[Karigan P]

Hello all, I have a 12 week old Great Dane puppy who has been through it all in his short time (parvo & severe demodex) He is well now and we are focusing on nutrition for him. It has been about a month post parvo. My issue is he is now knuckling over or, bowing at the leg on his front.
It is so bad he can’t walk very well. It seemed to start healing and then I took him out for a long walk and it worsened. Should I just keep him on bed rest? I thought exercise would help.

Here is the food he has been on so far: Orijen Puppy (1 1/2 weeks) then switched to Zignature Zssential formula (2 days – this is when he started losing his hair), Then Orijen Large Breed Puppy (only 1/2 a week). When I noticed his knuckling over I did some research and he is now on the Precise Holistic large and giant breed puppy.

I have unfortunately switched foods TOO many times b/c I thought the demodex was a food allergy and I’m scared to switch again but he is having runny diarrhea on this food – he has been on it for 4 days now. I can possibly wait it out but I have read that this is a common issue on this brand and I don’t want him to lose any more weight than he has already.

Any suggestions?

[anonymously]

“It has been about a month post parvo. My issue is he is now knuckling over or, bowing at the leg on his front”.
“It is so bad he can’t walk very well. It seemed to start healing and then I took him out for a long walk and it worsened. Should I just keep him on bed rest? I thought exercise would help”.

I would call the vet that treated him for parvo and see what he recommends. Some of his issues may not be related to his diet.
If fact, depending on the severity of his symptoms, and if the regular vet can’t fit you in today, I might head over to the emergency vet for some testing and a diagnosis (today).
Puppies are vulnerable to dehydration.

PS: It can take up to 2 weeks to see an improvement after a food change.

[pitlove]

Leg wraps are usually used in cases of knuckling over to help the bowing correct itself, however this is a dietary issue, as are most growth disorders in LBP’s. Precise is a great food and I would continue him on that. My boyfriends brother has had his Great Dane on it since he first got him and he grew perfectly.

I would consult his vet about excersize, but I’m thinking it’s not a great idea right now. I would also consult the vet about the leg wraps.

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