Bewared the trends to supplement Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Calcium, including as bones.

Arnold Plotnick, DVM "Eat Less For Health" Dog World Dec 2002

"Excess calcium interfers wtih normal skeletal development and triggers developmental bone diseases, such as osteochondritis dissecans, hypertrophic osteodystrophy, enlarged joints, dropped hocks, splayed feet, angular limb deformities, wobbler's syndrome and stunted growth"

Pamela David "Health management of the Bitch, Before Breeding and During Pregnancy" Stockdogs. Sept 2003

Excess vitamin A is associated with congenital defects such as cleft palate, and vitamin D may compromize calcium mobilization within the bitch.  Excess vitamin C may interfer with normal processes of bone development and because dogs produce sufficient amounts of this supplementation is simply unnecessary....Calcium supplements to the bitch .. is an extremely dangerous pratice.  Excessive levels of calcium...intefers with the normal process of calcium storage and places the bitch at risk for developing hypocalcemia"

Good quality dog food is based on lots of scientific research into the nutritional requirements of dogs.  Whereas most of the fad diets are not based on sound research.  It's amazing how folks are giving dogs lots of Vit C because of it's effects on people when Vit C is not a vitamin in dogs, they have no requirement for it. And I learned that 25 years ago in animal science class.  Then there's the folks who think BHT is bad so get preservative free food.  Lot of dogs have died from those natural kibble when it went rancid, including Mary Weir's Tugs.  Incidentally, that whole BHT thing was started by the Solid Gold founder who went around quoting a non-existing study just to sell her food! Dot DeLisle