The Doberman is an omnivorous dog. Dog food mainly contains five kinds of nutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. In general, dogs like fatty foods, but fat content still needs to remain within a proper range.
Too much fat accumulation can lead to cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, diabetes, urinary stones, and other health problems. In clinical practice, there are also many illnesses related to nutritional imbalance in dogs. Most dog owners know that dogs love liver, meat, and sausage, but excessive consumption of exactly these foods can cause abnormal skeletal development and raise the incidence of spinal problems. It can also increase the occurrence of anal gland disease and, in some cases, even cervical spine problems.
To help the dog grow and develop better, some owners add extra calcium while feeding dog food. But this can actually lead to the dog lacking usable calcium during development. Owners may feel confused and think that more calcium must be better. The reason this can go wrong is that large, reputable dog food brands already calculate nutrient ratios scientifically with help from animal nutritionists and veterinarians, so extra calcium is usually unnecessary. If calcium is added on top of a complete diet, the dog’s body may reduce calcium absorption and increase calcium excretion as part of its own regulatory mechanism. In the end, much of the extra calcium is simply excreted and not effectively absorbed.
In other words, if the Doberman is eating a proper complete dog food, do not add too much extra calcium casually. Dogs eating mainly human-style meals may need some calcium supplementation, but even then owners need to consider the dog’s stage of life, such as growth, adulthood, pregnancy and nursing, or old age, because food needs change in each physiological stage.