9 Month Old GSD with Weak Hindlegs - Page 21

Wow, he looks as healthy as he did in the original video.  Glad to see he is doing well again.

Hi
For few days he was on buttermilk and mashed brown rice with vitamin E, multivitamins, and calcium. Also he was being given cephalexin 300 morning and 300 evening for skin infection. I bathed him with Ketochlor shampoo twice a week for 2 weeks. For his motions I added prebiotic and probiotic powder for 10 days plus he was administered 5ml of levofloxacin + ornidazole syrup twice a day for 6 days. As his motions got better I changed his diet to mashed brown rice cooked with boneless chicken. This was continued for 2 weeks and gradually I introduced Royal Canin GSD Adult. Now he is on that. I also add 5ml of Salmon oil in the night meal. He is still taking cephalexin 300 in the morning and evening. I did not take him for any walks during those recovery days. I kept him in a room with fan and water and he slept tight. I isolated my younger puppy from him during those days. Now they play together but his stamina levels are yet to improve.
Gautam

That's interesting Gautam.

In respect of his stamina levels, did you see the part of my post that said the feeding amounts recommended by Royal canin should be based on 'target' (eventual adult) weights for pups of 9-10 months, which suggested he should be on over 5 cups of food per day. This could help improve both his general physical condition and also his stamina levels as food input = energy output. Have you thought about gradually increasing his food intake now that he is processing his food well? Very gradually introducing gentle exercise will help to re-build his stamina too. Maybe some offlead exercise in a safe area, so that he can exercise to his own pace. 

Do keep us up to date with his progress.

I am feeding my 5 month old puppy Royal Canin GSD Adult food. This is beacuse the breeder has told me that puppy food can cause bone problems due to rapid growth. How much to feed it? Can I add boiled chicken to the Royal Canin GSD Adult food.

I feed my puppies as much as they will eat in 15 minutes and take the rest away. If they start to get fat, I reduce a little, if they start to look alittle skinny, I add a little.

My 6 month old high energy female is eating about 6 cups a day and this weekend at a show, the vet was amazed how dry she was for her age (the only positive comment - lol).

As long as your pup tolerates the chicken and it doesn't cause him loose movement, adding a little and also the broth will keep him eating happily. I dice in very small pieces and mix it into the dry. Its so small that that they cannot pick only the chicken.

Your puppy had gone through a really difficult time, his stamina will slowly come back as he becomes more fit and healthy. Dont let the other puppy wear him out too much. He needs energy to recover, let him play, but also let him have plenty of quiet time too.

Is sounds like you're on the right track........

Hi Gautam

This is a difficult question for me to answer, because I do not feed a dry food, but all raw. I would definitely say that 4 cups of adult for a 10 (?) month old pup is too low however, especially as he is still trying to make up lost ground.  I would defer to Sitasmom;s experience here, and any others who feed complete diets.  My understanding is that a 'large breed' puppy food is designed to avoid rapid growth, and promote slower growth because of the problems that rapid growth in a large breed can cause.

Most definitely supplement with boiled chicken and broth though, all the time that his digestion is working well. If it appears that this is causing any problem at all, go back to just the adult Royal Canin. But if he tolerates it well, it will be a good boost for him.  As he has been poorly, I would probably introduce the extra food as an additional meal to begin with and then gradually split it between the two meals once he is accustomed to the increased amount. (assuming you feed 2 meals?)

If you are feeding a complete food, do not supplement with other vitamins now, especially calcium. Over supplementtion of calcium is well known for causing bone growth problems in puppies.  Salmon oil is good.

Mervin is the 10 month old pup; Maxim is the 5 month old that was just asked about.

