Calcium - A Major Nutritional Problem

By Malcolm Green from Dr Squiggles

Calcium is an unusual mineral. Although a major component in the body it can be very difficult to absorb from food and it is the most common deficiency in most captive animals (including humans!!!). The main reason for this is its very poor solubility and hence the difficulty for the gut to absorb it.
There are three groups of animals most likely to show symptoms of calcium deficiency:

1. The first is lactating females. Here the demand for calcium to make milk can be greater than her ability to supply it. Calcium deficient females take calcium from their bones to make milk. If the bones become depleted she will raid other organs. When she takes calcium from nerves and muscles they stop working properly. The result is a partial paralysis most often showing as weakness in the legs.

2. Young animals being fed milk from calcium deficient females will be developing bones that are less strong and more pliable than is ideal. Jaw and teeth problems (malocclusion) are the most common results.

3. When young animals reach nearly full size they pump large quantities into their bones to significantly strengthen them. If there is insufficient calcium in the diet they, like their mothers, take calcium from other organs. The resultant poor nerve and muscle function leads to fits, weakness of the legs and nervousness.

Why is it that captive animals suffer these problems more than wild animals?  The answer is that wild animals get their calcium from green sappy foods where the mineral is "chelated" with organic molecules and easily absorbable. During the ripening (drying) process most of these bonds between calcium and organic molecules are broken. Some calcium is returned to the soil in the retreating sap and lost from the food. (See the article on minerals in an earlier edition of Fur and Feather).
Traditional supplements (like those used in pellets) are inorganic. This makes them difficult to dissolve and hence absorb. Dr Squiggles has overcome this problem in its product Calcivet. Calcivet is a super-saturated (pre-dissolved) chelated calcium supplement with excellent absorption characteristics. It is so effective that most of the time it is only used once a week (added to food or drinking water). For "at risk" animals this may be increased to five times a week.