I have a 6mth old male who I have kept very light on.He is on a balanced diet with added liquid calcuim and Vit C but he is down on his pasterns.Almost walking on his pasterns. I have been in this breed for 11yrs so I understand about growth and weight,but I have NEVER had one down this low.Any ideas on how to bring him up? He is on gravel,free range on excerise and he is fed up on a fence with a bowl holder to get him to stand on his toes Samantha Samantha Cooper INIZIO Neapolitan Mastiffs Click me
I had a male that was like that completely down and got him straight on 1 leg and almost on the other. Basically i was giving him Equvit C and kept him caged almost all the time for a couple months only exercised on the leash for about 5 mins about 4 or 5 times a day really when he needed to go to the toilet and i allowed him to have a walk about and sniff etc for a while after. Another method is to give steroids to him. BUT Only 1ml once a week for 4 weeks. But at 6 months this is now too late for this treatment to be of any use but will be good to know for the future. To give now would make a great chance of sterility in him. Just feed him enough to grow and no more. It felt bad to keep my boy like that but it worked which was the main thing. To me the gravel only is useful for reducing the splayed toes as then the gravel does not go inbetween. Another thing you could try is if you have the pools for dogs there where they put a life jacket type thing on the dog and he swims up and down but is not actually load bearing his muscles but just exercising them can help too. HTH
This is not to Samantha she understands the calcium, I just thought this would be a good thread to mention this in.
Added calcium is a bad thing for any large breed puppy, or giant breed. It can cause these problems instead of help them. I have sent you some emails with some great links.
Dietary Considerations High intake of calcium is associated with various bone diseases in giant breeds. Some dogs are at risk for osteochodrosis (OCD). Diets high in protein also increase the growth lameness tendencies for large dogs. Most breeders recommend that no vitamin or mineral supplement (other than Vitamin C) be given HOD (Hypertrophied Osteodsytrophy)This disease may be caused by excessive caloric intake in relation to energy expended. More in, than out! This usually effects giant breeds between the ages of 12 weeks and 7 months of age. First signs are a swelling of the front wrist area-this area is usually hot and tender to the touch. (progress to faulty rear movement-because of pain in the lower back legs). Then, there is a dropping of he front wrist (pastern), splayed feet (toes are spread out flat), the topline (the top of the back) gets curvy (like a Greyhound) and the back legs are tucked under the body (like a Deerhound) making the dog appear deformed. Sometimes the rear legs look “cow hocked” (feet facing outward and hocks facing towards each other) and the front legs may toe inward. In some cases the dog will toe out; when viewing the puppy from straight above the shoulders down to the front feet, the legs will have a knock-kneed appearance. In extreme cases there are high fevers, refusal to eat, and constantly aching joints. This is caused by high protein foods consumed in larger amounts than is actually needed by puppies. Puppies do better on high quality, lower protein food ranging from around 20% to 25% protein. What the owner can do to help assure proper growthAdding “people food” can raise the protein levels or imbalance the calcium/mineral ratio.Keep your puppy well fleshed, but no fat. Remember, slow, steady growth will do more for your puppy than rapid growth that can happen with puppy foods. The puppy will eventually reach its genetic potential, but without the additional risk to bone that comes from high proteins and supplementation (calcium/minerals) or puppy foods.It is obvious that nutrition is a big part in bone disease in giant breeds….it is really over-nutrition that is the BIG PROBLEM; too much protein, too much calcium/minerals, too much food. Don’t be so nice to your dog that you cripple it or kill it. To Review:
Do not feed puppy foods, even those developed for giant breeds.
Use a quality brand of dry dog food. Compare labels and get an adult food with lower calcium and protein content.
Don’t add milk or other dairy products to moisten the puppy’s food. Use warm water instead.
Don’t give vitamins or minerals, especially calcium. The only vitamin supplementation considered acceptable is vitamin C.
Don’t let your giant puppy get roly-poly fat. You should be able to see the silhouette of the last rib.
Never make diet changes suddenly. Any change should be made gradually over the course of a week.
Allow your giant puppy as much free exercise as he/she wants. However, never “road work” a young or adolescent giant until their growth plates have closed.
I had a 20 week old rescue foster come in in pretty bad shape- down on her pasterns, roach backed, cow hocked, underweight, ect. I started her on one raw meal- mainly chicken leg quarters and one meal of pasta mixed with Candidae dry food. I gave her Ester C- starting at 1,000mg per day. I also gave 1- 400 mg B-complex. Within a week this girl had straight legs, a straighter back and was not so cow hocked. Within two weeks no more clicking sounds when she walked!
thanks everyone-my boy is on 500mg so I will increase his Vit C and also add a B complex too. thanks again Samantha Cooper INIZIO Neapolitan Mastiffs Click me
If you could order that ani-flex gl and give him one scoop a day over his food you would be amazed at how much that helps. One scoop a day would be 2500 mg of C and that is probably closer to the dose he is needing. Starrsdcct Neapolitans UGM Admin
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