Bully 6 month old

[Bull28]

My bully started to limp on his front left leg this weekend. Is this normal for him since he grows so fast?

[dragongsd]

Depending on what breed of dog you have, 6 mos. would be around the time for growing pains.

[oliverthewolfhoundsmommy]

He may also be lacking calcium causing joint pain. Try adding dry cottage cheese to his food, great for pups who are rapid growers bones!!!

[Bull28]

He is a bullmastiff and I have read extra calcium is not good for them

[oliverthewolfhoundsmommy]

It has been my experice, working alongside breeders, that puppies who are rapid growers need the extra boost of calcium so the bone strength can develope better as they grow. I have a 9 week old irish wolfhound, and add dry cottage cheese to his food daily, so he doesn't develope joint injury. If you are concerned with it in respect to your mastiff, ask your local vet what they think. I know a few people who use this method and highly recommend it.

[fuzzdomestic]

Call up the breeder and ask if there are suppliments you should be giving him. They'll know of any issues that can occur with the breed. I've never heard of any problems with giving Bull Mastiffs extra calcium, but I've never worked that closely with the breed.

[dragongsd]

Actually calcium is not good for fast growing large dogs in the long run.
You are better off staying with a better dog food with less calcium,
and even backing off on the dog's food amount for a little time.
Growing pains show up on the xrays as extra calium spots on the bones.
If your not against feed raw meat that too has helped some on my dogs
go thru growing pains easier, just my experience. (tripe, brisket meat)

[Amie]

raw meat, really? wow. well, that makes sense, they are dogs, historically meat eaters. unfortunately i dont know anything about growing pains because either my pup never had them or he never looked like something was hurting. he's pretty small so maybe that had something to do with it. but this is good for future reference. i'm just curious...do happen to know why raw meat helps with the pains? the calcium i could pretty much guess how it would help but the raw meat is baffling me. :)

[macks]

There are a number of reasons that your dog might be limping..But first and formeost get him to the Vet..

Does your dog wear a collar? if so, the collar may be pressing on a nerve in the cervical spine..My FBD had a similar problem ; causing her to go lame in the right front leg..putting her in a harness allieviated the problem

Feeding of BIG dogs has changed over the last few years.. Cutting back on calcium, so that thier bones grow slower is what is advised..No more "puppy food " for big dogs.. It forces bone growth at too rapid a pace..

Raw meat is referring to a raw or BARF diet.. Bones and raw food.. Yes, raw food..You can control exactly what your dog is eating.. the ratio of protien to calcium which should be about 80 % protien to 20% calcium.
There are many lists on Yahoo about raw feeding and books that you can read..BUT you either feed raw or dog food..do NOT mix it..
For myself, my dogs have been on raw for many years..the benefits are enormous..
Vets are not educated in nutrition in school and most do not understand..Start with Dr Ian Billinghurst's book "Give your dog a Bone" and another book " the Ultimate Diet..
You can also go to www.bravorawdiet.com to learn about premade raw diets.

[dragongsd]

I have fed raw meat and dry dog food for years. I know my dogs have gotten
healthier and I wish I could afford to feed 100% raw diet. But I know when
my dogs go through growing pains a raw diet has helped greatly.
The thing I hate in dry dog foods is all the sugars. I wish the base of most dog foods was different than grains for fillers. I always wondered why they can't use veggie scraps as fillers.

[oliverthewolfhoundsmommy]

I stand corrected with the advice I gave (adding cottage cheese). As Dragongsd has stated, it is NOT good to give large breed dogs extra calcium as it may damage the growth and cause problems as they get older. I was told by a breeder of belgium sheepdogs that it was best for puppies as it helped in growth of the bones. Weather it is different for smaller breeds I'm not sure, but am sorry for the misinformation!! I do however, hope all is alright with your dog, please kee us posted as to what the cause was.