[Pakka]

Hi Guys,

I recently got a Boerboel pup (about 3-4 months old now). A Boerboel is a big mastiff-type dog.

The Boerboel, like many other large dogs, are prone to get Hip Dysplasia.

I've read that improper feeding may lead your pup to grow too fast, which in turn makes it even more susceptible to Hip Dysplasia.

My pup is on a (apparently) good quality kibble for large breed puppies. I feed him twice per day. I'd like to eventually have him on a raw & kibble mix diet.

Are there any tips for ensuring that he doesn't grow too fast during his puppy stages?

I just want him to be a healthy puppy and remain healthy until old age.

Any ideas?

 

[marieszella]

Hello Pakka,

I have 4 cane corsos living at home with us now. I had 2 more (they passed away). This breed is also growing very fast in the beginning and is prone to developing hip dysplasia.

My advice is the following (based on my personal experience) and works all the time (worked for me):

Feed only raw. Either make it yourself or find a raw food brand that is pre-made. By feeding raw your pup will not grow too fast.

Add a vitamin C supplement into his diet. Either natural in form of fresh grated apples, kiwis, carrots, cabbage, broccolis (these must be grated/pulped in the food blender and mixed with the dog's food every time you feed) or a synthetic vitamin C - in the form of sodium ascorbate powder. A borboel pup would need to start off a dose of 500 mg of sodium ascorbate per day (mixed with his raw food, divide am and pm). Raise the dosage up to 1000 mg a day (also separated am - pm).

Vit C is responsible for proper collagen formation in the puppy's body. It will strengthen his ligaments and tendons and will significantly reduce the risk of having hip dysplasia.

Avoid slippery floors and running. Do not encourage playing with other pups especially those smaller hyper-active dogs. Do mostly walks with the pup until he is 12 months old.

From the age of 6 months you may want to start adding glucosamine supplement into his diet. But this is not neccessary. Although I did it on my 2 recent corsos. Have had their hips x-rayed in the spring and got 'excellent' on both.

Outline:

- Feed raw, only raw. It works best for large and giant breeds
- Supplement with vitamin C either natural or syntetic or even both
- Avoid injuries that can be caused by running, jumping, slippery floors or slamming with other dogs.

Best of luck with your pup!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Pakka]

Thanks for your reply Marieszella. I found your blog insightful too.

Where can I get the Vit C powder you refer to (sodium ascorbate powder)? Is that different from the common Vit C supplement for humans called Ascorbic Acid?

 

[LynneMarie]

I have always switched my large breed puppies to adult food when they are 3-4 months of age to decrease the amount of calcium they get. JMO

 

[marieszella]

Thanks for your reply Marieszella. I found your blog insightful too.

Where can I get the Vit C powder you refer to (sodium ascorbate powder)? Is that different from the common Vit C supplement for humans called Ascorbic Acid?

Hi Pakka,

i order mine either from amazon or from iherb. You can look up the brands that i normally buy in my blog as well here: Healthy Doggie Blog - step-by-step with Zella: Hip Dysplasia: Prevention & Treatment part 1

The difference between sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid is that sodium ascorbate is ph-neutral, it is a non-acidic form of vitamin c and therefore won't cause stomach upset and diarrhea. Ascorbic acid is too acidic and in such large doses as one should give to a dog in order to prevent hip dysplasia, would cause stomach upsets and diarrhea.

 

[marieszella]

oops, forgot to add that I would recommend to feed the pup 3 times a day, not twice.

I fed mine 3 times a day until they got at least 9 months old.

 

[marieszella]

I have always switched my large breed puppies to adult food when they are 3-4 months of age to decrease the amount of calcium they get. JMO

I've read about this tip too. Many breeders of large breed dogs swear by it, but since i feed mine with raw food, there is no difference between puppy or adult food, because it is, well...just raw food

By the way, Pakka, what country are you from? If you live in the states, there is a manufacturer of pre-made frozen raw food. I think there are several manufacturers in Canada also. I am from Norway and we have just one producer of raw food.

 

[Holly]

Please feed a commercially made large breed puppy food. It's the best way to know exactly what type of calcium to phosphorus ratio your dog is getting.

 

[marieszella]

Please feed a commercially made large breed puppy food. It's the best way to know exactly what type of calcium to phosphorus ratio your dog is getting.

This is what many folks usually do - feed their giant breed pups with commercial puppy large breed kibble, and end up putting their young dogs down at the vet's office blaming the breeder or the pup's genes. Maybe it works well for some breeds but it doesn't work well for giants, i.e. mastiffs. They grow huge very-very quickly in comparison to large breeds like labs, german shepherds, weimaraners, etc.

The giants grow slowlier on raw food. I made sure myself as i raised a number of them, both males and females from early puppyhood. I also had one female (a giant - cane corso), fed her exclusivly with large breed dry kibble. As a result - very rapid growth pattern and a hip dysplasia.

