It's an interesting question.

Minerals, it turns out, are fairly important for dogs. They're basically used as the building blocks of your dog's body.

In other words, your dog is made of minerals: they're a part of most everything in his body, from nerves to bones and blood. And that's at the most visible level. Under a microscope, scientists find those same minerals knit into your dog's DNA and the structure of his cells.

Dog Minerals: Calcium

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your dog's body: it makes up 2% of your dog's entire body weight. And 95% of that is in her bones. It's also present in the blood and organs. To keep calcium levels finely balanced in each area of the body, the mineral is moved back and forth frequently between bone and tissue.

Dog Minerals: Phosphorus

Phosphorus is the second most abundant mineral in your dog's body. Most of it works as building blocks in the bones and teeth, with the remainder distributed to cells throughout the body. When your dog's body needs to grow or repair tissues, it taps its phosphorus reserves to help out with the process.

Dog Minerals: Magnesium

Magnesium, like calcium and phosphorus, is stored largely in the bones. But it stands out as a building block in your dog's muscles, organs and blood. Magnesium works with calcium to support the contraction and relaxation of your dog's muscles, including her heart. Calcium tenses the muscles; magnesium relaxes them.

Support for Life

With minerals such an integral part of your dog's body and mobility, it's easy to see how their depletion can be a factor in conditions like osteoarthritis. Good diet and quality mineral supplements can help give your dog all the minerals she needs to keep her body in full health as long as naturally possible.

See also: Calcium Health