[condor]

Guys, any place in Bangalore for Golden Retrievers ?
A friend is looking to adopt one ..

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by Ashkait Kapoor

It was a year back when he started showing signs of his hind legs becoming weak and a couple of months ago he dropped his hind legs. We tried everything we could, medication, massages, etc but in vain.
I guess it was time now.

condolences to you and your family. GSD's really form a close bond with their owner and making such a decision is really hard.
We can only imagine what our pets feel at times, often we won't know how bad the pain is. my dad always says "They know what we're saying but they just can't talk"
Hope you recover quickly

Originally Posted by Prowler

My earlier GSD went through the same problem - paralysis from the hind quarters. He went down on his own within 2 days. It is a terrible loss.

I read both of your posts I've started worrying about my Fitz. his hind legs appear weak. I've read that up-slope walks and swimming can strengthen them. any other suggestions?

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Dee_aRe_Cee

I read both of your posts I've started worrying about my Fitz. his hind legs appear weak. I've read that up-slope walks and swimming can strengthen them. any other suggestions?

Diet is critical. Take my cat for example. He should have been out a long time ago. Somehow he drags on painfully. It is equally painful for me to see him wither away.

I have a friend who has treated successfully weakening of the hindquarters in his GSD. He has given a diet of cooked chicken liver, gizzard and turmeric with a sliver of ginger.

Yes - I didn't believe him when he told me. But on seeing his dog, I was convinced. Don't have a logical explanation for the spices to work miracles. After that I have always added turmeric powder and a bit of ginger in all the food I prepare for my animals. This 'wisdom' came a little late for my earlier GSD.

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Yes - I didn't believe him when he told me. But on seeing his dog, I was convinced. Don't have a logical explanation for the spices to work miracles. After that I have always added turmeric powder and a bit of ginger in all the food I prepare for my animals. This 'wisdom' came a little late for my earlier GSD.

Thank you for the suggestion, sounds interesting, will give it a try from today. hope it helps his appetite. he's a very fussy eater!! Fitz needs me to stand next to him in order for him to finish his food.
he's on a diet of packaged food in the morning and mince beef+rice in the evening with raw chicken every few days. planning on stopping the packaged food as I've been hearing horrible things about it.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I have a friend who has treated successfully weakening of the hindquarters in his GSD. He has given a diet of cooked chicken liver, gizzard and turmeric with a sliver of ginger.

Prowler, could you elaborate on the above, i mean with respect to the portions to be given to the dog and how many times a day. my Dad as two Labradors at home and one of them, Bruno, has his hindquarters weakening. we've been giving him Pet Joint and that has helped a bit, but entirely.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

Prowler, could you elaborate on the above, i mean with respect to the portions to be given to the dog and how many times a day. my Dad as two Labradors at home and one of them, Bruno, has his hindquarters weakening.

One kilo of Chicken Liver and one kilo of Gizzard last for a week in the case of one large dog. Take equal quantities of liver and gizzard and boil with one and half teaspoon of turmeric and a half an inch ginger smashed with the back of your knife. Mix with cooked rice.

You can use any beef liver too.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by Prowler

One kilo of Chicken Liver and one kilo of Gizzard last for a week in the case of one large dog. Take equal quantities of liver and gizzard and boil with one and half teaspoon of turmeric and a half an inch ginger smashed with the back of your knife. Mix with cooked rice.

You can use any beef liver too.

will advise my Dad to try this out.

thanks a lot. really appreciate the help

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

will advise my Dad to try this out.

Come on. IronH4wk. Glad that someone's idea helps our beloved 4 legged friends.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Prowler

...Take equal quantities of liver and gizzard and boil with one and half teaspoon of turmeric and a half an inch ginger smashed with the back of your knife. Mix with cooked rice...

Is mixing turmeric powder & ginger with ANY food ok for the dogs? Even if it's just rice or mix it ONLY with meat?

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Is mixing turmeric powder & ginger with ANY food ok for the dogs? Even if it's just rice or mix it ONLY with meat?

I think it is the combination of liver and the turmeric/ginger which provides the remedy. Although turmeric and ginger will nevertheless help.

[Aroy]

For our Labrador, I mix a bit of chicken bones/liver/gizzard, Vegetables Turmeric, Garlic and oil with parboiled rice and cook in a pressure cooker. One 5L batch lasts 5 days. Our lab is now in its ninth year.





