Dog Community

Joint Support in Puppies?

Posted : 6/28/2006 8:48:04 PM

I was just put on the waiting list for a smooth-coated dachshund puppy (yay![

]) that I will bing home probably around the beginning of September. After much dliberating and researching into the breed, I have decided upon them over another Chihuahua (My parents sort of adopted mine as a companion for their Rat Terrier and they spoil her rotten, so I can't complain) or a Parson Russell Terrier. I want a smaller dog, because we already have two large dogs, and I'd like a travel companion for horse shows and things like that. Our other two were never really exposed to horses when they were young, and where they are so big, it's not exactly easy to handle them around a horse.

But I digress.. I'm very excited about this puppy and I have plenty of experience managing joint health in my adult dogs, who are both large breeds so it obviously makes sense. Where Dachshunds have SUCH short legs and tiny little joints carrying around their big (relatively speaking) bodies, I started putting thought into joint health mangement in puppies. Does this exist? Is it unsafe to add a joint supplement to a puppy's food? Being a small breed, he/she will obviously need the higher protien levels of a puppy food or a very nutrient dense food like EVO or BATM (both of which I'm considering putting he/she on from the start) so I think putting the pup on a large breed formula with the built glucosamine and chondroitin is out of the question.

Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated!

Especially from our other Doxie lovers/owners out there!

Xebby

Posted : 6/28/2006 9:05:44 PM

Dachshund owners tend ot over feed ther dog causeing their middle to be too heavy for ther bodies. I'm not saying every dachshund owner does that but it's a real common problem with this breed. Too much weight in the middle caused back injuried, breatting problems and other disorders from the sagging middle. For the most part joint problems are usally caused from overfeeding. I don't know anout putting a puppie thought joint health mangement but you will have to be careful what you feed it.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 6/29/2006 12:05:39 AM

I'd get something like Nupro Joint, and give the pup a half dose of it, daily. It's a good all around supplement, and will support the joints as they grow.

You have to post some baby Doxie pics, when you get the pup! I never got to meet my girl as a pup. They're such adorable little babies!

Teenie has lost ten pounds since she came, and it's made a significant difference in every aspect of her life. She feels SO much better! I agree with Xebby. The *most* important thing is to get a quality food, and keep that puppy thin!

Britney Pelletier

Posted : 6/29/2006 1:54:44 PM

Thanks guys!

Jennie- I will most definately post pictures! LOTS of them! Doxies are the absolute cutest little pups. I was actually thinking something along the lines of what you said, Nupro or even Missing Link Plus and giving like half doses. Am I being irrational? I really, honestly don't know, and was curious. Does your girl have any joint issues?

What do you recommend in terms of kibble? My big boys are on Innova Large Breed and I do what I can through diet and exercise to keep them both fairly lean. I cannot stand seeing fat dogs. If starvation of dogs is considered neglect, than why shouldn't obesity be a form of it as well? I used to work in Pet Retail and this one lady was a regular and she wasn't exactly slim herself and she would always bring in her jack russell and we all just wanted to die we felt so bad for this poor dog. It's body was proportional in terms of it's head and legs and tail, but it literally looked like someone shoved a basketball down it's throat. It was terrible. She would do one lap around the store with the little thing and it would be panting so hard it looked like it was going to have a heart attack. [sm=sad.gif]

smilee1079

Posted : 6/29/2006 3:34:58 PM

I have a mini dachsie and I feed Innova, and actually just rotated to Canidae, both are good, but I prefer the Innova. They make a puppy formula too. It is easy to overfeed, especially with a small dog. Zoe is 10 lbs and gets 1/2 cup a day.

As for joint health, Zoe is slim, and I have been giving her glucosomine, but just found out as a preventative, ester-c is better. So, I will start giving her a pinch of ester c powder a day, and I may continue the glucosomine, not sure.

I heard the amount of gluc. in foods is so minimal it isn't worth it... better to supplement on your own!

Welcome!!!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 6/30/2006 10:45:45 PM

Britney, Teenie doesn't seem to have much, if any, joint problem. She was a senior, when I got her, and I don't know anything about her history. She does limp, some, on one of her front paws, but she's been examined quite a few times, and shows no painful response. She is on joint supplements, but they haven't made any difference, LOL. We've decided that the limp probably earned her some sympathy, at some point, and has become a learned behavior.

Joint supplements, accupuncture, and massage have made a major difference in my JRT's function, but she has rather serious "frame" issues...