german sheperd

Question
We have a 18 week old male shepherd who we have just found out from our vet, is suffering growing pains.He has not been fixed. We are currently giving him previcox (anti inflammatory)and fish oil.

questions,
- Should we walk him on the days when he seems ok, or will this add to his problem and give him pain?
- Swimming a good form of exercise "no weight on the joints"   will this also cause pain through movement?
-He will sometimes eat only half his recommended food intake should we supplement his diet with calcium and glucosamine on these days?
-Any other information you have on this condition would be greatly appreciated as we hate seeing our boy in pain...

Answer
I would go ahead with short walks staying off pavement.  

See how he reacts to swimming.  If he finds it painful, he won't be interested.  

I wouldn't give him calcium supplements.  Many Shepherds like to keep them selves lean, so I wouldn't worry about the light eating.  Lean is better for the joint pain.  What are you feeding him?  Many puppy chows already have high calcium levels, even the large breed ones.  Too much calcium in a younger puppy interferes with using what it needs.  If you are feeding a puppy chow, I would switch to an all life stages food, making sure it has less than 1.5% calcium by typical analysis, not minimum.  Many foods labeled adult are all life stages.  If you read the fine print on the bag, it will say suitable for all life stages.  Make the switch slowly over a week.  

The early switch to adult food slows growth allowing joints more time to develop.  I am familiar with the practice of several large service dog schools.  Nobody is in a position to know more about producing large breeds with sturdy joints or has more incentive to do so.  Their practices vary somewhat, but they all make the early switch.