The basic reason for hind leg going weak is that the dogs eat too much carbohydrate when they are growing. So they become fat much before their leg muscles build up (which is around 2 to 2 1/2 years). When I got my Lab, I did an extensive research on the net
- More meat and less carbohydrates for young dogs. For our Lab we were giving around 2kg/week of meat and raw chicken carcass.
- If the dog can tolerate milk give around 1/4L twice a day, else increase the bones. This helps build up calcium of their bones.
- The quantity of meals remains same from the age of 3 months to 6 years, then taper it off.
- Turmeric and Garlic get rid of internal and external parasites. Garlic especially helps against ticks and mites.
- For Working/Bird dogs, oil in food is essential, as they secrete oil to waterproof/dust proof them selves.

[motorpsycho]

Guys,

I saw an aged GSD on the road near KR Puram. The dog looked old and of pure breed. I was unable to take a pick of it. If anyone you know missing a German Shepherd , do inform them about it. I did a google search on missing GSD's but of no help.

[guha_2001]

Originally Posted by Dee_aRe_Cee

I read both of your posts I've started worrying about my Fitz. his hind legs appear weak. I've read that up-slope walks and swimming can strengthen them. any other suggestions?

A very common and tragic problem in GSDs, thanks to the purebred 'standard' established by 'experts'. My dog had the same problem, which got severe over time, and she passed away when she was just 2 years old.

Our vet suggested calcium supplements, which certainly helped. We had to give our dog monthly calcium injections on the legs. Also calcium supplementation in food daily to strengthen the bones. Plus a good rich diet and regular exercise as you rightly mentioned go a long way.

For more details on the GSD leg problem, please refer to this link http://imgur.com/gallery/eLJCu

[Dee_aRe_Cee]

Originally Posted by guha_2001

A very common and tragic problem in GSDs, thanks to the purebred 'standard' established by 'experts'. My dog had the same problem, which got severe over time, and she passed away when she was just 2 years old.

Our vet suggested calcium supplements, which certainly helped. We had to give our dog monthly calcium injections on the legs. Also calcium supplementation in food daily to strengthen the bones. Plus a good rich diet and regular exercise as you rightly mentioned go a long way.

For more details on the GSD leg problem, please refer to this link http://imgur.com/gallery/eLJCu

I agreed, they are breeding substandard show dogs who might not get to live a full life.
but it isn't easy even if you know how to select puppies when your emotions get in the way.
My father was quite upset when he found out Fitz wasn't from the working line but he's made his way into our hearts and all that we can do now is try to strengthen his weaknesses. When i asked the breeder whether it came from a Schutzhund line he didn't even know what that was and insisted that it wasn't needed and showed me a line of trophies, the person who referred me to the breeder was also trusted.
Well the breeder was such an ignorant *add suitable curse* that he made a huge lapse which makes Fitz unable to participate in any shows( not that I would take him, I find the conditions horrible as well as the practices and it's all fixed)
I give him supplements and tried feeding him the haldi/ginger/meat mix but he hates the smell of it so will try to give him more exercise instead.
I've been trying to take Fitz out to the beach whenever possible. the wet sand gives him alot of exercise and he's improving a bit.
I'm just worried that it won't be enough

[skanchan95]

Isn't the weak hind legs problem same as hip dysplasia?

Our one and a half year GSD "Sparky" suffers from the same. We noticed the problem when he was around six months old. He would keep both his hind legs together and there was a very noticeable lack of muscle growth on the hind legs. He would also yelp in pain while getting up and he would have these cramp like attacks on his hind legs and he would just collapse. He would be fine within a minute though

We took to him to the vet an he said nothing much could be done except giving him calcium supplements( 20 ml twice a day) and Glucoseamine Chondotrin tablet( Petjoint tab - one tab daily). He told us it was important to control Sparky's body weight and make sure that he doesn't strain those hind legs much. Sparky is quite playful and wants to play but we tend to discourage/restrict play in order to take care of his weak hind legs

There is certainly improvement in him but he continues to keep his hind legs together while standing most of the times. The doctor had said this was their way of balancing their body weight so as to cause the least amount of pain/inconvenience. Inspite of the pain, he continues to be a loyal, caring, playful and loving pet. We can't imagine a day without him and dread that day when we have to say goodbye to him.