Puppy Legs

So I recieved a pup from someone I know and have acouple questions. He has been kenneled his entire life (about 4mths) very little time out of it and less outdoors in the sunlight. The pup is the last of his litter (one of four) and has been sitting there for awhile now. When I took him out he was very responsive, happy,etc...acting like a puppy. He does have some "defects" and that is why he was still sitting there (Im almost positive)(plus bullys are the "thing" where Im at) anyways...
He has a slighty bowlegg stance and the tip of the back of his ribs sticks out a bit (looks like a small pingpong ball on each side). I have been playing w him alot and he has had alot of interaction w my other dogs since I got him and his legs look alot better/straighter and he is alot stronger and more "stable" than before. Im hoping that they will straighten out some more with time and playing/exercise. As far as the ribs they dont always poke out and thats what is strange. It depents on how he is standing.
My question is does anyone have anymore ideas on anything that may help? Currently he is on Diamond puppy. I have my others on EVO but it adult food. The sire had a slight bend in his legs and the Dam was bout as straight as they get so dont think it is completly genetic.. Sorry for so long just tryn to make sure I give as much info as I can...Thanks

 

a serious fancier wouldn't hesitate to cull that dog at the drop of a dime. :mad:

 

get em out into the sunshine as much as you can ( over crating a young dog can have severe effects on the health/bones)
EVO is too rich for a puppy

 

If you haven't already, you should take him to the vet and have him checked out. May need some vitamin supplements for a bit. Just don't let the vet sell you on science diet. Chicken soup for the puppy lovers soul is a pretty good food for pups at least it worked for Nell and I supplemented with raw marrow bones and liver. She was over crated for about 8 months I believe :eek:. She had similar issues but not as severe and is now running with a really good gait and super fast. I recently switched her to taste of the wild and she looks great. You really wouldn't know if you saw her now.

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yea thats what Ive been tring to do. I have found alot of debate on the net on what to do and what people have been told by vets. Some say more Calcm(make their bones stronger), some say less(let the bones straighten more before getting stronger), some have been told to swap pup to adult food (dont know the reason),etc....Oh and yea the Evo I know is way to much for a pup, kinda rough on a adult sometimes too.


Yea if I was planning on breeding or showing I would possib. cull but Im doing neither so unless a vet told me it would start causing him alot of pain or a extreme amount of money then that prob wont be the option, but I do completly understand the reasoning and I has crossed my mind.

 

im sure the pup is fine, just give them lots of love and excercise...and get it to the vet, if the previous owners just kept it in a crate its prolly never been wormed or given a 5 way.
the ribs poking out at the bottom/back(hard to explain) is fine just a puppy thing...marcy's would do that when she ate especialy or sneezed,she grew out of it.

 

Planning on a vet trip asap as I can get a day off....yea my vet sells the poo out of that Science Diet but its cool couse they dont push it....So glad to hear yours turned out alot better. 8 Months wow thats a long time I though four was outragious..And it looks like you went with the "give the pup alot more calcuim route too" I may have to do that.

 

actually its weird becouse he is completly upto date on all shots (and Im sure) he just wasnt given alot of attention. He was "misstreated" like some just not the best first four months. Yea the ribs bother me more that the legs but hopefully the vet can give me some insite. I may try to get some pics up (just on a work computer so have to becarefull)

 

if the pup was in a kennel That may have to do with bow legs. Put him on the dirt. They will straighten up.

 

the rib thing is fine there just isnt any muscle there yet so they poke out.

 

lol @ frenchie. yeah, that goes without saying. as long as the dog doesn't look like this , you can at least say people have failed to cull worse. :rolleyes:

 

Bow legged puppies are common in that kind of situation, regardless of breed. The legs were not developing properly as a result. Keep him active and he'll most likely straighten out a lot (all the way is unlikely) and like J said, put him in some dirt for a while. Outside is good medicine for stuff like that