How to support large dog's healthy growth, strength, and well-being?

Toby is a senior citizen now. It looks like he’s lost a lot of muscle in the rear legs. I expect he may have hip or back arthritic contributing to his symptoms. I recommend a second opinion with a Rehabilitation veterinarian if there is one near you. In addition I would purchase a Help em Up harness so you can assist him to stand and walk. The longer he’s down and not using his legs the less ability he will have to walk again. I would get him standing for a few minutes several times a day and help him to go outside to potty. Hopefully then he will regain some strength and be able to walk again. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Toby.

It is vital to have an active growing puppy on a specialised, large breed puppy food, especially if there is evidence of any growing pains or irregularities. A tight balance of minerals (especially calcium and phosphorous) as well as vitamin d, protein levels and energy levels will promote healthy growth and development. An unbalanced or inappropriate diet can lead to over rapid growth of bone, cartilage or muscle and development of muscle and bone development issues. If there is any pain or discomfort you should have a full vet check arranged as soon as possible to rule out inflammation or injury

Growth supplements are not needed as long as you feed Toby a high quality food. i think you can find Orijen dry food in some places in India, which is an excellent quality food, if you can't - Royal Canin is also a good option.

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.

Yes, you are correct. With good nutrition, slow to moderate growth rate, controlled exercise and maintaining a normal weight she should improve and be normal when she's grown up. Please limit jumping and explosive movements, excessive rough housing and I recommend feeding a large breed dog food. She's a beauty and should be fine. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Toby is a cute guy! I would recommend to look into physical therapy and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and laser treatments. Often times these therapies will help tremendously. I used these therapies on both my geriatric dogs and I firmly believe they maintained a better quality of life than they would have otherwise. I hope this helps!

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job of caring for her! She's a lucky girl. Regarding running- I agree with your vet. Just let her set the pace and don't get too far from home in case she starts to have troubles. Regarding kibble- there are a lot of high quality foods available and I think you will find kibble a great option over raw. Is there a particular reason you are wanting grain free and potato free? Carnilove looks like it would be a fine choice, so go ahead with that! There are some prescription diets designed to help keep joints healthy, (not specifically hip dysplasia, but designed for joint health) and they really are very good. Here is one by Royal Canin, which I believe is available in Finland. https://www.royalcanin.com/products/vet/mobility-support Hill's also has a good one which is available there: https://www.hillspet.com/dog-food/pd-jd-canine-dry Neither of those diets are grain free, however if there is no known allergy or sensitivity for you dog specifically, you don't necessarily gain much from grain free, and there are some concerns that it may actually NOT be the best choice. Here is an article about some recent research into a possible link to heart disease-http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/ Playing tug of war is fine, just don't be really rough about it. She can be in a fenced outside area (make sure the fence is high enough that she can't jump over it) for however long she enjoys, as long as the weather is good and she's got shelter in case of bad weather, fresh water readily available. Don't leave her outside for more than an hour if the temperature is over 80 F or less than 40 F or so. (not a hard and fast rule, but a good guideline). Good job on the daily obedience training! "sit to stand" exercises would be great for keeping her back legs strong. Here's a demo of this exercise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i2DofIWDxI I hope that helps you ! Good luck with her, I can tell she is in good hands. Thanks for asking PetCoach!