Nutrition

Subject: Dog Nutritional Supplements

Category: Homemade Dog Food Supplements

Format: Results, Discovery, Background and Recipe

 

Because my Dog Pack! includes two working dogs, I was able to observe before and after results from the use of this recipe.

Strangely enough I was not expecting any “after results” from the recipe, and was initially only looking for long term health benefits.

I would like to state upfront that I am confident that I have observed concrete physical results in the athletic and working ability of both my working dogs. That may be reason enough for you to read this article.

I still am hopeful for long term health benefits, but would not know how to find evidence of any in the near term.

My observations would be known as “anecdotal” as there is no  scientific or technical testing involved.  Remember I wasn’t expecting anything!

Be it as it may, my “anecdotal” results work for me, you’ll have to decide if they work for you.

Dog Nutrition Supplement: Magnesium

Background information: I was researching magnesium supplements for a family member and was starting to find it pretty interesting.

Apparently a high proportion of the US population is considered to be deficient in magnesium.

Why is it so?

Much of the cause is said to be mineral deficient, depleted soils.  Food crops won’t contain what the soil can’t provide.

More processed foods may lose some of what little magnesium they contain.

 

Complicating Factor

Gentle reader, you may be thinking ” just get some magnesium tabs and take care of it”.

Well it’s not that that simple.  It seems that outside of magnesium rich foods, grown in magnesium rich soils, it’s difficult to get magnesium, in its various forms, from the digestive track, to where it’s needed in the blood and cells.

In other words, supplements are not very bio available and a large proportion just washes thru.

 

What about our dogs?

What does all of this have to do with dogs?

PetMD.com lists magnesium as one of the most important cell substances for our dogs.  Another mentioned is potassium, both minerals.

Regarding the sufficient level of magnesium that our dogs are supposed to have:

• 60% is found in their bones
• 38% is found in soft tissue, most of which is skeletal muscle.  (Hmm, this is getting my attention.)

Continuing, magnesium is used in more than 300 enzyme systems.

It is also a major player in chemical energy transport for the metabolism.

Yes, magnesium must influence how my working dogs and the  rest  of my dogs move and work!

 

My Concerns, do you share any of them?

For My Dog Pack!, especially my working dogs I’m concerned with their mobility and general function, especially as they age.

Most of My Dog Pack! have had early spays or neuters which some researchers are identifying with increased orthopedic and other health problems  in the aging dog.   I’ll get more specific later on.

Research Results

I discovered a recipe that claimed a method of preparing magnesium that was more bio available.  IMO it’s also kind of cool to make, but I’ll describe that later.

Keeping with my personal principles, I decided to try it on myself first.

I have a handicap and try to become aware of any “health hacks” that might be helpful.

Here are my personal  findings:

• I enjoyed using it.  It has a barely discernible taste that I like.
• I found that I seemed to have better hydration.
• I thought that I had a slight functional improvement.  (That’s as good as it gets for me.)

 My Individual Dogs

After my own positive experience, now I wanted to try it with My Dog Pack!.   Do I have any specific reasons for each dog?

Yes, and I’ll review them for you.

1. Toto, our oldest dog, middle aged, early spay.  Looking to reduce any age related orthopedic and cancer concerns, along with general health and longevity.
2. Kuma, middle aged working athlete and assistance dog.  Neutered around 8 weeks by shelter.( See blog roll account.)  Concerned with bone health and cancer, general health, working career and longevity.  He’s in great shape now, does an incredible job, want to keep him that way.
3. Balto, young adult working athlete and assistance dog.  Has a vasectomy in response to neuter concerns, so general health, working career and longevity.
4. Remy, giant breed teeenager with genetic predisposition to hip dysplasia and other bone problems.  Had high % disposition for hip dysplasia with Penn Hip Xray tests.  Had Penn Hip surgery with early spay and stomach tuck to avoid stomach torque.  Clearly a purebred… Concerned for bone and muscle issues along with general health and longevity.  Unsure about her working career.

 

 The Results Please!

These are the results I have observed under the following conditions.

The recipe results in drinking water which I serve with the dog’s morning meal.  I have changed to a procedure of putting an estimated volume of the water in their feed bowls with their food and mixing somewhat.

Recall that I wasn’t expecting anything in the short term, so didn’t keep any records.

I estimate they were having the special water 1 x per day for about a week before I noticed the following>

• Toto and Remy: nothing noticed, felt I was improving their diet.
• Kuma and Balto: noticeable improvement in athletic performance.

Circumstances: these are trained, athletic assistance dogs whose “work” is pulling a weighted load.

After using the water, they were a discernible  1-2 increments faster and stronger, pulling their weighted load on familiar routes.

It was noted that their speed often had to be reduced more than previously.

 

My Anecdote

I have no double bind test results measured with sophisticated technical equipment.

What I offer for your consideration is my experience controlling the dogs and their load, over time and distance.

I hope the long term benefits are similar.

 

Here’s the Recipe for Magnesium Bicarbonate Water

Ingredients:

• Carbonated water such as: Canada Dry Seltzer Water, (which is water and carbon dioxide, CO2.)   Club Soda may be a substitute, but will have added sodium.  I have only used carbonated water like the Canada Dry.
• Milk of Magnesia, Plain, No Flavors

Active ingredient: magnesium hydroxide, 400mg per tablespoon (5ml).

Inactive ingredient: purified water

Note: some brands have other ingredients in the “inactive ingredients” category.  I have avoided those.

Procedure: using 1 liter bottle of carbonated water

1. Store your 1 liter bottle in the fridge, making sure it is fully cooled.

2. Shake your bottle of Milk of Magnesia (MOM), to mix well, and pour out 3 tablespoons (45 ml) using the plastic cup that comes with the bottle.

3. Get your chilled  1 L bottle of carbonated water with as little shaking as possible.

4. Slowly open it minimizing the loss of carbonation.

5. When the fizzing has calmed down, slowly add the MOM.  Screw the cap on the bottle promptly.  (If you pour in the MOM too fast you’ll find  out why  it  needs to be done slowly!)

6. Shake the bottle well for 30 seconds, it will cloud up.  Let sit for 1/2 hour,as it settles out.

7. Shake bottle again for 30 seconds.  Let settle out.  Any white material on the bottom can be ignored as excess unused material

8. IMO Cool signal that the chemical reaction is complete:

The sides of the bottle “cave in” or collapse inward!

This is your concentrate, not your drinking water.

To make 4 Liters of Magnesium Bicarbonate Drinking Water

Mix 333ml (1/3 l) of your concentrate with 3 2/3 liters of the best quality water you have by pouring your concentrate into a 4 liter container followed by your regular water.  I choose to keep this in the fridge.

My Experience:

I live at altitude so all products that were packaged at lower elevations puff out when opened or may even bulge a bit.  Carbonated beverages are pretty powerful up here when opened, so making the sides of the bottle collapse in when finished never ceases to amaze me.

At my location, usually the sides of the bottle will not collapse until during the second shaking.

Sometimes they will not collapse for me.  Many recipes need adjustment at altitude.  When this happens I add some more MOM let sit for a while and  shake again.  This always seems to do the trick if the regular procedure has not.

I’ve had some MOM freeze which made it pretty non-functional for this purpose.

It seems to me that we’re trying using enough MOM to react with as much CO2 as possible to create as much magnesium bicarbonate as possible.

I relate my experience purely for educational purposes.  I take no responsibility for any use of this information. Consider it for potential use in healthy dog nutrition.

Ken