides the calcium in the diet, that's why cooked diets are so much more dangerous and hard to balance, because you can't add bones so you have to add calcium supplements.


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## dingo (Feb 8, 2010)

Almost 5 mo rottie (55lbs). The diet is split over 3 meals. 

Some sources suggest that even raw bones are very rich in phosphorous as compared to calcium. This is what has got me worried over the ratio.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm curious as to what those sources are. Raw bones do have phosphorus in them, but they also have lots of calcium. That's what keeps a raw diet balanced. In fact, a lot of people are often worried that there is too much calcium in raw diets because of the bone content (another silly rumor started by the pet food industry). 

And whew, spread out over three meals is way better! I was thinking like "here puppy, here's 4 lbs of food for breakfast!" and handing it to Clifford the Big Red Dog :smile: Though I'm sure my Dobie puppy wouldn't hesitate to attempt to eat that much all at once, little piglet!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Our Great Dane puppy Akasha has grown up just fine on raw, as she is a giant breed dog. As long as your puppy's diet is balanced out to include mostly muscle meat, some organ meat and some bone he/she will be fine and CA/P levels/ratios are not an issue.

CA/P ratios are an issue when artificial diets are formulated in the form of kibble since the ingredients are not in their natural state, and inappropriate for a carnivore in the first place.


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## dingo (Feb 8, 2010)

You are absolutely correct.

It’s the vet and some of his friends. They almost made me believe that little Bulu’s bones were eroding away causing irreversible damage.

I just did a bit of looking up on my own as well and this is what all the information boils down to.
“It is the flesh that contains phosphorous and the bones are definitely rich in calcium. The ration of two minerals is right on the mark in most meats and more so in chicken.”

1 lb. (16 oz.) of raw chicken with bones
Minerals
Calcium 1.50 (%)
Copper 2 (ppm)
Iron 22 (ppm)
Magnesium 0.04 (%)
Manganese 1 (ppm)
Phosphorus 0.93 (%)
Potassium 0.20 (%)
Sodium 0.12 (%)
Zinc 34 (ppm)

And Bulu wouldn’t mind his 4lbs at a go either.
I too had a Dobie (Dingo) till about 10 years back. J


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Unfortunately, most vets don't understand the importance of whole, fresh foods and the healing power that they have. Trust what nature intended your dog to eat, or at least at close as you possibly could get...which is raw muscle meat, raw bone and raw organ meats :wink:


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Yeah most vets hate raw diets and don't know anything about them so they have a fun time spreading lies and misinformation to their clients trying to convince them to switch, unfortunately. 

I'm glad you came here! 

And that breakdown of the nutrients in chicken is very cool, thanks for that!


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## Sir (Feb 4, 2010)

dingo said:


> I am under the impression that *bones* in raw meat are high on phosphorous and *contain little calcium*.
> I am really worried if my boy is drawing calcium from his skeletal structure to balance the prosperous.
> Waiting anxiously for opinions and information.
> 
> ...


:biggrin:
That was too funny!
If the meaty bone to be consumed by our beast had osteoporosis, then the calcium content is less than normal.

Worry not about calcium in bones, for there is plenty.


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