How to Reduce the Risk of Orthopedic Issues
You’ve got a new puppy and big plans for a successful career in dog sports. You’ve done your homework and chosen a puppy from healthy parents. Now, how can you minimize the chances of your puppy developing an orthopedic disease that could limit her future? The answer is found in both genetic factors and environmental influences.
Developmental orthopedic diseases, like hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia, are caused by abnormal skeletal growth. While these conditions have a genetic basis, environmental aspects are also crucial. We can’t change your puppy’s genetics, but we can control her environment to some extent.
Here are some science-backed tips to help reduce the risk of these diseases.
1. Maintain a Healthy Weight and Support Slow Growth for Your Puppy
Many studies have shown that overfeeding, especially too many calories and too much calcium, can lead to an increase in bone and joint problems in dogs. A study from 1992 on Labrador retriever puppies found that rapid growth, caused by too much food, increased the chances of developing hip dysplasia. Moreover, the puppies that were overfed had more arthritis in their hips and shoulders by the time they were 8 years old. Additionally, puppies that were fed less and grew at a slower pace lived longer than those that were overfed. Puppies that grow slowly will still reach their full size according to their genes; it will just take them a bit longer to get there. Your puppy should be lean enough that some people might think you aren’t feeding her enough. Even some vets might believe your puppy is too thin. Ideally, the puppy should not have any extra fat, and you should be able to easily feel her ribs.
2. Feed a Balanced Diet
Feed your puppy a diet that suits their size and age. Whether you choose commercial food, homemade meals, or raw diets, make sure it includes all the essential nutrients your puppy needs. If necessary, you can talk to a certified veterinary nutritionist to make sure your puppy’s diet is well-balanced. Besides calories, the most crucial factor in feeding a puppy is the calcium level. Too much calcium can lead to bone problems. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus is also important. Growing puppies should not need extra calcium supplements.
3. Provide Appropriate Exercise
No one really knows exactly what the right amount of exercise is for a puppy. There are many suggestions online, but none are backed by solid scientific research. A 2012 study from Norway found that puppies who used stairs regularly from birth to 3 months had a higher risk of hip dysplasia. On the other hand, puppies that had off-leash exercise during that same period and were born on a farm between April and August had a lower risk of hip dysplasia.
While we can’t create a detailed exercise plan for puppies based on that study, we can make some general guidelines. Let puppies exercise on non-slippery surfaces several times a day. This can include playing with you, playing with other puppies, or doing basic training. Keep activities low impact.
Avoid long and rough play sessions with other puppies and dogs. Be cautious when letting your puppy play with a bigger puppy or dog. Also, avoid long, forced exercise like jogging with the owner or running beside a bicycle. Long games of fetch can also count as forced exercise. It’s important that the puppy can control how much exercise she gets.
Be cautious with stairs. It’s okay to teach your puppy to go up and down stairs, but frequent running up and down can put too much strain on their bones and joints. Plus, the puppy might fall and get hurt. Limit jumping activities, including obedience or agility jumps, jumping into and out of cars, and jumping on and off furniture. Light jumping exercises, like jump bumps, are probably okay, but only in moderation.
4. Keep Your Puppy Fit
Nutrition and exercise are both key parts of staying fit. Strong muscles are important to support bones and joints. Strong muscles support bones and joints, so teaching your puppy exercises that improve strength, balance, and coordination can help prevent orthopedic diseases. Good nutrition and appropriate exercise are both key to keeping your puppy fit.
When is your puppy no longer a puppy?
The general answer is when the growth plates close. Growth plates are thin areas of cartilage at the ends of bones, where the bones grow. These growth plates close at different times for different bones. The final growth plates to close are located at the top of the shin bone (tibia) and the upper part of the arm bone (humerus). The age at which all of a dog’s growth plates close depends on the breed. Typically, small and medium-sized dogs’ growth plates close by 12 months. In large and giant breeds, the growth plates might not close until they are 18-24 months old. By the time the growth plates are closed, any bone disease your dog will develop is already there. She may not show symptoms yet, but that’s a topic for another time.
There’s nothing we know of that can completely prevent all bone diseases in all dogs. However, by keeping your puppy healthy with proper nutrition and exercise, you’re doing the best you can to reduce the chances of your puppy having problems in the future.