Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:30 pm Post subject: Calcium Supplements, Puppies and Stairs
We're picking up our new puppy in January and I'm getting a bit concerned about stairs.
We live in a town house and for the first few weeks I'll be carrying her up and down a flight of stairs for the toilet as our living area is on the first floor but access to the garden is on the ground floor. This isn't a problem but there will come and time where she will be too big to carry and will have to walk up and down the stairs.
Would it be beneficial to give her a calcium supplement to help prevent any bone growth problems? She'll be fed Royal Canin Maxi Junior (as per our breeders recommendation/weaning) but I've also seen RC Labrador Junior that does mentioned added calcium - would this be better for her.
I have read a thread that says about stairs and teaching the dog to walk calmly up and down, holding their collar and giving a command (we were going to use 'slowly') from around 16 weeks but I'm still very concerned about her joints. Both parents have 0 elbow scores and neither parent has a total hip score higher than 8.
Any advice is appreciated and thanks.
I'm not keen on adding suppliments to food, because you risk unbalancing what is a balanced diet. I would simply carry her for as long as safely possible then take her up and down stairs on the lead so she cannot do anything silly lick launching herself off from six stairs up.
I add salmon oil to my dogs food - but other than that - the only supplements I use are for my older girl with the bad leg and never give supplements to my pups.
As for stairs - a real no no here I'm afraid - they simply don't use them until they are much older.
I used to do as you mentioned in your op, I`d hold CJ`s collar and guide him up and down the stairs, although only when necassary, I understand how it`ll be harder for you living on the first floor, just take things as easy as you can, hopefully by the time she`s too big to carry she will have been house trained and able to hold it for a reasonable length of time between trips out.
I'm really hoping the trips will end up minimal but initially I know I'll be up and down the stairs so often I'll probably end up like a weight lifter LOL. We're having two crates, one on the ground floor and one on the middle floor to help minimise the trips. The idea being that when she goes to bed it will be out for the toilet and straight into the downstairs crate same as when I have to nip out but the rest of the time she'll be on the middle floor. I just hope having two crates won't confuse her!
We've got stairgates ready to go up and I don't know if this is totally crazy or not but I've found a collar with an additional handle on it.
Would this be any help do you think?[img]http://www.fordogtrainers.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=498[/img]
If you are feeding a Royal Canin puppy food this will contain the correct calcium:phosphorus ratio for bone growth. If you add extra calcium on top of this, you will upset the ratio and actually create bone growth problems. Excess calcium in rapidly growing, large breed dogs has been linked to contributing towards the development of HOD, OCD and hip dysplasia. Have a look here ... http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2&aid=652
I do the same as John suggests with mine. I live on a bit of a hill, so I can't avoid the pups doing a few steps/stairs in the garden from very young but I have a stairgate indoors to stop them from hoolying up and down and just teach them to use the stairs sensibly.
You really don't need a special collar with a handle on. I just slip a finger or two under their regular collar or if they are naked, as mine usually are indoors, either put a hand on their chest, or hang onto the loose skin on the back of their neck, to slow them down.
I'm of the opinion that if they have a problem with their joints, it'll show itself eventually, whether or not we have wrapped them in cotton wool. Whereas if their joints are genetically perfect, then they can take all the rough and tumble life generally throws at them and still not have a problem. Trouble is, we can't see what sort of joints they have, so I err slightly on the side of caution, simply hoping not to make bad joints worse.
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