My large breed puppy has bowed front legs. How can I help?

This sounds like a growth deformity, xrays would help to define exactly what is going on. Mineral, especially calcium and phosphorus imbalances can have a major influence at this age - converting his diet completely to a large breed puppy food may help to encourage optimal bone formation

What you need to focus on in a large breed puppy is the calcium/phosphorus levels. If those are not in balance they can get growth abnormalities in their joints. For growth in large breed puppies, a dog food must (on a dry matter basis) contain: 1.2 to 1.8% calcium 1.0 to 1.6% phosphorus Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio between 1:1 and 1.8:1 The protein and fat percent are not that important. My recommendation is to feed a commercial diet that abides by AAFCO standards (this will be on the label) and just make sure it is for large breed puppies. Don’t use nutritional supplements when feeding your large breed puppy any commercial diet as you will surely upset the balance of minerals. I was assuming you were talking about feeding large breed puppies. If you want information on feeding an adult large breed please ask your question again and be more specific. I hope this helps. Best wishes!

There is no food that promotes extra bone growth. It is best to feed your pet a balanced large breed food that helps promote normal bone growth, such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Eukanuba, Natural Balance or Fromm large breed puppy. To promote healthy joints and combat arthritis, it is recommended to wait until your pet is at least 1 year of age, then you can start daily joint supplements such as Dasuquin, Rejuvenate or Cosequin. Also its best to not over-exert your puppy while he is growing. This means don't have rough play or exercise for more than 20-30 min increments, 3 times a day. I hope this helps and best wishes with your growing puppy Tobi! Take care.

You want to make sure to feed a high quality diet. You also need to make sure that the growth is slow and consistent. If your puppy grows too quickly, it will be more likely to develop conditions like hip dysplasia. The diet I recommend for my large breed puppies is Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy. It will ensure even growth and the diet is highly digestible. This diet can be purchased at many pet stores or online. Proper exercise is also important but remember not to start jogging with a large breed puppy until they are at least a year old. You can damage the joints that way BUT normal things like playing or chasing the ball should be fine. Please post again if you have any further questions!

It is never recommended to give puppies multi vitamins and calcium supplements. This will affect Fang's growth adversely, and it is not needed. A good quality puppy food will provide all the nutrients he needs. I also advise again feeding him Orijen. It's grain free, and vets are seeing a link between dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy who are on grain free diets. The FDA is now investigating that link. Grain free food is a fad, grains are actually good for dogs. I'd feed him a puppy food from brands such as Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. I hope this helps!

Most joint and cartilage injuries in puppies will heal with acceptable mobility as long as the bones are not displaced and they can be restricted to slow, steady leash walking. I recommend keeping him on a high quality puppy food until 18months of age and adding a joint supplement including glucosamine and omega fatty acids. It would be expected that arthritis may develop in the joint in later life and long term supplementation may be worthwhile

Large breed puppies have specific nutritional needs that have to be met or else they run the risk of developing improperly and have joint issues their entire lives. Here is a helpful link: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutritional-requirements-of-large-and-giant-breed-puppies I recommend to feed a high quality large breed puppy food like Royal Canin or Purina ProPlan. I hope this helps.