hi

one of my friends has a 4 month old puppy lab and asked me to post this question as she only has a work pc.
her puppy is a nice puppy but has wide splayed feet and his pasterns look weak. is ther any hope to improve this situation, ie roadwork or anything to strenghthen the feet?

Thanks.                                                                                

I don't know much about labs but in borzois I wouldn't consider too much exercise at his age. Yes, you would say in an older dog roadwork or walking over chips/gravel can tighten feet up. I know someone that filled their puppy run with chunky gravel to improve her pups feet and this actually seemed to work. With regards to his pasterns he's not overweight is he? Slimming down if he is and very gradually increasing exercise may help both problems basically though I've always thought that good feet are bred in much like anything else.

At 4 months the maximum walk should be around 20mins.... if this is consistant road walking... at a reasonable pace for puppy (not road pounding) this may help to strengthen the pasterns..... it can take a few months but it may not work.... the weak pasterns may be down to breeding..... If it is down to weight problems then with a careful diet (and by diet, I dont mean put puppy on a diet!!) and correct excersise and restricted free play, you may be able to strenthen the pasterns slightly.....

The feet are a different matter.... This is down to breeding I am afraid.... A Labrador should have tight feet, anything that deviates from this is a fault that cannot be fixed (exept by careful breeding out)

But, I have to say, that if pasterns and feet are poor, IMO I would put this down to poor conformation in breeding and not something that will be able to be corrected.... It happens, even in an allround good litter, sometimes there is one that will inherit traits which have been bred out in parents and G/parents etc, but sadly shows up a generation or so later....

Is the puppy teething because I know in some breeds (And I don't know why) the feet seem to splay during teething - like some terrier breeds lose their ear carriage - but it comes back once teething has finished.

If the puppy has always been like that, then it'll probably be passed down through one of it's parents.

hard to say too much without seeing the pup but ensure it isnt too fat and I would give 1 canovel calcium tablet a day

Can only speak from our experience - our bernese puppy had beautiful feet when we got him but at 3/4 months his feet splayed and he went right down on his pasterns, it was awful I had never seen anything so down on his pasterns as him, he actually looked deformed!  But by the time he was around 9 months he was back up on his lovely feet again.  i would never have believed it unless I had seen it myself so don't give up hope yet.

I would NEVER give any extra calcium to any dog...they don't need it and too much can be damaging!!!

didnt do my last pup any harm newfie, he went right down on pasterns and they are ok now

Why don't you do some research on it then??

I wouldn't give any extra calcium too if the puppy is on a balanced diet, too much can lead to all sorts of bone problems.    

"Calcium concentration has been shown to have a significant effect on development, morphology and pathology of the skeleton in the large breed puppy.  High dietary calcium concentration interferes with normal skeletal development and promotes skeletal pathology in the large breed puppy."

Taken from this site: http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/nutritioncomments.html

As I said, research is the key to be an effective provider for a pup. I think if you got away with giving extra calcium once you were very lucky...I don't say things for effect, but to educate, at the end of the day the choice is yours. All the best, Dawn

I agree with the calcium issue! Giving extra calcium on top of a food that already has the balanced calcium and phospherous is like playing russian roulette with the dogs skeletal structure,especially so with large breeds which are that more delicate and easier to mess up,when the last thing you'de want is to have their bones grow too quickly :( Once you start adding calcium you have to ensure the phosphorous levels are even and match up to the extra calcium.I presume you took this into account when you added the calcium,bazb? Even for the nutritionally/supplementary adept,giving the correct measure's would be a headache

I dont mean to come down on you bazb,but you have to take into account the lurkers who may read this and think it's ok to give their pups extra calcium. The cons must be illustrated,aswell as the pro's :)

There are PRO'S to giving extra Calcium to a normal doggies??? :P :D (I don't mean post-whelp bitches that may need it!)

Has she done the pups claws and checked the length of the fur in-between the pads as this can also cause this problem.

I was told years ago tht for the Pom's to tighten up feet the best things was for them to walk on stoney ground.  Don't know how true that is as I never had the need to try it :d :d

>There are PRO'S to giving extra Calcium to a normal doggies???<

I dont spose there is in this particular case :p I was trying to be nice,and not seem like i was picking on him

I think newfiedreams was asking if there were any pro's to giving calcium as no-one knows of any (Besides for bitches suffering from eclampsia), not saying that there are pro's!

Plenty of time for puppies feet to tightnen up again. Walking along the beach and over pebbles is great stimulation for the muscles as surface is continually moving and changing. Just take it easy and remember pup is only baby.

Ooh, we posted similar advice at the same time :d

Well seems I know nothing. I was advised to give canovel calcium - just 1 tab a day to a medium sized breed - by a well established breeder who has giant breeds and a wealth of experience.

As I said it did the trick, this dog's feet and pasterns are now ok - of course we will never know what the would have been had I not given him the calcium.

I am aware of the dangers of over doing calcium.

Would I do the same if the same problem arose - yes.

In another breed with whose owners number a few Friends they have always given vitamin C when the dogs ears fly and the feet go flat.  this breed is required to have tight cat feet.

I also give Vitamin C daily...Bazb thinks we're getting at them and we're not...just saying what we would as the question asked us! Horses for courses, maybe they were going to tighten up anyway?? Who knows?? But I think you'll find generally that it is unwise to give excess calcium and that's what we've said...whose to say who is wrong?? Us with the research we've studied, or one Breeder who says it's ok??  All the best, Dawn

One breeder with a long track record of rearing a giant breed successfully producing champion after champion

they may just be lucky that the dosage she gives has not harmed them.  At least with Vitamin C any excess is excreted.