Front legs bowing outward?

shank · 05-10-2008, 06:35 AM

My pup is ten weeks old. He has been with me two weeks. The last few days I have noticed his front legs are bowing outward at the joint just above the paw. More noticeable on right side. Within 20 minutes of standing its starts bowing so bad he can barely stand on it anymore. The vet prescribed pain meds and advised to switch to a puppy food for large breeds. The x-rays taken really didn't show anything abnormal. Has anyone seen this before and will he grow out of it.

**Luvbirds59** · 05-10-2008, 07:14 AM

Welcome to DT. Could you post a picture? Do listen to your vet and feed low protein to the puppy....you want him to grow slowly. If I wasn't comfortable with what my vet has to say about it, I'd take the puppy to a canine orthopedic specialist, just to be on the safe side.

Carol & Petey!
ox

Linda H · 05-10-2008, 03:02 PM

What are you feeding him? He needs to be on a premium dog food. Check out the sites I have below to research dog foods. Premium dog foods have a store locator on their sites to finds a store in you area that carries their brand.

shank · 05-10-2008, 04:25 PM

I was feedind him purina puppy food, but switched to iams large breed puppy formula after being advised. I'll try and post pictures soon.

Linda H · 05-10-2008, 04:40 PM

You need a better food than Iams check the site I talked about. Check the ingredients against Iams and Purina. Really read the site. Also check out the dogaware site I have too. If you fed Purina and are now feeding Iams you need educating and I am not saying this in a mean way. I used to feed Purina too. All grocery store brands have cheap ingredients that are not healthy for your dog.
Canidae All Life Stages is a good food that most dogs can eat and do well on. But not all dobermans do well on the same food, so you may have to try some out first. Innova adult is another good food. From my experiences I would suggest you stay away from Solid Gold.
Canidae review:
Dog Food Reviews - Canidae All Life Stages - Powered by ReviewPost

**Retta** · 05-12-2008, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shank

My pup is ten weeks old. He has been with me two weeks. The last few days I have noticed his front legs are bowing outward at the joint just above the paw. More noticeable on right side. Within 20 minutes of standing its starts bowing so bad he can barely stand on it anymore. The vet prescribed pain meds and advised to switch to a puppy food for large breeds. The x-rays taken really didn't show anything abnormal. Has anyone seen this before and will he grow out of it.

Yes, get him on large breed puppy food. It is geared to slow the growth of large breed puppies. The joints seem to be the spots hit the most, as they are where the growth plates are. Is your puppy large boned? Is he pretty "chunky" for his age?? As being an overly fat puppy is not healthy for the joints in a growing pup Check his parents out, too, as some lines have a big problem with toeing in, (or having that bowed look) and your puppy might have a genetic basis for his bowing problem??!!But putting him on a food geared for him and his growing should help! And DON'T give calcium supplements, unless you talk to your vet first! Keep everyone posted. Everyone wants the best for you and your puppy.

**Blitzkreig** · 05-12-2008, 01:22 PM

I personally would recommend Eagle Pack Large and Giand Breed Puppy Formula. Here is a good link explaining why i personally switched to this brand from Canidaie ALS, for my own puppy, after going thru a bout of panosteitis (Pano) Since the switch we havent had a single problem. If you go to the link ive provided below from Eagle Pack's website you will see they have done some pretty extensive research in this area. Good Luck! and remember your growing puppy not only deserves the best but really needs it to.

Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc.

shank · 05-13-2008, 04:47 PM

Thanks for all the input. I've already noticed a differance since switching food just a few days ago. He seems much more energetic and no more bowing of the legs.

aquaholic · 05-13-2008, 04:51 PM

oh my goodness ..... he is so tiny!!!

**voodoolizard** · 05-13-2008, 05:14 PM

he is so cute !!