Copper Nutrient Guide for Dogs - Printable PDF

Muscle meat is low in copper, so most homemade diets get it from liver, and the 2013 UC Davis study found more than half of 200 homemade recipes short on copper. This 9-page printable guide gives you the AAFCO requirement, the calorie method for working out your dog’s minimum, and real foods ranked so you know why beef liver can’t be swapped gram for gram with chicken liver. It also covers the zinc and copper balance, and why too much is the bigger worry for some breeds.

What’s inside (9 pages):

• Copper basics: what it is, why it matters, and why muscle meat alone falls short
• Why your dog needs copper: red blood cells, connective tissue, coat color, and energy
• How much copper your dog needs, by calories, with a simple table for adult and puppy minimums
• Copper and zinc: how they compete in the gut, and why a zinc supplement can push copper down
• Too little vs. too much: anemia and faded coat on the low end, copper-associated liver disease on the high end, and the breeds at higher risk
• Where home feeders get copper: beef and lamb liver, chicken and duck liver, oysters, supplements and premixes, and plants
• Copper foods ranked most to least, with mg per 100 g and per 100 kcal
• Full chart: every AAFCO-required vitamin and mineral in 7 real foods

What you get: 9-page printable PDF (US Letter) plus PNG images of every page for quick reference on your phone.

Educational only, not a substitute for your veterinarian.