Stumbling Pup

[Hounder]

Hi ya

I am a dogue person in Sydney, and have to agree that it is a sad day when a vet says to refer to the internet. I always advise people to speak to a good vet and the breeder.

Some large breeds, and maybe many other breeds, can have what appears to be floppy front feet as they are down heavy in their pasterns (thats is the dogs front legs are not strong and straight from the wrist). When they run, they look like they have floppy paddling front feet. But by your description, it sounds like the foot is turning under at the wrist, not good.

I would be looking into making sure you have good nutrition for your pup and getting him checked out for any nerve damage or neurological problem.

Cheers

Leanne

I was reading your post and found it very interesting about the foot turning under. When we took our pup at 10 weeks for his first vet check, he said he was worried that he was growing too fast. He thought that his legs looked too straight and that if it continued he would go over his feet causing a ballerina effect. He said the cause was that the bones were growing too fast for the ligaments. Anyway he suggested taking him off puppy food and putting him on adult food to reduce the protein to slow up his growth. I now mix adult with the puppy but he gets a higher ratio of adult rather than just puppy.

Is this what you were referring too? Just curious

[2psinapod]

As far as food goes you could have a look at this thread:

http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?...=72887&st=0

Very interesting

[antonio]

Hi all,

Thanks for your help. I'm delighted to say that the pup's walking (prance, really) is almost back to normal, and improving every day. I did find the chiroprator who examined the pup and adjusted his neck and spine on a couple of spots for which he felt were a bit off, but nothing major, and the pup hadn't stumbled since. The chiropractor felt the wrist reflex (correcting the paw into the correct position when you bend it backwards) was a bit slow, and after the adjusting the spine it improved significantly. I'm really happy with the progress, as with the specialist himself - a welcome change in all aspects, wouldn't you say?

I will have to do more work with his diet though, and this is not an easy choice. I'm currently working with the breeder on getting the correct diet and supplementing for the pup.

Not sure what caused the stumbling problem to begin with - the chiropractor says that his neck and spine being off balance probably could not cause a problem on its own. The visit to chiropractor was a good call, because a chiropractor could examine a pup for neurological displays of what might be a more serious problem. Other than sloppy walk, nothing was found and the chiropractor could routinely adjust his spine which seemed to have a positive effect.

Thank you all for your posts!

Please see my pup's photos. His name is Toma.

[Bonduca]

Hi all,

Thanks for your help. I'm delighted to say that the pup's walking (prance, really) is almost back to normal, and improving every day. I did find the chiroprator who examined the pup and adjusted his neck and spine on a couple of spots for which he felt were a bit off, but nothing major, and the pup hadn't stumbled since. The chiropractor felt the wrist reflex (correcting the paw into the correct position when you bend it backwards) was a bit slow, and after the adjusting the spine it improved significantly. I'm really happy with the progress, as with the specialist himself - a welcome change in all aspects, wouldn't you say?

I will have to do more work with his diet though, and this is not an easy choice. I'm currently working with the breeder on getting the correct diet and supplementing for the pup.

Not sure what caused the stumbling problem to begin with - the chiropractor says that his neck and spine being off balance probably could not cause a problem on its own. The visit to chiropractor was a good call, because a chiropractor could examine a pup for neurological displays of what might be a more serious problem. Other than sloppy walk, nothing was found and the chiropractor could routinely adjust his spine which seemed to have a positive effect.

Thank you all for your posts!

Please see my pup's photos. His name is Toma.

Puppies can become a bit clumsy when they are throwing their baby teeth, which they start to do at about 4 months onwards. This may have been part of his problem.'

Cheers :rolleyes:

[Dogsfevr]

I have to say i find the recommended diet of purina beniful a weird one especially for a giant breed??

What else did they suggest to feed as i wouldnt consider that product to be suitable for any giant breed ??

[*Bones*]

With a pup which will mature into a large dog, and the problems of diet induced problems, perhaps it would be worth doing some research on premium foods particularly those for large breed puppies. When you are unsure of diet, it is better to feed a complete and balanced diet. I think some good suggestions have been made. It is possible to cause problems with incorrect food, and a dog of this breed should not be eating supermarket food.

[Pippa]

. Beneful is good due to less additives

Is that purina beneful form the supermarket? If so, I would not recommend that one. I bought some out of curiousity and it is all different colours, brown and red and green, so it is probably full off additives.

The other ones sound good, like Royal Canin or Eagle Pack. Something breed and /or size specific.

[Poodle wrangler]

Lovely photos. What a bad experience you've had as a first time owner.

Dog nutrition is a minefield, but there seems to be general consensus on keeoing large breeds lean when growing and NOT giving extra calcium ad hoc. Apparently this used to be common practice, but there were bone problems as a result.

Some DOLers are also involved with selling some of the super premium brands, so just be aware. Vets often sell Hills Science Diet and make a profit thru sales.

You can expect to pay around $90-110 for a 15kg bag of the super premium foods like Nutro, Royal Canin, Eagle Pack, Nutrience etc. They say you need to feed less than a supermarket brand, but I haven't switched to a super premium yet (am still weighing it up), so can't give any personal experience. It really depends on your budget, I guess.

ETA: There have been huge recalls of dry dog food in the USA due to contamination of ingredients sourced from China, however, some companies don't disclose where their ingredients are from. Only a handful of recalls in Oz. Makes it hard to make informed choices.

Edited April 29, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[Doghouse]

Sorry to hear about your Douge..

We have one and we had mastiffs as well, sometimes they get a little to full on and can fall heavily, get up keep playing and none's the wiser, im with Nekbhet on that question

Have had the Douge on the farm with cats eyes EMBEDDED in her paws and she is still trotting along without discomfort, high pain barrier, even higher love barrier, they are fantastic dogs.

I hope your puppy gets better and keep us posted..

[Mu-Shu]

I'm trying Supercoat puppy and mix it with Nature's Gift, they both got a good score from the chart, my pup loves it and he doesn't need much at all. I'm yet to introduce some raw bones but I'm not sure which type to buy, as I owned a Shih Tzu..(I read that their theet can be a problem that soft/raw food wasn't the best thing for them, can annyone shed light from experience for me?)

Thanks!

PS. hope you don't mind me asking on your thread if you do give me a yell;)

Edited May 5, 2007 by Mu-Shu