Gautam, there's really no hard and fast rule as to how much to feed any dog, puppy or adult, because it will vary not only according to the food being used, but also the individual animal and his or her metabolism and needs.  As a basic minimum, a growing puppy needs no less than 120 kcal per kg of body weight, but that's presuming that the animal is at the correct body weight to begin with.  It's much easier, and frankly more accurate, to determine whether or not an animal is getting enough to eat and using it well by assessing the dog's body condition, using a condition scoring chart as a guide.  If the dog is not in an ideal body condition, adjustments to feed intake can then be made to correct this deviation.  The body condition score is the same whether a dog is an adult or just a puppy--ideal body condition is not age-dependent.  I'm pretty sure you recognize BCS #1, since that's where Mervin was until you were able to get him turned around; I don't think he's quite at a BCS #3 yet, but he's a lot closer to it than he was before.  Use these diagrams to determine if Maxim is at a BCS #3 or not; if he's below that, he needs more food; if he's at a BCS #4, keep an eye on him, but I wouldn't reduce his food, since puppies change so quickly as far as the growth process goes. If he's BCS #5, then he'd need to be cut back a little on his food...but I'm doubtful that he would be at that level on 4 cups of Royal Canin Adult formula. If you post some pictures of Maxim, we can get a better idea of where he's at right now. And of course we'd always all love to see more pictures of the handsome Mervin, too!

Canine Body Condition Scoring Guide

                                                                       

BCS 1 = Very Thin [Emaciated]                                                                 BCS 2 = Underweight                                                                               BCS 3 = Ideal
Ribs – easily felt with no fat cover                                                                Ribs – easily felt with little fat cover                                                             Ribs – easily felt with slight fat cover
Tail Base – bones are raised with no fat cover                                            Tail Base – bones are raised with slight fat cover                                        Tail Base – smooth contour with slight fat cover
Side View – severe abdominal tuck                                                             Side View – abdominal tuck                                                                         Side View – abdominal tuck
Overhead View – accentuated hourglass shape                                         Overhead View – marked hourglass shape                                                Overhead View – well proportioned waist



                                                                      
BCS 4 = Overweight                                                                                                                      BCS 5 = Obese
Ribs – difficult to feel under moderate fat cover                                                                               Ribs – difficult to feel under thick fat cover
Tail Base – some thickening, bones palpable under moderate fat cover                                         Tail Base – thickened and difficult to feel under thick fat cover
Side View – no abdominal tuck                                                                                                        Side View – no waist, fat hangs from abdomen
Overhead View – back is slightly broadened at waist                                                                      Overhead View – back is markedly broadened

The amount on the side of the package is only an estimate..........puppies, young dogs, active dogs all tend to need much more than what is stated on the side of the package...

Your pup is looking much better, Hexe's post is excellent guide for knowing the fitness of your pup. At 10 months, he will need 6 or 7 cups a day.. he is growing and maturing........

My sons when they were 14 thru 20 would empty the refrigerator as a snack and then go to the pantry and eat everything there too........they were growing and maturing and eating almost nonstop and didn't get fat.......... Your pup is at about the same stage in life.... a teenager........he needs to eat to maintain his stamina.......his brain is maturing, bones, muscle are changing (becoming mature)......this takes much energy (calories) which they get from their food.

In the next 2 weeks, increase the amount you feed from 4 cups to 6 cups, his stamina will improve, he will increase muscle....

Your on the right track........

Gautam, in answer to your question about the boiled chicken, yes, you can add it to their Royal Canin without causing any imbalances.  You can also add cooked eggs, daily if you like; raw eggs, however, are only OK once per week, as they contain a property which interferes with the dog's absorption of Vitamin B.

This threw me as it was in response to my post regarding the feeding amounts for Mervin!  I had originally posted about Mervin, and the amount he was being fed at 9/10 months, that was where my brain was still at. I was concerned and raised this point back in mid September when Gautam said Mervin was on 3 cups of GSD 24 a day.

Maybe he increased his food intake after that and this has contributed to Mervin's turnaround. He didn't say how much he is feeding Mervin now. How much are you feeding Mervin now Gautam?  It was he that I was talking about.

So I missed that this was about the 5 month old puppy.  The manufacturers provide a 'guide' and that is all it is, and it should be adjusted for the individual. As I said before Royal Canin go by target adult weight and 4 cups is well below what they would recommend for a growing puppy on their puppy formula, I would imagine you would probably need to think of feeding slightly more as you have already switched to adult formula.  Growing puppies needs adequate nutrition, Mervin and Maxim are both growing puppies.