Stairs?!?!?! do they contribute to dysplasia?

[brigid67]

I read an article on a Newf breeder website about the dangers of stairs and large dogs...  in the article it states no stairs for the 1st year because it can contribute to hip dysplasia.  Also talked about sliding on slick floors can also lead to injuries....  Just wondered if anyone had read this before?  I'm gonna ask the vet next week when I see her.

[Kiahpyr]

If that's true then I'm in trouble. The only way to get Kiah in and out of the house is by using stairs. Definately let us know what you find out. I did a lot of research before I got Kiah and I've never heard of that before. Hopefully it's nonsence.

[RedyreRottweilers]

I have heard this also for my life in dogs.

I put little stock in it.

I feel the very best thing for a growing puppy is to have proper diet (not too much protein), good mental stimulation and socialization, and nearly unlimited opportunity for fresh air, sunshine, and EXERCISE!!!

Going up a couple of steps on a daily basis I do not believe will hurt a normal puppy.

I think the WORST thing for puppies it to keep them  "up in a glass case". Puppies need to explore their world and run and play a LOT. Good exercise keeps muscle and ligaments toned and firm so that growing joints are held in proper position.

I would not have a puppy going up and down 4 flights every time it does in and out, but I will never believe that a few steps here and there, or the 3 or 4 that lead up into most homes, will ever hurt a pup if handled sensibly.

JMO as always.

[brigid67]

here is the copy of the article I read...hadn't read it anywhere else before.

http://www.newfoundlandpuppy.net/dysplastia.html

[RedyreRottweilers]

Brigid, there are all kinds of breeders out there.

I do agree that there can be SOME environmental factors that can affect the EXPRESSION of canine HD, but NOTHING can cause an individual who is not genetically predisposed to it, to have it.

I firmly believe this. If normal exercise and life is going to cause a pup to express HD, then truthfully, I want to know that. Because I will examine the pedigrees, and likely not use the parents again for breeding.

Puppies are not little hot house flowers. You can find so much alarming info out on the net that is written by who knows who.

My basic puppy raising formula is:

1) LOTS of TLC coupled with firm fair discipline.
2) an excellent diet. I feed raw. Raw meat is about 17% protein. Let this be your guide when looking for a food for your pup. It will be hard to find anything under 21%, but I would go NO higher than that with ANY puppy.
3) Good early positive training, and LOTS of social adventures. I have puppy out and about off my property riding in the car to GO somewhere at least 3x per week. More is better.
4) LOTS of time to just BE A DOG. Puppies need fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and lots of time to play.

Whether or not your pup will have canine HD is determined much more by what genetic combinations happened with the spermatazoa hit the ovum than anything else.

[brigid67]

Redyre - Well, I always pretty much figured that it was mostly a biological deal..So I was surprised when I read the whole stairs thing...  I have had all kinds of pups throughout my life and everything always seemed to work out fine....but now there is so much info out there I sometimes start thinking - OMG I don't know a thing...lol Should just trust my intuition.... Just thought the stair thing wasx interesting as I had never heard that before.  I feed raw too and love it...I can really see a difference in my older dogs.

[Anky]

HOnestly, if you look long enough and do enough research you can find some stupid link to anything.  I love my dogs, and I do research on all the breeds, but I don't treat them with kit gloves either.  It's like those parents who freak out when their kids touch dirt because of the germs.  Did you know it's BETTER for your kids to live in a dirty house than a spotless one?  That their exposure to such elements early in their lives actually help them build immunity?  With today's children living in such sterile environments, they are more prone to allergies. 

I use common sense with my dogs, but there are some things you can't avoid.  Sometimes Sanity gets fed and then gets let out less than an hour later.  Many people say that this causes bloat, and while I don't make a habit of it, I don't freak when it happens.  I know you were just asking if anyone else had heard of this, so I don't mean to go off on a tangent, but no matter what you do with your dogs, someone out there will tell you you're doing it wrong.  You can't enjoy your dog if you're worrying about it constantly.

