by Girish
(Kalyan, India)
Hi sue,
before you again say I am not Vet and just a rotty owner, I acknowledge that and go ahead with my question….
My question, and I hope many other owners too have similar query or may have experienced this, is about the loose ligament in front legs just above paws !
Many puppys do have such loose ligament issue at puppy stage which get over as they grow and unfortunately some get much severe too causes – walking on marble surfaces or slipper surfaces make it more severe.
How is it possible to get rid of such problems if any owner identifies them, and what are the precautions to overcome it.
Any specific postures to make pup stand more on paws rather than bent as shown in the attached picture.
Calcium supplement ?? I always discourage additional calcium injections etc as they can even have side effects.
I hope to get opinions from other owners who did successfully overcome such problems with their pup.
Hi Girish
As this isn’t your first question and you already know that I’m not a veterinary professional I can just go ahead and give you my opinion :o)
(but of course I always have to make sure other visitors know this as it would be irresponsible of me to give out veterinary advice without clarifying that point!)
What you’re showing in the Rottweiler puppys’ photo above are weak pasterns – the pasterns are the ‘ankle’ joints on the front legs.
This is like any musculo-skeletal condition in large breed dogs, and can be caused by a number of different things. The number one reason for this is genetics… basically the pup inherited the gene for weak pasterns (although this doesn’t mean his parents necessarily show the same trait, it can be a ‘recessive’ gene).
Although weak pasterns are primarily a genetic problem, and you can’t ‘undo’ genes, there are other factors that can make this condition worse or better. The most important thing to consider is diet, and a puppy food specifically designed for large breed pups is essential. A diet too high in protein or minerals or a diet lacking in essential nutrients will make this condition worse. Overfeeding a puppy, or encouraging him/her to put on too much weight, too quickly will also cause more problems, as will giving additional supplements such as Calcium. Avoid these.
The type of surfaces the pup walks on and how much exercise (and of what type) he gets also play their roles. It’s important to try to prevent a growing Rottweiler puppy from walking on slippery surfaces, as this puts too much strain on his growing joints and ligaments. Also excessive exercise, or jumping, running on hard surfaces etc, has the same effect.
So, although a pup showing weak pasterns such as in the photo is genetically inclined to have them, you can help minimize the problem by feeding a well-balanced diet with the correct ratio of protein:fat:calcium (see my Feeding Puppies page for more on this), limiting exercise, and providing walking surfaces that have good ‘traction’. Also keeping the toe-nails cut short helps too.
This problem often seems to get worse in young/adolescent puppies (before the age of 6 – 8 months or so), and improves as the pup grows. Although a puppy with this problem will probably always have it to some degree.
Hope this helps :o)