puggy_puggy Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Ohh long toe nails. I am suprised your vet put her in a cast. Most vets I've spoken to are very hesitant to cast a growing dogs leg/foot as it stops the muscles and tendons developing properly and learning to correct problems themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 She is on optimum puppy food. With a small amount of mince mixed in. I know the toenails are long, but they were inaccessible for a month as her foot was in a splint and we did point it out to the vet when it came of and he did trim them, not enough it seems. I guess I am probably guilty of not knowing how long is too long, and assumed the vet would point it out, but rest assured I have taken it on board and will commence weekly trimmings from here on. Where can I get info on a good diet for this?? And also, the rug is back and more to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 She is on optimum puppy food. With a small amount of mince mixed in. I know the toenails are long, but they were inaccessible for a month as her foot was in a splint and we did point it out to the vet when it came of and he did trim them, not enough it seems. I guess I am probably guilty of not knowing how long is too long, and assumed the vet would point it out, but rest assured I have taken it on board and will commence weekly trimmings from here on.Where can I get info on a good diet for this?? And also, the rug is back and more to come. I would suggest you PM Steve and I would also get your breeder involved. They may have seen similar issues in another pup and they may have some suggestions. I think Steve will tell you, amongst other things to add Vitamin C to your pup's diet. A visit to a holistic vet might not go astray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raz Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Those nails arent a month long, lovey. They are MONTHS long. What did your breeder advise about what food to give? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Would also suggest you take her to a doggy chiro to make sure that she isn't out in her shoulders, neck or back. You will need to be careful cutting back her toe nails since they are so long - a little bit each week to bring them back to the correct length will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 When we got her the breeder advised optimum as that is what she had been started on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centitout Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 As far as I can see from the photographs, they are just bad Stafford feet (and not helped by what appear to be excessively long toenails). What do you mean by bad stafford feet? Is it common? Fixable? Should it cause a limp? Should I be able to expect better for a dog that cost $1000?? I can see that the toenails appear quite long, but they were trimmed by the vet about 3 days ago when the splint came off. I think they seem excessively long because of the shape of her foot and the fact that her toes are almost pointing upwards. My bloodhound male was like that ,got really bad around 5 mths old.He had been fed on a "premium" high protein food and was from a large framed line of dogs.So i put him straight onto an adult,lower protein food and within 6 weeks he had come around to where he had normal feet.His toe nails were pointing up as well,but after being on the adult food for a while ,he has beautiful,well knuckled up feet.He never did limp though.I also tried an idea i got from one of Steve's posts-i squeezed a whole orange in his feed each day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Thanks centitout, I will read steve's posts on diet and look into going onto adult food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab lady Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Fyscha there is a DOLer by the name of Charles Kuntz, he is a vet and if my memory is correct he is an orthopaedic surgeon. I am sure he would be happy to offer some advise. PM him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 You need to go to another vet & get a 2nd opinion. If the diagnosis is the same from them both ask for this in writing & consult with the breeder. A correct diagnosis from photos on a forum is not really an good option here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 THanks lab lady, will do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) You need to go to another vet & get a 2nd opinion.If the diagnosis is the same from them both ask for this in writing & consult with the breeder. A correct diagnosis from photos on a forum is not really an good option here. Yeah, we were already discussing getting a second opinion, and were trying to work out who/where. I agree with that totally 100% and was never planning on taking what was said here as a formal diagnosis but rather after ideas and advice on other options to discuss with vets. Cheers. Edited April 8, 2009 by Fyscha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Can I ask....is the breeder a registered breeder? How long have they been breeding for? Also, how long have you been seeing this particular vet for? If they say the breeder should have picked up the fault at a young age and this is your "regular" vet, then why didn't THEY pick up the fault themselves a long time ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) Can I ask....is the breeder a registered breeder? How long have they been breeding for?Also, how long have you been seeing this particular vet for? If they say the breeder should have picked up the fault at a young age and this is your "regular" vet, then why didn't THEY pick up the fault themselves a long time ago? Yes, they are registered. They have been breeding for 10 years and I had read about them on this forum as being a reputable breeder in country NSW. As for the vet. We have only recently moved to this town and were originally recommended to use a vet that was 1/2 drive away in another town. More for the fact that the local guy is the only vet in town and his charges tend to reflect that than from poor practices. We started seeing the other vet for her vaccinations etc but when this problem began, we decided to give the local vet a go and make our own decisions about him. We are happy with what he has done. He did wait for 2 weeks before putting on a splint because of the fact that she is so young and still growing and didn't really want to do it, but after contacting one of the veterinary hospitals in Melbourne he decided to go with the splint and hope that the tendon contracted. Basically right now I wish I still lived in Melbourne with more options at our disposal. Edited April 8, 2009 by Fyscha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 OK, so did the other vet ever make comment on her feet? Or did you ever ask them about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 No, we didn't notice it until she was limping and they never mentioned it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I guess what I'm trying to get at is that even if the breeder HAD noticed she had flat feet, there would be absolutely no reason for them to think anything other than the fact that she had flat feet. Not unless she was already limping as a very young baby puppy and then presumably everybody would have noticed it and it wouldn't have become such an issue at the age of 6 months. Breeders don't have crystal balls, there is no way of knowing that every small issue that may make a dog not suitable for the show ring is going to be a major, or ongoing health issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fyscha Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) Yeah, I know, which is why I am hesitant to call them but at the same time I should let them know, shouldn't I? Would this make them rethink which dogs they use in the future? I don't really want to accuse them of poor practice, our vet suggested contacting them. Edited April 8, 2009 by Fyscha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I agree with the others second opinion & seeking a good chiro/bowen person. Just because the pain reaction is at the front doesnt mean that is where the issue is.The resulting pain there could be due to an elbow/shoulder issue etc etc Flat feet as already mentioned is no big deal & as a groomer we see flat feet all the time. Some because there nails are so long there feet have splayed to accommodate this . I agree with other regarding "noticing it" flat fleet is normally no big deal & when selecting a show puppy you look at things like feet etc etc.If it had flat feet you would simply consider it a pet & no need to comment as it isnt a long term health issue. The only issue that goes with it is nail maintance, If it was a big issue the vet should have made comment at its 12 week vacc. Many pups can get flat feet & the likes whilst teething & even turning out during this time & thats where watching the diet can be important whether it be not adequate or to high in protein. During this same period some breeds also get droopy eyes that rectify around 8-9 months. Like others those feet dont look bad photo wise but we arent seeing the dog in real life. I would be contacting the breeder as they most likely could be of great assistance & may have been cheaper than the vet bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Flat feet can appear in the best pedigrees from the best dogs. Some dogs have them, some dogs don't. It's just one of those roll of the dice things. They might repeat the breeding and never get another flat foot. There is so much that can cause flat feet, some genetic, some environmental, some dietary and some physical. Until you're ABSOLUTELY sure that it isn't dietary, environmental or physical then I really would just put my energies into getting your girl right or as right as she can be, and if you're happy with everything else about her, then just let the rest go. If it were me and you contacted me, I'd certainly listen, but I don't think based upon what you said that I'd be offering any kind of financial compensation until such time as it had been proven without doubt that the problem was one that I had caused as a breeder and had sold you knowing that there would be problems down the track. And FWIW, I spent big dollars and imported a dog from the USA and he turned out to have the most shocking feet I've ever seen on a dog. He was used at stud and never reproduced the problem. He was raised naturally and carefully by an experienced breeder. It was just one of those things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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