Wrong diet makes you sick

The sight of sweet, playing puppies usually conjures a smile in all human faces - even if the people concerned have little to do with dogs. However, dog lovers really get their hearts pounding when they watch the clumsy dog ​​children running around and chasing after each other. However, the health of young dogs is not self-evident, and especially the big breeds have to endure some unsafe months of life until they become healthy young dogs. There are many ways to get sick in the first year of the dog. In addition to accidents such as being run over, falling down somewhere or catching a dangerous infectious disease, bad nutrition also plays a major role in severe illnesses. Because if puppies get the wrong food over a longer period of time - even if it happens in the good faith of the owner - this leads to serious disturbances in the skeleton structure.

Patient Amadeus

Amadeus, a 5-month-old male mongrel dog was introduced because he had not wanted to get up for one day; For about a week, the owners had noticed an increasing apathy and listlessness, the puppy did not want to jump and play as before. According to the preliminary report, the dog came from a private breed, had been vaccinated and dewormed and for 3 months with the owner family. Amadeus was the owner's first own four-legged friend, who had researched the "all about the dog" with special care on the internet in order to give the new family member the best. The clinical examination showed a tired young dog, who was only with reluctance to stand on the legs. Although the cardiovascular system was inconspicuous, palpation of the skeleton in general, and in particular on the extremities, proved to be very painful. For the diagnostic workup, a blood test was initiated and radiographs of all extremities were made. X-ray images revealed a decrease in bone density on all imaged bones. In addition, Amadeus had a fracture of one front and one hind leg. In a now very precise questioning of the previous feeding it turned out that the owners had fed the dog puppy mainly with raw meat in the endeavor of a healthy and natural diet.

Sometimes there was a bone and some vegetables and flakes, but rarely. Due to the observed changes and the preliminary report of the predominantly pure meat feeding the diagnosis "secondary alimentary hyperparathyroidism" was made: a hyperfunction of the parathyroid glands caused by the feeding. Therapeutically, Amadeus was given analgesics, the fractures were treated with well-padded splints and a switch to a commercially available dog food was recommended. To properly initiate therapy and assess the course of the disease, Amadeus was hospitalized for a week. The transition to a commercial high-quality diet went smoothly. When getting up and lying down, Amadeus initially needed a lot of support not to fall over. The mattress was soft and pleasant. He had to be taken to the meadow several times a day to ensure droppings and urination. After three days, the puppy became increasingly lively, and at the end of the week, he moved a bit uncertain and staksig, but good with the legged legs. Amadeus was released with appropriate instructions for dressing care and fixed control appointments for dressing change and X-ray inspection of fractures in home care.

Why pure meat feeding makes you ill

The body of a dog is shaped and carried by the skeleton and the muscles. The strength of the bones is given by the minerals, which make up about two-thirds of the total bone mass. Calcium phosphate accounts for about 85% of these important minerals. Calcium and phosphorus are in a state of balance in the body, and the parathyroid gland takes care to maintain that balance. If there is an oversupply of phosphorus from the outside due to incorrect feeding (pure meat feeding!), It releases more hormones and causes the calcium in the bone to be broken down to make up for the excess phosphate. Phosphates are additionally excreted in the kidney. Pure muscle meat without cartilage, fish without bones and offal such as heart, liver and kidneys contain a very high phosphate content. If too much phosphorus or just too little calcium is fed for a long time, the bones decalcify. The bones lose their strength, become thinner and could n deform. Fortunately, spontaneous bone fractures can occur, which, fortunately, often occur in the young animal without gross displacement, since the still very strong periosteum can hold the bone in its outer form. One then speaks of "green wood fractures" - even a juicy young branch is worse to break than an old dry branch.

The therapy

Therapeutic is primarily a balanced diet while maintaining a calcium-phosphorus ratio of almost 1: 1. The resulting fractures rarely have to be surgically treated, padded splints and possibly the accommodation in a small space and an adequate pain treatment usually sufficient. Once deformed bone can not be compensated in most cases, however, and at a later time in the pelvic area may lead to difficulties in dropping feces and especially in females to birthing difficulties. Such consequential damage must be repaired if necessary.

Amadeus was lucky

Unlike many other malnourished dogs, Amadeus was lucky; After switching to high-quality commercially available dog food, he was back to health and had no lasting damage. The owners of raw meat under the dog owners must be aware that this is a problem feeding method and that a professional review of the food composition by the veterinarian specialized in nutrition is necessary. The mineral supply - especially calcium and phosphorus - must be balanced, and the trace element and vitamin content of the feed must be adapted to the size and breed of the dog.