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Influences on Developmental Bone Disease |
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Genetics The genes make the dog!!! Therefore genetics can play a significant role in the development of certain bone diseases. Puppies from very large boned parents are more apt to develop Pano. Puppies from dysplastic parents are much more likely to become dysplastic themselves. Puppies from rapidly growing parents are more likely to grow rapidly themselves. Of course we could say that Great Dane puppies are more rapidly growing than other smaller breeds, that is just the nature of the beast. Genetics vs Nutrition When considering genetics and nutrition: 1. Growth rate and adult size are programmed in the genes for every puppy. 2. Increasing the energy intake (more calories) to a puppy can push the growth rate to its upper limit and thus increase the liklihood of certain skeletal diseases. Nutrition Nutrition an influence the development of bone disease in 3 areas: protein content of the diet, energy content of the diet(calories fed) and calcium intake both in the diet or as supplements. HOD,OCD and Pano are more nutritionally related than genetic. The genes can predispose to these diseases and that is why all giant breeds are at risk because their genes predispose them to rapid growth. A Great Dane puppy starts out its life at 1 pound but will grow to 100 to 125 pounds at 1 year. Dietary Protein Most skeletal developmental problems are not related to dietary protein content. Protein is used to build muscle and other tissues. Most researchers recommend a diet of 26% portein for puppies. I however feel that this is too high for giant breeds and recommend a diet of 22 to 24% protein. Energy Density Research has shown that puppies allowed to free feed had significantly higher incidence of skeletal abnormalities than puppies fed a restricted amount of food. Pups that get too many calories grow too fast and are more likely to have developmental bone problems. I recommend a diet of 12 to 15% fat and 320-350kcal/cup Calcium The amount of calcium in the diet has been demonstrated to have significant effects on the development of the skeleton of puppies. The optimum ratio of Calcium to Phosphorous is .8/.67%.Anything over 1% Calcium I do not recommend for puppies. The ratio is very important and that is why supplementing additional Calcium is not recommended. A little cottage cheese daily is enough to upset this ratio in a Great Dane puppy. |
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Environment Environment influences are anything that can affect an animal other than genetics. Slippery floors, awkward footing and untrimmed toe nails can lead to abnormal gait and altered bone development, particularly in young puppies. Exercise Exercise and conditioning are environmental influences. Dogs that are not exercised properly do not develop adequate muscling or tendon strength and thus can alter bone density and development. It is important to let appropriate size and age dogs exercise together. Free exercise means that your puppy has plenty of fenced yard to play in and act like a puppy. Allowing a puppy to reach the point of being tired due to excess exercise can have detrimental affects on their development. Puppies should not be pushed to perform. Please remember that the growth plates of Great Danes are not closed until 18 to 24 months. There should be no heavy exercise, high jumping, carting, jogging, long hikes or any other sort of forced exercise until these growth plates are closed. If you want to do performance sports with your Dane use restraint while training a young Dane, teach them jumping but only with small jumps and build up to exercise a little at a time. For those of you who must take their puppies for walks, a rule of thumb is five minutes walking for each month. So a 2 month old puppy should only walk (not trot or run) for 10 minutes. Trauma Any type of trauma to rapidly growing puppies can effect both bone and joint development. Broken bones, slipped growth plates or injured joint cartilage can all be factors predispusing the puppy to develop bone or joint problems in the future. It is important to allow for proper exercise and conditioning but not to stress their delicate, young skeletons. Again puppies should not be pushed to perform. Puppies have an increased risk of injury due to their lack of coordination and because their bones are immature and softer than adult dogs. The muscles in puppies are not fully developed. The message to preventing injury to your puppy's growth plates is to use common sense and usually the puppy will let you know when he has had enough. The opinions in this article are my own based on seminars, article I have read and 25 years experience as a veterinarian and as a Great Dane owner and breeder. |
