Supplements For A Growing Puppy (non-grey)

[Guest sheila]

My friend has a collie/shepard puppy that is only about 4 mos old but is growing big very quickly. At 3 mos the pup weighed 32 lbs and is gaining an average of 4 lbs a week. The pups feet are HUGE and I expect this rapid growth to continue. We notice that the pups knees seem to be swollen and the vet suggested that it was due to stress on the joints because the pup is just growing so blasted fast. The vet recommended a large breed puppy food. After a few weeks on this food the pup still seems to have swollen joints. My friend will talk to the vet again in 2 weeks when he takes the pup in about what else can be done. In the meantime does anyone have any ideas of what type of supplements he could give the puppy that would alleviate the stress on his joints?

[Guest MZH]

Lots of people are against puppy food because it causes lots of problems for some dogs. This one might do better on a high quality adult food. The idea is that it slows down the too rapid growth.

 

Marcia

[Sighthounds4me]

Agreed on the adult food. An all-stages food should be fine. Also, watch the protien levels - too much can be a problem, and cause issues like this.

 

I would actually avoid the supplements. Many are high in protien, thus can cause problems like this.

[Guest jkbookshelf]

We have a 2 year old female English Mastiff that is still not full grown @ 160 #. We never fed any type of puppy food, only adult large/giant breed. We were told this slows growth, and it did. She hasn't had any signs of joint problems and gained weight correctly for her breed. Puppy food, even for large breeds, has too many additives to enhance growth. And, as stated, additives aren't necessary if you use a quality food. But, this is just my opinion from experience. Everyone has their own ideas.