Boxer 14 week pup

Question
QUESTION: Hello lannie,

I have a 14 week boxer pup. Unfortunatley she had an accident and had a distal tibia fracture on RHL.She had surgery and its been 3 weeks and she behaves like nothing happened. Ocassionaly she manages to jump and gets very excited and its so hard to control . She is a good dog compared to what I have heard from other people in terms of resting and is very responsive aswell.Have you heard of any other boxer with a fracture of this sort and if it generally heals within a couple of weeks? I also have another question I feed her 2.5 cups a day with say 2 meat sized balls of beef mince mixed with her kibble . The dry biscuits are Eukunuba & Advance puppy formula for medium size dogs. She is still skinny and has long legs, her ribs stick out a bit at certain angles and you can see them aswell. Her stomach still a bit sunken. The vet didn't say she was underweight but I think she is . I suppose I should ask the boxer experts who have experiance. I did ask her breeder aswell but needed to check for some more information. She has been wormed , Vaccinated and ofcourse flea treated aswell.

Thanks,
Shilpa.

ANSWER: Hello Shilpa,

I'd like to address her ribs and sunken stomach first. Boxers are more prone to thyroid disorders than other breeds, and might be displaying a condition, however very young to display symptoms at this age. A vet can draw blood from an artery in her neck and test it--

However, since she is so young, you might ask the vet to test for diabetes. This can cause being under weight as well.

I would feed her more often to see if you can beef her up more.

Since she is only 3+ months old- she uses up calories faster than an older dog. Feed her every 4 hours for a few weeks and see if that doesn't add weight on her.

Also, whole, plain yogurt (no flavors and store generic brand is fine) is a great additive for her puppy food; add some and mix well. If you are still concerned, get the tests, and ask your vet for a high-calorie supplement. It comes in a tube and is usually beef flavored and brown. This is high calorie and is used on puppies and dogs that have been neglected, abused, and starved- and works well for recovering from illnesses that caused loss of weight--

As for breaking her distal tibia, it could be a genetic disorder making her prone. How did the accident occur? Was it an accident that could have caused it, or just playing when it happened? It can take 6 weeks to heal and a vet needs to x-ray to verify it is completely healed. Try to discourage activity as it heals: sit on the floor and play with her in one concentrated area, limiting her activity; play tug-of-war (a single-place activity) or something to chew on to keep her more inactive while healing.

http://www.ivis.org/special_books/ortho/chapter_31/IVIS.pdf

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/saortho/chapter_31/31mast.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3944006

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17725588

Ask the vet about:  http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0018.htm



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Jannie,

I got her from a registered breeder so am assuming from seeing her parents they don't have that history however I will ask the breeder again. She was fine in the morning in the yard for  short while and when I got back to her she was sitting and when I called her name she just woke up and started whinning in pain. she gets excited to see us when we come back from work and jumps around which is hard to control . She does take her time on a leash to wee/poo and eat afterall she is crete bound and anytime outside she wants to take easy , smell and walk coz she is isn't allowed to do anything else so wants to make the most. I don't blame her . That is fine isn't it? Sometimes when we are holding her on a leash and taking her out to do her business she jumps up to play then we need to calm her down.I suppose certain things is hard to control especially when its a puppy. I always thought puppy bones were flexible and not that brittle. Its been stressful for me and my husband after having wanted a pup for so long and this happened.we want to enjoy life with her but she is missing out on so many things. I want it all to end soon so she can be normal. She does enjoy chewing . I do give her toys and pig's ear . What bones are best for them?

Thanks,
shilpa.

ANSWER: So you don't know how it broke, then? Odd...

She is so young, she is fragile, even her bones are still fragile.

I hope she is crated all day without getting to go outside to do her business and to be free of prolonged confinement. That is not good for any dog, especially a puppy with energy and is growing. She obviously will be more rambunkcous than the normal puppy since she is in a crate. Is there an alternative for you? A puppy-proofed bedroom?

As far as toys and bones: Nyla bones only. Don't give her pigs ears- they have bacteria that spreads to humans too.

KONG toys are great- there is the KONG pacifer, a puppy-sized KONG that you can fill with KONG treats, peanut butter, and the like.

You don't have to supervise a puppy with KONG and Nyla toys. Everything else you do.

No stuffed toys and no plastic squeaky toys; they have parts that they can swallow, unless directly watched and supervised.

Is she in a cast? Has the vet asked for a follow-up visit and x-ray? What has your vet said?

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QUESTION: Hello Jennie,

Yesterday I went shopping to buy some pet mince. There I was told not to mix raw with dry kibble and keep them seperate as one digest faster than the other and mixing them means they sit in the stomack for a while before digestion. I notice that my pup is not too fond of dry alone and won't eat as much .she seems to do fine when I mix them. What should I do?

Thanks,
Shilpa.

Answer
Shilpa,

I am against any raw meats. They can carry bacteria and worms and become a major health issue. Cooked is okay.

You CAN mix dry with cooked meat and veggies and rice. There is nothing wrong with digesting properly.

P.S.

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