In the end, the leg will appear uneven and bow-legged.Īccidents can occur if the puppy is dropped from a high place or gets knocked by a moving car or bike.Īlthough rare, genetics can be a cause for bowed legs among dogs. In the sad event that she gets an injury before the plate matures and becomes hard, some of the cells may stop growing. Right about this age, the soft cartilage that once formed the bone mineralizes and hardens into solid bone. If it is lacking in any of them, soft bones are inevitable.Ī growing puppy has until around 12 – 18 months before her growth plates close up.
His diet must have the vitamins and minerals in sufficient quantities. These include calcium and phosphorous among others.Ī growing puppy needs a lot of vitamin C and vitamin D to create solid bone and teeth. Like in humans, bones rely on certain vitamins and minerals to develop optimally. This happens to be a very soft area that can succumb to pressure easily.As the young dog puts on weight in her body, it may exceed the limit of the growth plate resulting in curved or brandy legs. This is especially true for heavy breeds.Essentially, the cartilage and protein of the bone are framed at the growth plate. READ MORE : BLUE TONGUE DISEASE IN SHEEP & GOAT.Ī puppy is meant to grow gradually to give her bones and cartilage enough time to develop.When the process is hurried, the fast-growing body may exert too much pressure on the limbs causing leg deformities. Pressure from romping and running bows the long bone while soft.
The maintenance diet will not make them thin while treating for a short time it just doesn’t push them for maximum growth. Limit the protein and slow the scaffolding growth slightly until we catch up. Some large breeds are still nursing at this five to 12 week stage, and milk is all calcium! A maintenance diet or giant breed diet will not push growth. Put on adult diet (not puppy food) and wean.The problem with bowed legs is that your baby is growing faster than your diet is allowing. With early detection, you can correct this issue with the right vitamin/mineral supplement. The pressure of romping and jumping all day causes the long bone to bow. Often the breeder reports that the legs look okay in the morning, but by the end of the day, they can see bowing on the front legs.
Most issues start within five to 12 weeks of age as this is when babies are going through their fast growth stage. If the diet is short on any of these needed vitamins, minor minerals, calcium or phosphorus, the puppy is slow to calcify while the frame is still being built soft bones are the result. Vitamin D gets calcium and phosphorus from the gut into the body, and Vitamin C gets calcium and phosphorus into the bone. Behind that frame, calcium and phosphorus with other minor minerals use vitamins to make solid bone. The scaffolding of protein and cartilage is laid down at the growth plate and that frame work is soft and will bow to pressure. Other times, inverted growth of the leg bones leads to bow legs as well.Most bow-legged canines have curved front legs but you can also find some with bowed hind legs as well.Breeders tend to think that bowing of the legs is genetic, but except for the genetics built in these breeds to grow fast, genetics is seldom the cause.įast-growing puppies, especially the heavy breeds, have considerable pressure on the long bones of the legs while they are growing. In the front legs, one limb can grow faster than the other compromising its shape.
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