Did one 8-mile run harm my 11-week-old puppy's developing joints?

Although there are no hard-and-fast rules, we suspect that allowing puppies to exercise at intense levels such as running 5/week may predispose them to joint issues. Because of this, most veterinarians recommend waiting until puppies are skeletally mature at 1 year of age before they start routinely exercise such as daily runs. Make sure your dog is fully vaccinated at that time as well.

Let him rest, make sure he has plenty of fluids, and feed him normally. If he gets worse, not eating or drinking, then please bring him in for treatment right away. He could be dehydrated, just exhausted, or have some muscle or bone pain from the run. Puppies shouldn’t run with their owners until their bones are fully grown, usually about 18 months old, depending on the breed. They can run around plenty on their own, just not a run at a steady pace for miles until they are grown up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for puppy.

I don't know how long you are going on your run but he is too young to be doing any type of distance running. His growth plates have not closed at this age so there could be an injury to one of those. He could have also be born with a congenital problem like elbow dysplasia or osteochondrosis dessicans (OCD). I suggest you get him to the vet for an exam and some x-rays. Don't take him running or on any long walks for now.

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

Her bones will continue to grow until she is about a year old and so I always recommend some limits on them until that time such as no long distance running or mountain biking. For walks in the park however, I would say she is fine to go a couple of miles. I would base it more off of her behavior once she gets home. If she is exhausted then I would decrease the distance.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In general, I'm not concerned about an otherwise healthy puppy doing stairs and small jumps. If the couch is particularly high, try to discourage this but otherwise I'm not terribly worried. That being said, I do occasionally see puppies who land too hard from a jump and are now limping with an apparent strain or sprain. Usually, a few days of rest and pain medication is all that is needed but it can still be scary. Of course, if there is an underlying problem, Coco would need to be more careful. Hope this sets your mind at ease. Best of luck to you and Coco!

Hi, thank you for using Pet Coach. In the past it was thought puppy foods may have caused joint problems in larger breed dogs. However, puppies do require a different balance of protein and minerals than adult dogs. I strongly recommend feeding puppy food for all breeds of puppies. Depending on Zoey's projected adult size she should get a growth formula based on her size. Royal Canin has breed specific nutrition lines. https://www.royalcanin.com/breed?utm_campaign=Brand_Royal+Canin_Breed_Phrase&utm_medium=Paid_Search&utm_source=bing&utm_content=cpc&utm_term=royal+canin+breed+food&gclid=CLG2odKQktoCFakRfwod-ykMvw&gclsrc=ds