Whippet Pup Bowed Legs

[staceym2015 0]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site seemed like a good one with some good information. Was just looking for some opinions or shared experience from you all. I've always had animals, digs cross terrors small house dogs. Rabbits and guinea pigs and birds. I've recently gotten a full 100% pure breed whippet pup. He is about 3 and a half months old. I saw all of the litter and both parents in peraon before i bought him.he comes from a good blood line no health problems. I've Brough him to get his 2nd round of vaccinations and a check up 2 weeks ago in the vets and he was a tad underweight, he just need to be wormed and the weight is coming on nicely. Before I brought him to the vets I used to give him bread and milk slightly warm with dog nuts in the or nine and then again in the evening she told me to stop this. However. Since I've stopped giving him the bread and milk his legs are starting to bow. only the Front Ones And I'm Really Really Worried And FREAKING Out Over him. I have him on full working dog nuts now 3 half cups a day. This has calcium in it and the protein content is 22% is this still to high? Should I go back to giving him the bread and milk? Please help. Absolutely freaking it.

[gnipper 5,966]

Have you thought about giving it pup food?

[staceym2015 0]

I have given it that too but I heard it's supposed to be better for him to get adult food as it will slow the growth and the bowing?

[jocky 198]

dont think you should give dogs bread. that what i was told, try feeding rabbit a a good puppy food

[Chicken_man 1,651]

A good pup food !

[staceym2015 0]

I'm not feeding the rabbit a dog food. Tall my animals get thir specific animal foods. Rabbits get rabbit food and the dogs get dog food. I had the pup on puppy nuts and the bread and milk and he was doing fine. He wasn't putting any Weight on but I gave him a worm dose and the weight started to come on nicely. But the vet had said not to give him milk and bread. So I stopped. Since then he's just been on dog nuts, but his legs are bowing especially around the front knuckles it's like he is walking in the sides if his front paws. It's so hard to watch him try and walk like that. He doesn't seem to be in any pain at all he's not off his food or querying when he walks. Personally I've done some research and this site especially people are saying it's more than likely a calcium deficiency. So my original question is should I put him on adult nuts to slow the growth so his plates done close and he's stuck like that and start giving him the bread and milk again along with nuts as extra calcium?

[sandymere 8,261]

A pic would help to see if they are really bowed or just how the pup is, as always if unsure see a vet.

[LIGHT ON LIGHTS OUT 71]

Not sure whether same thing but ive seen it in pit pups when lived in spain. In end it was a combination of things, could be passed on through ancestors. Pup been weaned on poor food then switched to high protien. Tiled or laminated floor where pup cant get a grip. Some people recomend adult food for giant breeds. Id say give it goats milk with a low protien diet, no lower than 19f you can ensure a nalanced diet, raw prob ne better, and make sure pups not on shiny, slippy floors. Research carpo virius. Theres no imediate fix just trail and error. Not heard it in a whippet before but have seen it in a bull lurcher, atb with it.

[LIGHT ON LIGHTS OUT 71]

I'm not feeding the rabbit a dog food. Tall my animals get thir specific animal foods. Rabbits get rabbit food and the dogs get dog food. I had the pup on puppy nuts and the bread and milk and he was doing fine. He wasn't putting any Weight on but I gave him a worm dose and the weight started to come on nicely. But the vet had said not to give him milk and bread. So I stopped. Since then he's just been on dog nuts, but his legs are bowing especially around the front knuckles it's like he is walking in the sides if his front paws. It's so hard to watch him try and walk like that. He doesn't seem to be in any pain at all he's not off his food or querying when he walks. Personally I've done some research and this site especially people are saying it's more than likely a calcium deficiency. So my original question is should I put him on adult nuts to slow the growth so his plates done close and he's stuck like that and start giving him the bread and milk again along with nuts as extra calcium?

They meant feed it rabbit as food lol

[LIGHT ON LIGHTS OUT 71]

Oh and dont be tempted to give it calcium tablets or such, if you want mor calcium, milk and bone.

 

If you get it all right they could straighten up within a week

[staceym2015 0]

Thanks for all the replies I have him booked into see a specialist for working dogs lurchers greys and whippets so hoping for good news.

[flynndog 543]

Just feed it a good complete puppy food I've seen this a few times .. Dogs grow in different ways just feed as normal it will come right

[LIGHT ON LIGHTS OUT 71]

Just feed it a good complete puppy food I've seen this a few times .. Dogs grow in different ways just feed as normal it will come right

Sorry mate but dont agree. Ive seen it a few times and believe me the pup could end up on its knees. All pups ive seen with it all had things in common apart from being bulls and that is tiled or slippy floors and being weaned on shit (funnily enough its always been bread and milk) and then switching to a high protein food. You want a good quality low protein food, thats why some folk reconnend good quality adult giant breed foods. It will have started when they changed from bread and milk to good quality puppy food

[skycat 6,172]

Not sure whether same thing but ive seen it in pit pups when lived in spain. In end it was a combination of things, could be passed on through ancestors. Pup been weaned on poor food then switched to high protien. Tiled or laminated floor where pup cant get a grip. Some people recomend adult food for giant breeds. Id say give it goats milk with a low protien diet, no lower than 19f you can ensure a nalanced diet, raw prob ne better, and make sure pups not on shiny, slippy floors. Research carpo virius. Theres no imediate fix just trail and error. Not heard it in a whippet before but have seen it in a bull lurcher, atb with it.

Yes, that seems to be the problem quite often. A crap diet whilst weaning holds back the growth, then suddenly banging lots of protein into them causes a massive growth spurt and not necessarily in the right places. One side of a bone growing faster than the other.

 

but bread and milk and 'dog nuts' are hardly going to be what I'd call a GOOD diet at all. Very low in protein especially if the dry food is cheap and cereal based: meaning that there is more wheat or rice than meat in it.

 

BUT, if the pup was carrying a lot of worms, then even a poorish diet would do it a lot more good once you'd got rid of the worms, so really equal to improving the diet.

 

The best diet you can give any pup is a raw diet. Natural feeding is always automatically properly balanced providing you feed according to the 'whole carcase' rule. In other words: feeding offal, muscle meat and bone in the same proportions you'd find in a whole animal> small amount of offal, 1/3 muscle meat, 1/3 bone and bulk up the rest with veg and either a bit of pasta, brown bread or cooked rice. As there is so much more liquid in a raw diet it isn't actually that high in protein, but what there is will be first class and of the sort a dog can make the best use of.

[LIGHT ON LIGHTS OUT 71]

I agree, raw is better but if your not used to feeding it or your unsure now is not the time to be experimenting. It needs sorting before it gets worse. Diet needs to be balanced and consistent. You dont want to keep changing foods, it can make it worse. Personally id get something on lines of iams adult large breed complete and nothing else. Even when legs have straightened keep pup on it for a good few months after all is well. Then start thinking about a better diet