In this post....when I said Purina......I MEANT SCIENCE DIET!! You
know....the 'sawdust' dog food. <G>
Carolyn marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.marhaven.com
From: Carolyn Martello [mailto:marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Subject: RE: GOOD PASTERNS makes you feel better <G>
I know I know.......every bloodline is "different".
But I do think this Breed grows too quickly! The GSD is a large
boned Breed with angulated pasterns and rear angulation
that other breeds do not have....plus upright ears...and demand a full
mouth of nice large teeth and they go into this
development stage just as they hit a rapid growth period.
Right around 4 - 8 months they hit an incredible growth stage as they
are also teething, getting their ears up, getting more
angulated and more bone, growing in an adult coat.........it is a very
difficult time for them and the larger heavier ones will
occasionally pay the price with soft, or even down pasterns and some
'wobble' to their hocks. Almost ALL of them come
out of it.......occasionally some take longer....or will suffer from
down pasterns that are always a problem.
During this period they should be kept SLIM...and not on a
high-powered diet that will encourage even MORE rapid growth.
Cheap quality dog food like Purina / adult~maintenance or Pedigree
helps. Lower protein, lower everything almost...... <G>
The only Amino Acid we would add is L-Lysine which is good for Sports
injuries and ligaments.
Most will tell you to crate the puppy.....I've done the opposite, and
took them on a trail that is dirt/gravel and get them to TROT....
not walk or run, to exercise and strengthen the ligaments in their
natural trotting gait....so that they actually USE the pasterns
more than they do normally waddling around the yard..........Other
than that....I have NO answers.
We had a breeder that lived close to us that had massive problems with
Pasterns....almost every pup was affected. It was terrible
to watch as the pups were FLAT!! AND...they were NOT coming up
later. Their Vet had them switch to WEANING the pups on
Purina cheap kibble or Pedigree....instead of waiting till there was a
problem. It literally SOLVED their problem.
Is it bloodlines...diet....conformation problems? I do not
know....but I learned a lot in watching the struggles of that breeder.
Carolyn marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.marhaven.com
On Behalf Of Redacted sender "ELG440" for DMARC Sent: Wednesday,
December 28, 2016 8:40 AM
Subject: Do what makes you feel better
We had a dog over 30 years ago that had downed pasterns, (not
including Ed's dog a couple of years ago). That dog was worse than
anything else I have ever seen, his pasterns were so bad, they
actually flipped up towards his jaw when he ran. He looked like a big
goofy dog, with a great temperament.
We tried it all, and liked the idea of walking him on sand. It was an
excuse for me to go to the beach.
We were told to brace them, then told that just allowed the tendons to
weaken. We got lots of advice, all of it well intentioned. All of it
sounded great when we first heard it.
We placed him with a family who wanted him for a special needs child.
They told us they would not allow the dog to sleep in their son's room
at night. So, the young man slept on the porch with the dog. That
seemed like a good solution. I will never forget the kid looking at
him and saying, "He is so huuuuuuuuuge", but it was love at first
sight for both of them.
Oh, yes. The pasterns came up, and he was a magnificent dog.
Except for Ed's dog, whose pasterns are not that bad, we have never
had another problem. The only solution I have seen with others is
time, and everything else you do can't hurt, but doesn't seem to
matter. It is sort of like double handling. It can't hurt but doesn't
seem to make much of a difference.
Evan
http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
http://www.dogshowjuniors.com/GSYRFindex.asp
http://asgardgermanshepherd.com/
In a message dated 12/28/2016 8:10:41 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
wynsum@xxxxxxx writes:
And the recipe I was given (I believe it was from Connie Beckhardt)
calls for
L-Tryptophan (an essential amino acid) and exercise in sand and no
walking on stone floors