Ang

[Anky]

I'm gonna make my kids eat dirt.

[brigid67]

There was a study done on small kids who stay at home vs kids who go to daycare.  The kids who stayed at home were more likely to have asthma then those being exposed to all the germs around.

You are right you don't even have to look long and hard to find studies about everything.  My dogs aren't treated with kid gloves...  just normal dog stuff mostly.  I do try and keep up on as much info as possible...jus t was shocked to read this..but we have stairs so I will have to take a chance...lol

[Good Hope]

Raw meat is about 17% protein. Let this be your guide when looking for a food for your pup. It will be hard to find anything under 21%, but I would go NO higher than that with ANY puppy.

RedyreRottweil ers,

Raw meat may be 17% protein, but it has lots more water than dry food.  I've heard (okay, read) that foods with different moisture contents can't be compared that way; it has to be done on a dry matter basis.  Basically, raw meat has MUCH more protein than kibble, because kibble has most of the water taken out and raw meat doesn't.  Now, if you are feeding the same amount of raw as kibble, there is less protein; the dog doesn't necessarily get more protein.  It's just something to keep in mind.

[RedyreRottweilers]

Raw meat is about 17% protein. Let this be your guide when looking for a food for your pup. It will be hard to find anything under 21%, but I would go NO higher than that with ANY puppy.

RedyreRottweil ers,

Raw meat may be 17% protein, but it has lots more water than dry food.  I've heard (okay, read) that foods with different moisture contents can't be compared that way; it has to be done on a dry matter basis.  Basically, raw meat has MUCH more protein than kibble, because kibble has most of the water taken out and raw meat doesn't.  Now, if you are feeding the same amount of raw as kibble, there is less protein; the dog doesn't necessarily get more protein.  It's just something to keep in mind.

How can something that has been dehydrated and concentrated have less than something else that has not at the same volume?

That doesn't make sense to me?

Can you tell me where you saw this?

[shangrila]

Stairs don't make a dog more likely to have HD, but avoiding them  (like avoiding jumping on slick floors) might help limit the degree of pain the HD will cause a dog.

When we first got zoey, we living in a second floor apartment. We wanted to limit zoey's climbing of stairs as much as we could when she was a baby with forming bones, so we carried her up and down them until she got to heavy to carry. When we found out that she had HD we were very worried about the stairs so we asked the vet about them - she said that they shouldn't really hurt her and the excersize and muscle building would help her. We have since moved, and now she climbs up and down the stairs when she wants to go to the bedroom, but I at least feel better about the fact that she doesn't have to take them every time she wants to go out. What scares me though is that occasionally when she is climbing up she will pause on a stair and make a scared face - i can't tell if it is because her foot slipped off a step or because her hips hurt. It doesn't happen often (like 1-2 times a month) but it scares me when it does   

[mastiffmommy]

Red.... the theory about moist verses dry food actually makes sense. I am not a raw feeder and am not ever going to say that I know a lot about it, but this theory is something you always bear in mind when feeding horses for example. The dry hay verses the hay rolled when damp.

Sorry guys now I will add my part of confusion doing the metric on you all lol....

Say raw meat has 17% protein, that usually means 17% per 100 gr
if you have a kibble with 21% protein, that is per 100 gr also

Soooo if you feed 100 gr of each it comes out as 17% for the raw meat and 21% for the kibble in a protein intake

But since there is much more water in the raw meat you may feed 200 gr of the meat and only 100 gr of kibble to get the same desired result. Which meant the dog who ate 200 gr of raw meat had 34% protein and the dog who had kibble had 21% protein.

NOW, like I said I have no idea how much to feed if you raw feed I dont know if you have to feel more in weight but if that is the case the theory that raw meat has more protein per "portion" is correct.

When feeding horses the moist hay you always have to feed more in weight just because so much of it is water, so you have to re-count all the values to be able to compare it to the dry version.

Okay I am done confusing now 

Marit