Calcium deficiency???

Hi everyone!!! last weekend we took Gwen to the vet and he said because her nails are "so white" that she has a calcium deficiency..he gave us a calcium pill to give her everyday..after researching i found that an overabundance of calcium can cause this problem..now im not a vet so im not trying to say i know more than him or anything however with research i found nothing saying anything about white nails being a symptom or sign or a calcium deficiency..he didnt give her a blood test or anything..we are feeding her blue buffalo lamb and oatmeal puppy formula (dry) and are planning on switching her onto merrick dry food in about a week. Im just worried that giving her these calcium pills is not the right thing..does anyone know anything about calcium deficiency in puppies? she does have very white nails but she is a mostly white pup! any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

As I found out a lot of staffs can have white nails so I don't think this means anything at all , any other info from your vet in other areas to support this diagnosis

No there was nothing else to support this diagnosis!! Thats why i think its so strange to say she has a calcium deficiency based just on the fact that her nails are white!!! I know giving too much calcium can cause a deficiency..im worried that she doesnt have a calcium def. and that giving her these pills are going to cause one! Our vet doesnt have much experience with staffs so im just worried that he was just too quick to diagnosis this and that it is going to cause a problem with her. We are going back for her boosters on April 6th so i will talk to him then and ask him to do a blood test..but until then i guess i should just continue giving her the calcium pills as directed??

I can't really help but would it be worth going to a different vets for a second opinion? Xx

How Odd.

Looking at ur avatar and her pigment I'd kind of expect her to have White nails.

Think ur vet is having u on trying to make an easy buck !

Although I wouldn't want to go against a vet's advice, it does sound strange. I've also heard that too much calcium can result in bad bone formation in young, growing dogs?

Is there another vet you can ask?

There's nothing wrong with asking for a second opinion. If you doubt the vet's advice, go to another one maybe?

I dont know i guess he could have been trying to make a quick buck! I just feel like he should have given her a blood test to be sure before prescribing her these pills (if she doesnt have a calcium def. and these pills overload her with it then it could stunt her growth or mess up her bones!) We were at a different vet a week before that said nothing about any sort of calcium def. and they even trimmed her nails so they def saw them!! The only reason im taking them with a grain of salt is bc it was banfield which is the worst vet ever! I didnt discover this until after we took her for an exam when i read reviews online! Thats why we took her to a different vet the next weekend..someone i know highly recommended him and he also had good reviews. Considering she is getting fed very well i think we may stop giving her the calcium pills..i will post a picture of her nails!!!

heres two pics of her nails..you have to click the link bc i dont know how to post pics the other way here

https://i.servimg.com/u/f73/18/19/46/74/nails10.jpg

https://i.servimg.com/u/f73/18/19/46/74/nails_11.jpg

Well for what it's worth, I have a Staff, who although dark brindle has white paws - they look like they've been dipped in milk and are so cute. So, with his white paws he has white nails.

But despite being white, his nails are strong! Despite a lot of vigorous walking along hard pavements, they don't wear down so I really can't think that white nails = calcium deficiency.

Your pup is white, therefore will have white nails. If you are still concerned, ask another vet for a blood test.

Oh, and back in the day when dogs were regularly fed bones (both raw and cooked), if by eating these bones the dogs received more calcium than they needed, their poo would be white (quite a common sight back then) so I would suppose that a dog will excrete any extra calcium it doesn't need.

Thank you for the photos Cara. Can you see the pink "quick" of the nails, or are they completely opaque?

Lynda- the nails are not completely opaque..i can see the pink..at the base where her nails start it is more of a pinkish clear color and then the tips/top part of the nail are a rich white color..

Well I'm not a vet but that sounds normal to me. Maybe someone else with more experience of a white-pawed dog can advise further.

Just one more thing - when Gwen started on her calcium pills, have you seen any change in her poo?

no i have seen no change in her poo since she started on the calcium pills!

Hi cara. My Lola has white paws and also white nails. Her nails were clipped a few weeks ago and as they're growing back they are more pink at the base now. My vet clipped them and didn't batter an eye lid at them being white. But, as already advised might be best to get a second opinion.

I should also add that a couple of her nails are black.

your pup is 7 days older than gwen!!!!

Never heard of thia before, u would advice a secons opinion aswell