Osteochondritis In Dogs.

When a friend of mine called to say his new Labrador puppy appeared to be limping, I feared the worst. He was six months old and had always been what we call a 'heavy' puppy. Despite my advice to keep a close watch on the youngster's diet - and even more importantly on the amount of exercise he was allowed - it looked as though the inevitable had happened. Two weeks later, his owner having just forked out over £1000 in veterinary fees, this gorgeous black Labrador pup was facing weeks of confinement in a cage in the kitchen after undergoing two operations on both elbows to correct a severe case of osteochondritis (OCD). The options in this case were simple: have the pup put down or have the operation - in which case, my friend was told, the pup would hopefully make a full recovery, albeit move a little stiffly in front. The limping would certainly disappear but by the time the dog reached seven or eight years old there could be signs of arthritis in the elbow joints.

Faced with these two options there was no question of putting the pup to sleep. The alternative was surgery, a hefty vet's bill and a dog whose active life could be curtailed. The sad thing is it could all have been so easily avoided if he'd followed the advice given by me and the pup's breeder.

Growing pains Osteochondritis is an increasingly common problem in large and even medium-sized pups and it's usually noticed when they are between two and six months old. The rapid growth rate of the larger breeds can make them more prone to problems relating to the formation of the bone surfaces on a pup's main joints. Small bone particles on these surfaces can develop and lodge in the surrounding cartilage. This is osteochondritis - a problem which can also occur in the hip joints, shoulders and the hock as well as the elbow - and it's the result of inflammation of the joint. Operative treatment removes the particles from the joint and provides instant relief, although dogs suffering from this complaint need several weeks of restricted exercise after surgery.

Over the last 20 years we've seen dogs become far more than simply family pets. As status symbols and as a way of expressing a lifestyle, many of the larger and more imposing breeds have become extremely popular. Among them we can list new found lands, Pyreneans, Mastiffs, Rottweilers, St Bernards and Akitas, as well as some of the less well known imports such as Leonbergers, Anatolian Karabash and Neapolitan Mastiffs. All these breeds require very precise management in their early stages of life, but even the Labrador Retriever - the UK's most popular breed - has now shown a propensity for contracting osteochondritis.

And it doesn't end there. Far too many new puppy owners - even of smaller breeds like West Highland White Terriers, Miniature Poodles or Cavalier King Charles Spaniels - can't wait to get a collar and lead on their new pups. As soon as the inoculations are effective we see tiny pups being taken for walks - and it's all far too soon!

Slow growth.
The big breeds used to be in the hands of a dedicated band of enthusiasts and just a few pet owners who understood their demands and idiosyncrasies. These breeds are now widely available and while every effort is made to educate the new owners of pups, in most cases they can't wait to get their impressive new Akita or St Bernard pup into the park.

Responsible breeders of these pups stress to all new owners that they must adhere strictly to their puppy owner's guide; this covers feeding and exercise to ensure that the pup's development is unimpeded and correct, and that joints and muscles are not put under any undue stress. Many top kennels who keep the giant breeds are extremely strict in the way their youngsters - and that includes dogs up to the age of a year old  are exercised.
Controlled exercise is not only necessary for the well-being of pups of the big breeds; pups of all breeds must be treated with care and not considered a plaything that flops once it has had enough. Many pups taken straight from 'the nest' suddenly find themselves in a family environment and at the mercy of young children - a situation that can lead to all sorts of health problems.

Pups need time to grow and, like small children, they need lots of rest to achieve that. The worst thing any pup has to endure, often as part of his daily routine, are sessions of frantic exercise - either chasing the children round the garden or endlessly retrieving a Frisbee. The outcome of these mindless and highly damaging workouts is an exhausted pup that collapses in a heap. While he may look as though he's sleeping soundly, he's probably suffering the first twinges of pain that will gradually become more severe as his exercise regime becomes more intense. How many new puppy owners see their pet flat out on the floor after a bout of frenetic exercise and smile to themselves, thinking that he has had a really good time and is now relishing a sound sleep? In effect, the half an hour of charging around the garden has put tremendous pressure on his developing joints as he pounded the ground, running and jinking, during his so-called playtime. This type of mismanagement of a new pup, which is disastrous for the large and giant breeds, and certainly of no help to small breeds, is typical of that meted out to many new family pets, and it could land the pup on the vet's operating table before he's six months old.

Play it safe.
While the bigger and more flamboyant breeds have now become far more mainstream as pets, lifestyles too have changed. Dogs are often left alone for part of the day and where those still in the growing stages of adolescence are concerned, it means the owner comes home to a dog bursting with pent-up energy!

In this case, many owners, usually in blissful ignorance, think the thing to do is to go out in the garden and play crazy games with the dog for half an hour, or do the same in the local park. When it appears that this routine is one that the pup enjoys - and in turn provides the owner with some free time as he sleeps off all that activity - it's one that is often repeated.

The downside of this regime is that every time a young dog tires himself out playing games he is putting a dangerous amount of pressure and strain on his joints and his muscles. Problems like osteochondritis, as well as sprains and muscle tears, are likely to be the result. It's even more difficult when a new pup is brought into a family with young children as he is bound to want to join in all those hectic games they play. It's far better to explain to a young family that the pup, like them, is growing and must not be encouraged to play until he is totally exhausted as this will make him very poorly.

Exercise restraint.
As a Labrador breeder I'm extremely careful how much exercise I give to my pups. It may seem strange to many pet owners, but I never put a lead on a pup until he is at least six months old as there is no need. Young pups have a kennel and run to play in, and as they reach four months old they may be allowed into the exercise paddock for very short periods. At the first sign of pups playing too wildly in the paddock for example running too much, cornering too quickly and putting sudden and repetitive pressure on their joints - they are returned to their kennel.

This may all seem rather restrictive and an unnecessary curb on a pup's enjoyment but, believe me, it's for their own good. A ten-minute play in the paddock three times a day is plenty for a growing pup. Pet owners should think of the garden as their exercise paddock but they should never allow the ten minutes to spread to 20 - an oversight that can leave you with a panting and exhausted pup.

Long walks and sustained exercise like jogging or allowing a young dog to play excessively with older and stronger adult dogs will all put a pup's skeletal development under an unacceptable degree of pressure and must be avoided. Breeds such as Whippets, Greyhounds, Deerhounds and Irish Wolfhounds are all active sighthounds bred for speed and agility over many generations. In the case of the latter two there is not only rapid bone development but also size to consider - and this is in breeds where even young pups waste no time demonstrating their inherent desire to chase at speed.

Allowing these gazelles of the canine world to chase and run at high speed before their muscles and bones have fully developed is most unwise. An athletic breed like a Deerhound should never be allowed to run at full stretch until he is at least a year old. Whatever breed of pup you choose, think carefully about how you will bring him up during his first six months. Be patient and let the pup grow and develop into a sound and healthy young dog. Resist the temptation to over-exercise and always buy from breeders who have their breeding stock tested for any health problems peculiar to that breed. The effort put into looking after a pup correctly during the first six months of his life can never be underestimated.

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