 

[Holly]

I will respectfully but highly disagree with you, marieszella.

Hip Dysplasia IS genetic, though environment (diet) does play a part... so if your dogs are getting hip dysplasia, it's not solely because of what you're feeding, it's because of poor genes to start with. It's poor breeding. Diet RESTRICTION will help however, but once the genetic component is there, there is only so much you can do.


The Baker Institute at Cornell University does research on canine Hip Dysplasia if you'd like more concrete factual info that what I've stated above.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

Welcome to the board and congrats on your new addition. We currently have 4 Cane corsi living with us and 1 senior Rottie.

Large breed and Giant breeds growing too fast can lead to several issues as they mature but HD is certainly one of the big ones.

If you are feeding kibble I would go with a high quality kibble that is an All Life Stages Grain Free food. If you want to feed Raw then I would feed that exclusively if you can. It can get expensive though so if you want to do a RAW/Kibble make sure the 2 meals are separate as they digest at different rates and that can cause problems with their GI tract. We also feed at least 3 times a day until 6 months, then start to cut it back to 2 meals a day.

We also supplement to the dogs who aren't eating RAW with Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM complex and Ester-C to promote healthy joints.

Good luck with your new puppy.

Hi Guys,

I recently got a Boerboel pup (about 3-4 months old now). A Boerboel is a big mastiff-type dog.

The Boerboel, like many other large dogs, are prone to get Hip Dysplasia.

I've read that improper feeding may lead your pup to grow too fast, which in turn makes it even more susceptible to Hip Dysplasia.

My pup is on a (apparently) good quality kibble for large breed puppies. I feed him twice per day. I'd like to eventually have him on a raw & kibble mix diet.

Are there any tips for ensuring that he doesn't grow too fast during his puppy stages?

I just want him to be a healthy puppy and remain healthy until old age.

Any ideas?

 

[marieszella]

I will respectfully but highly disagree with you, marieszella.

Hip Dysplasia IS genetic, though environment (diet) does play a part... so if your dogs are getting hip dysplasia, it's not solely because of what you're feeding, it's because of poor genes to start with. It's poor breeding. Diet RESTRICTION will help however, but once the genetic component is there, there is only so much you can do.


The Baker Institute at Cornell University does research on canine Hip Dysplasia if you'd like more concrete factual info that what I've stated above.

There was a recent official study conducted and published by the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science that proved the following: Hip dysplasia (HD) in dogs is affected to a larger degree than previously believed by the environment in which puppies grow up.

The study IS official and is not anectodal.

This study began 10 years ago and included 500 norwegian dogs that were followed up from birth until they reached 10 years ols and actually proves new findings that a ratio of 20% is a genetic factor and the rest - the whole 80% is the environment and feeding.

Before the study it was believed that only 40% was responsible for environment/feeding and 60% was genetic predisposition.

So now you can see that there is a brand new proof available for all you guys still thinking that hip-dysplasia IS genetical. Not so much it is in fact genetical as environmental.

 

[Pakka]

So what did they feed the dogs?
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[Pakka]

Welcome to the board and congrats on your new addition. We currently have 4 Cane corsi living with us and 1 senior Rottie.

Large breed and Giant breeds growing too fast can lead to several issues as they mature but HD is certainly one of the big ones.

If you are feeding kibble I would go with a high quality kibble that is an All Life Stages Grain Free food. If you want to feed Raw then I would feed that exclusively if you can. It can get expensive though so if you want to do a RAW/Kibble make sure the 2 meals are separate as they digest at different rates and that can cause problems with their GI tract. We also feed at least 3 times a day until 6 months, then start to cut it back to 2 meals a day.

We also supplement to the dogs who aren't eating RAW with Glucosamine/Chondrotin/MSM complex and Ester-C to promote healthy joints.

Good luck with your new puppy.

Thank you for the tips. I'm finding it hard to get inexpensive raw meat. Does lung count as muscle meat?
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[ruthcatrin]

Lung is meat.

 

[Pakka]

Lung is meat.

You have been so helpful! Thanks
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[ruthcatrin]

Welcome!

Also the GI tract, including stomach and intestine (green tripe) is meat as well, but probly shouldn't be an entire meat meal on their own multiple times on a row due to the extra enzymes in them. Some is good, but I'm not sure where the upper limit is. I believe brain is meat as well, but I'll have to double check, I've never fed it so not looked into it closely.

 

[ruthcatrin]

I was incorrect, brain is organ not meat

 

[Holly]

I was incorrect, brain is organ not meat

With all of the potential prion disease, I would not feed it anyway...

 

[AmandaNola]

I would have to agree, mostly, with Holly. And I used to breed Mastiffs, so I know what I'm taking about I always kept my dogs on 3/4 high quality, grain free giant puppy food (I'm having a total brain fart, or I'd tell you the name) and 1/4 homemade food until they were two years old. They were all perfectly fine and had NO problems what so ever, all 7 of them.