16.5 is not overweight.....yes flooring will be problem for your dog if yu keep him inside the house and if its slippery then his leg will bend and there is no solution for that......if yu can give him TOW food or switch to homemade food

By: vignesh | 11 Jan 2012 5:19 am

Unfortunately I live in a rented apartment so can't really help the flooring. I am thinking of moving to home food. However the worry about his hip still remains. He is very active and is not showing any symptoms of any hip trouble. But still the vet has asked me to get an x-ray done. While I will go for the x-ray, I would appreciate suggestions from anyone on this forum which can help me prevent any troubles for my boy. Are there are specific exercises that I can make him do or any specific food that I can include to prevent any muscle/bone related problems.

By: Gautam Mohata | 11 Jan 2012 4:47 pm

dude he is 4month old dnt worry hip problem is common in lab.....check his parenths whether they are having some prob or not.....if parents are healthy he will be fine for several yrs.....for floor use mat in his room

By: vignesh | 11 Jan 2012 6:29 pm

If u r not a vegetarian please try to add raw chicken feet to the food menu. Put him on down position for some time everyday that will give some exercise to the hip. Also when he sits make him sit with his butt under the feet. Not completely on the butt. This will also strengthen the hip. When u find time try to massage his hip and hind legs.Give him regular walking and running on the mud. Hip dysplasia starts to aggrevate and show up after 6 months and is a result of overbreeding. So please take care of ur dog.

By: Rajesh Raghupathy | 11 Jan 2012 10:12 pm

16.5 IS a little overweight at 4months.

Pedigree is not recommended...if u wish to keep him on kibbles switch to some others....again raw and home made diet is the best for many reasons....I see a fair amount of protein in his diet...that's good but always keep a check that it does not exceeds the limit then it may be harmful....Proteins, minerals and good exercise are good for muscles.

U may use carpet if think your floor is too slippery.

Again, none over here, i guess, will comment on what your vet has said and the X-Ray thing because we did not see your dog...your vet would be an expert who had physically seen your doggy and he is in a best position to judge whether he needs an X-Ray....but if he completely healthy then he might not require one at this early age at least for dyspalsia.

By: Ayon Saha | 12 Jan 2012 12:06 am

Thanks Rajesh & Vignesh. Your tips are surely helpful... :)
I am a non veggie and will start to include boiled chicken in his diet. However for the raw chicken feet, do I just give them to him to eat or do I boil them? Also do I cut the nails? How does that work?

By: Gautam Mohata | 12 Jan 2012 12:18 am

for dogs raw food is best many myth says that he will became ferocious that n all totally ridiculous......for cutting nails use nail clipper....if he is in rougher surface he by himself will cut the nails by rubbing his paw

By: vignesh | 12 Jan 2012 7:37 am

No Boiling. I m a fan of PMR and i feed everything raw to my dogs. I have seen all their skin problems to vanish and in perfect shape now. I have read articles where raw prevents hip dysplasia. Also raw prevents already occured dysplasia from aggravating.

By: Rajesh Raghupathy | 12 Jan 2012 9:21 am

Sorry.. I think I was not clear... About the chicken feet... Should I cut the nails off before I give it to him or should I give it with nails?

By: Gautam Mohata | 12 Jan 2012 6:36 pm

Sorry.. I think I was not clear... About the chicken feet... Should I cut the nails off before I give it to him or should I give it with nails?

By: Gautam Mohata | 12 Jan 2012 7:24 pm

yes u ve to.. when u r giving it for the first time. Your puppy can regurgitate sometime the bones out. Do not panic. its just that the tummy is adapting to the food.

By: Rajesh Raghupathy | 13 Jan 2012 8:48 am

gautam jee. we live in apartment and have marble flooring. i have a gsd dog. everyone said that they get leg problems. my dog was actually under weight and as a result, never really developed leg problems. at 4 months, he was about 10 kgs and at about 10 months he was 15 kgs. any sort of commercial food or kibbles are responsible for obesity. so stop kibbles right away and switch to homemade food. as for the raw food, i have tried it myself. some dogs are well adapted to it. however in mu case, there was a trmendous bout of diarrhoea and vommitting after raw(after feeding raw for about 7 months) it was propably due to tape worms. meat in our country is not really fit for raw consumption. so i wud suggest u to take boneless chicken, rice and boil it and give it to ur dog. u can add paneer, eggs, veggies also. thank you

By: D.chakrabarty | 13 Jan 2012 10:00 am

Ms. Chakrabarty.. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences. My last visit to the vet was on the 8th and after my discussion about Danny's hip I have reduced the quantity of Pedigree and have been moving to home made food. In another week or so I will move him to home food completely. I agree with you about feeding him a raw diet and will stick to boiled chicken or meat with rice and vegetables.

BTW, your dog looks great. :)

By: Gautam Mohata | 13 Jan 2012 10:36 pm

thank you sir :D
and i am very glad that you are a caring owner.

By: D.chakrabarty | 16 Jan 2012 10:18 am