Front legs sinking? Advice?

[Newfie in Oz]

I've noticed over the last few days that our pup's front legs seem to be becoming slightly bent and that he's walking a little "low". He's not overweight (he's 17wks, 22.0 kilos and thin), he's not allowed to play rough with our girl (though admittedly sometimes he gets a couple of seconds in when I'm not looking!) and we have only have one step in our entire house. We also feed him top quality food, so his diet is good as well and other then any of these things being the possible cause I can't seem to think of why this might be happening?

So, does anyone have any advice on how to prevent this? What are some of the other possible causes of this, and can this occur naturally to some extent as part of their growing process? Most importantly, can it be corrected?

 

[sarnewfie]

you need to try to slow that growth down, and, if it is looking that way, than you can pm me for some advice.
go to the food and diet section or to the breeding and genetics on growth.
what food are you feeding now?
how soon did you notice this?
if you noticed it pronto than it is possible this can be corrected.

 

[Jeannie]

Low protien adult dog food, 1000-1500 mg of Vit C, 400 Iu of Vit E and a can of sardines a day.

He's growing too fast

 

[luvxl k 9]

Jeannie is right he is growing too fast. Here is a thread when we had the same problem with Apache at about the same age. YOU NEED TO STOP THIS NOW. The Apache Regimen has a 100% success rate when caught early enough and Michigan State is doing a whole research project on it because of Apache's before and after xrays. Check out this previous thread:
Apache xrays

 

[DreamTime Newfs]

Karen,
A lot of puppies go down in the pasterns and do not have a problem as serious as Apache's.
This is often seen when the puppies are teething.
Christine is right, this can be corrected. I would PM her for advice. She has good suggestions for this problem.

 

[Ivoryudx]

What part of the front legs are looking 'bent' to you? Many giant breed dogs have large joints which sometimes make their legs look a little odd, but they are developing normal. They can also be 'down in the pasterns' as has been mention already, but the number one thing is to keep them growing as slow as possible, with the correct balance of nutrients.

You might also post in the food section, the ingredients of your kibble that your feeding. Someone might be able to help you figure out if you need to add anything that might be lacking, or out of balance. Some food labels read really good until you think about how each ingredient works with another and how canines absorb it.

A photo might help us understand what your concern is. It might help us in offering better insight. If you can't get one posted, just ask, as we have a lot of people who can help with that also.

 

[Newfie in Oz]

How could I explain this...? Instead of standing on his tip-toes it looks as if he's sunk down some, does that make any sense? Does that sound as if he's "walking on his pasterns"?

I wish I could post a photo, but I don't have a digi' camera, except the one on my phone and I can only send photo's from that to email address's such as hotmail? An ideas how I might be able to get one from there on to here?

 

[Garden_girl]

Newfie in Oz, you can take the pic with your phone and e-mail it to yourself, then upload it to a photo storage account like Photobucket. Or you can send it to me-I can post the pic right here in this thread for you.
I'll PM you with my email address.

 

[TerriW]

Originally posted by Newfie in Oz:
How could I explain this...? Instead of standing on his tip-toes it looks as if he's sunk down some, does that make any sense? Does that sound as if he's "walking on his pasterns"?

Do you mean it's like he has sunk down (back) on his heels?

 

[sarnewfie]

http://www.apbtconformation.com/faultsdq.htm
does it look like diagram b?
where the pastern is out and weak and he is going down?
or does it angle out to the east or west?

 

[Newfie in Oz]

Originally posted by sarnewfie:
http://www.apbtconformation.com/faultsdq.htm
does it look like diagram b?
where the pastern is out and weak and he is going down?
or does it angle out to the east or west?

Yes, that's exactly what it looks like! I'm still trying to get a pic up but, yeah, that's basically it to a tee. As for the east-west thing, perhaps a little, though it's hard to tell just because of the akward ways dogs sit sometimes...?

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

What are you feeding now?

 

[Ivoryudx]

If that is how your pup looks, and he is 17-18 weeks of age, he is also starting to get his adult teeth. This combination is a crutial growth stage where the mouth is pulling the calcium from the nutrients, and the rest of the body is not getting enough nutrients to keep up with its growth.

You need to take a look at everything your feeding him, and adjust it so his body can 'naturally' get the nutrients he needs. Not through supplements, but through his food. Some individuals like to feed raw turkey necks. I like to feed sardines, but either will help give the extra nutrients naturally and his body will absorb what it needs.

This will probably only last for a month or two, but its very important to add the extra during this stage. I'm sure others will add to this, and it would help if you list out what your feeding now.

 

[angie j]

My Lolly-pup, a rescue, was so low in the pasterns (diagram b) that he looked as if his pasterns were an wxtention of his foot! I was seriously concerned!

Following some great advice I began: feeding him Raw 1/2 the time, feeding a low protien/ high quality kibble, supplimenting Ester-c, Omega 3 tabs, giving Sardines and bones (which is part of the Raw diet).

Within 4 months he was back in good standing.... pun intended..lol.

Angie J

 

[Newfie in Oz]

We're feeding his "Advance Large Breed Growth" at the moment and 1000mg of fish oil. He was getting the recommended 7 cups a day but we've now cut him down to 5. What sort of sardines do you feed your, just your normal everyday canned sardine?

 

[Ivoryudx]

Is this the food your feeding?

http://www.advancepetfoods.com.au/products/?product=11

You probably should get him off of the 'growth' formula. Of the other types of food this company offers you might try the adult Chicken, or the adult Turkey and Rice formulas. Most Newf breeders highly suggest no puppy food, as it has the wrong balance for giant breeds and increases the already rapid growth. Leading to more joint and bone problems.

Yes normal sardines in water are fine. I feed a can a day unless I see its not helping then I go to 2 cans a day. By feeding this way, and not doing supplements the body will only absorb what it needs, so there is no chance of overdosing, which can happen with Calcium supplements.

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

A good quality adult food is a better choice. The food you are feeding is very high in protein. You should be looking at 22-24% protein. It is a good idea to keep them thin so cutting back on the amount helps too.

 

[Newfie in Oz]

Thanks for the advice. A further question though, If I was to start feeding adult as you suggest, how much should I feed as there is no feeding instructions for feeding puppies on an adult food bag?

 

[Largo]

Newfie in Oz I sent you a pm.