Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hi i was wondering if anyone has had a pup that has had issues with this problem ? I have had the pup just over a week and started noticing problems at the wrists .any advice welcome .

It has been a while since I have heard of that and I dont remember so I looked up on the web.

Too much calcium in the diet actually contributes to developmental orthopedic diseases, such as knuckling over. Knuckling over, along with excess calcium, can be caused by overfeeding, having your pup walk around on inappropriate flooring (slippery floors) or by feeding low quality foods containing nutrients that have a low bio-availability. The good news is, if this is knuckling over (which I suspect it is) it can easily be reversed with no permanent damage. Get your dog on a balanced quality food with appropriate calcium levels and monitor intake (DO NOT overfeed). Also, get your pup to a vet asap! The vet should check to see if the dog has any parasites or underlying issues that could be causing nutrient deficiencies and the legs may need to be splinted for awhile.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2905020/

Acutely developing carpal deformities are a common problem in medium to large, rapidly growing puppies. The condition has been referred to as carpal hyperextension, carpal hyperflexion, carpal flexural deformity, or, most recently, carpal laxity syndrome (1). It involves excessive hyperextension or hyperflexion at the carpus, often with some varus or valgus deformity (Figure 1). Affected puppies are most often between 6- to 12-weeks old, but cases can rarely be seen as late as 7 mo of age (1,2). There appears to be some predisposition in male puppies with many breeds represented.

It has been suggested that this condition represents a temporary imbalance in growth rates between the bones and tendons of the front limbs. If the bones grow more rapidly than the flexor or extensor tendons one can imagine how these deformities would occur. Other proposed etiological factors include genetic influences, malnutrition, or “over-nutrition” of dietary energy or vitamin and minerals. Little evidence exists to support any of these theories.

Great response Lisa!

Hi thanks for the responses ,the pup is on a complete balanced meal she is not overfed .it is quitealarming how soon this appeared!some people were saying about the surfaces she walks on (which is both wood and tiled ?

that was another thing they said was the flooring. Take her to the vet and see what they say.