Bad paws/wrists

[Pit Bull Committed]

My 4 month pup has some sort of deformed paws. I am not sure if this a genetic issue or a diet/environmental issue. My pup is on a raw diet since the day I got him at 8 weeks old. The raw diet consists of chicken quarter leg/ with bone, beef intestine, chicken heart/liver/gizzards, one whole soft boiled egg with the shell, fish oil, plain yogurts & a multi-vitamin pill for puppy (GNC brand). I keep him in my house in a crate when I'm at work and I let him out to play in the house when I'm home. I work 12 hour shift so when I leave for work it's still dark out and when I returned home it's dark already too. Due to my work schedule I understand that my pup don't get very much direct sun light especially now that it is winter and I live in MN. Does anyone know if his flat/splayed/outward paws is a genetic issue or is it something that I'm doing wrong? If it's something that I'm doing wrong can my pup's paws be fixed and have normal paws/wrists again?

[Officially Retired]

Dogs need sunlight.

Sunlight helps with vitamin D and calcium synthesis.

Vitamin D and calcium synthesis are what facilitate proper bone growth/development.

These simple facts ought to show that a crate is no place for a young dog to live/grow.

The dog this old should be on a chain (or in an above-ground pen) ... with a nice, warm winter house (full of straw) ... so he can keep warm in the house when it's cold at night ... or choose to lay out in the sun when he wants/needs to by day.

The sunlight is absolutely mandatory for a dog's health & proper growth.

Good luck,

Jack


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[Pit Bull Committed]

Thanks for the advice Jack! I agree with you. Lesson learned! He will be moved to a above ground pen asap with an insulated dog house with a bunch of straws. I hope it's not to late for his paws to return to normal.

[Officially Retired]

Don't worry.

Typically, if the situation is handled quickly, any anomalies right themselves just as quickly.

Good luck,

Jack

[SGC]

Yes, a growing pup does need sunlight for proper bone development. The bending of his ankles is a sign of rickets and sunlight will help him.

But that’s a tough one when you live in MN and it is mid winter.

He will benefit from being outside in a good pen with a warm doghouse but MN right now is what, like 6 below zero? Ouch! I’d only put him out there for short times in daylight at this time of year since he has been living in the warm house as it will take him a bit to get used to that extreme cold.

You can also add some cod liver oil to his food and some vitamin D supplement. That will help him and he is young enough that his legs should straighten up pretty quickly. It should not cause permanent damage but it is something to be aware of and why it’s not such a good idea to keep a pup indoors in a crate.

If you search Google there are a number of articles on rickets in pups. Here are a couple links –

http://www.critters360.com/index.php/rickets-in-dogs-vitamin-d-deficiency-calcium-and-phosphorus-ratios-parathyroid-glands-18172/

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/musculoskeletal_system/dystrophies_associated_with_calcium_phosphorus_and _vitamin_d/rickets.html

http://www.academia.edu/1838874/RICKETS_IN_GROWING_PUPS-_CASE_REPORTS

[blak]

What do you feed him? How did the Sire and Dam's feet look?

[Pit Bull Committed]

Thanks guys for the advice! Yeap, in MN now it is -15° that was the reason why I kept him inside because he is still just a pup.

blak, on my initial post I described what I fed my pup. I basically feed him the puppy raw diet that Jack suggested on his video.

Here are pictures of the parents of this little pup. His siblings all had good paws but their owners feed them kibbles.

[S_B]

If you must keep him confined to a crate while you are working you might try to place the crate in direct light from a window, and open the blinds so he at least has some direct/indirect light.

I agree with Jack, but SGC raises an excellent point. Your pup most likely hasn't developed the coat to help him deal with those temps while being kept inside.

And -15 is no joke, so stick with what you know, just try to get him as much sun as you can.

[SGC]

Yes, you are not going to have much sunlight in mid winter MN and the temps are so low that I would not want to put a house raised pup out for long even in sunlight.

I would give him vitamin D3 and some cod liver oil in his food. Both of those should help his feet tighten up since it is the vitamin D he is lacking. You can buy it pretty cheaply at the grocery store for people, vitamin D is vitamin D, and I am sure there is cod liver oil there too.

Here is a video of a talk about vitamin D and how it helps our health --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiGBVDcbFVk

Interesting that they say anywhere north of Atlanta does not get enough sun in winter to give enough vitamin D.

Good luck with your pup and let us know how he is doing.