Rickets is a very important and extremely common disease affecting puppies. It´s generally considered as a disease of the bones, but as a matter of fact, the nutrition of the whole body is affected.
When the puppy is born, the bones are soft, and as he grows, they should normally become hardened by the lime salts which are deposited in them.
In rickets this process does not take place as rapidly as it should, if at all. The muscles are weak and flabby, but may be padded with fat.
Digestion does not properly function and the general condition of the animal is affected.
What Causes Rickets
The cause of rickets may be either a lack of salts in the food or an excessive excretion of them. The disease may be inherited from its parents, or it may be a result of poor breeding, or of inbreeding.
As yet the real cause has not been determined, but in nearly all cases the food has consisted mainly of milk, bread, vegetables, and soup.
Since dogs affected with rickets almost invariably harbor worms, there may be some connection between the two conditions. Collies, Shepherd Dogs, Airedales, English Bulldogs, and Pekingese are the breeds most commonly affected.
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Symptoms of Rickets on Dogs
The disease does not become noticeable until the pup is at least four weeks old, when you start to observe that he´s not able to support on his body on his legs.
As a rule, he´s very fat and this is supposed to be the cause of the trouble. The dog is more frequently from two to three months old before the symptoms of the disease appear.
In these cases the’ dog becomes unthrifty, less lively, disinclined to moving about, which he does with difficulty. There´s great distention of the abdomen and the first evidence of trouble may be an attack of indigestion.
The hair is dull and staring, the skin dry and scaly, and eczema may be present, or developing.
The prominent signs of the disease are in the bones. The legs are crooked and the joints enlarged. The spine may be curved and the ribs so soft that the chest may be flattened similar to the human chest.
In severe cases the dog shows marked evidence of pain when trying to move about or when being handled. As the disease progresses, the attacks of indigestion increase in frequency, an intoxication of the system develops, and the dog is finally thrown into convulsions.
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How to Prevent Rickets on Dogs
Rickets can be avoided if the puppies are fed good nutritious food from the time they are weaned. The young puppies must receive a generous amount of meat as early as possible.
Starchy foods and milk must be totally eliminated. If worms are present they should be treated. If a female dog is caryying her litter, she should be given plenty of solid food.
Lime in the form of bone meal may be given. Plenty of exercise and fresh air should be allowed while your female dog is pregnant and to the puppies as soon as they arrive.
Treatment of Dogs Rickets
If rickets´s symptoms are recognized early, progress of disease could be stopped and the condition overcome by correcting the diet.
IMPORTANT: Make sure to immediately seek medical advice from your vet before changing or altering your dog´s diet. Your vet will be able to recommend the right dosage for your dog, or to change its diet completely.
The food should not only contain plenty of protein but should also have a considerable quantity of fat. Beef fat, butter, cream, eggs, olive oil, or cod-liver oil will supply this, but they must be used with discretion or the puppy’s stomach which is already weakened will become upset.
Lime salts may be artificially supplied by giving lime water in teaspoonful doses in the drinking water or by putting small quantities of bone meal in the food.
You should be able to determine early whether or not the puppy is harboring worms. In case they are present, he should be treated for them providing he´s strong enough to withstand the ordeal.
Once the disease has progressed to such a stage that the dog’s movements are hampered, the possibilities of a successful treatment are slight.
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Blake says
My dog had rickets as a pup but not severely as was diagnosed early I tried to have same dog get pregnant , it was two years old at time and I had bitch knotted twice with male dog but the bitch did not fall pregnant . Would rickets be a possible cause for my bitch not conceiving ?
glee says
Hi Blake, rickets could have possibly affected your dog´s ability to reproduce. However, your vet should be able to guide better on this matter.
Tammy says
Hi guys. I need an answer. I have a 4 month old boerboel with rickets, an SPCA special so who knows his breeding history. but most of the vets here say no don’t splint the legs. And one vet says split. He is the only one we with the actual living proof of a dog with rickets he bandaged and put a splint for 2 weeks now the dog walks perfectly on his feet. He says the tendon needs to shorten. He gets the best food royal canine for large breed pups. What do I do!! Do I let him splint for 2 weeks and see or will this ruin everything. His rickets is the one where his paw is bent in towards his back legs not outwards in the pics
glee says
Hi Tammy. I´ve seen this method used to a baby bird with split legs and it actually worked, after two weeks the bird was able to walk perfectly without the splint. But this is your call. If you´re not sure, you better get a second opinion from another vet.
Navaz says
Hi tammy… just wanted to know how is your puppy now.. i have a pakistani bully which is 4 and half months old and his front paws started to bend.. wanted to know how did you treated your pup..Please reply.. Thanks. .
pam says
Dear Glee – your Website is misleading… I know u are trying to help but partial information is not good. The forum is ”How to treat Rickets..in dogs” , ie. knuckling, bowed legs etc. – but the” treatment” u have suggesed, although partially helpful, in inadequate and can cause people to think it is as simple as u have laid it out (lots of protein and fat, Lime salts and bonemeal etc). In fact it is vital to stress to all who are concerned about their dog, that homemade food is often a cause of the problem in the first place, which is undoubtedly a nutrition problem at the crucial development stage. It is therefore important to stress that a good quality commercial dogfood (like Hills Mobility) is fed, or that the dog receives the correct vitamins (esp. phrosphorus, zinc, calcium etc) as a supplement AND fresh air, exercise and sunshine (for Vitamin D). In many cases a splint (homemade or bought) to correct the legs while the dog is recovering (often only required for as little as two weeks in many cases) is advised – if the legs are very bowed and will lead to a quicker outcome. Nothing however will work without the correct nutrition and vitamins – and this is usually a problem if u cook your own food. If u encourage people to add eggs, olive oil, etc. u may upset the animals digestive system which will lead to a LOSS of nutrients… Surgery is not necessary in almost all but the most extreme cases , so there is no reason to fear the costs….. MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT U RECOMMEND THE DOG SEES A VET ASAP: VETS ARE IN A BETTER POSITION TO RECOMMEND WHAT HAS TO BE DONE AND IF U HAVE A DOG U SHOULD BE ABLE TO AFFORD ONE VISIT IF YOUR ANIMAL HAS A PROBLEM. Forums are good for some information but a visit to VET, if you notice physical handicaps in your pet is ABSOLUTE NECESSITY: If your child suddenly showed signs of crippling – would u visit a forum or would u take him to the Doctor? Think about it.
glee says
Thanks for your clarification, Pam. I re-emphasized on this post the necessity to seek a vet´s advice before altering or changing the dog´s diet.
Rebecca Jennings says
Thank you
Dr. Willis says
Anxious to know if you’re a veterinarian, Pam. I wouldn’t feed anything Hills… ya junk food! IF feeding a commercial food, one should seek a food high in protein (first ingredient), no fillers and by products and all natural, natural preservatives etc. there is nothing wrong with feeding your own meals, feeding raw is best.
Darshan Patel says
I’m having street dog dont know the bread, its 5-6months old and having rickets, his back legs are bend very badly.
Plz give me solution.
glee says
Hi Darshan, you shouldn´t wait any longer, bring your dog to a vet so it can be diagnosed correctly immediately.
Ritika says
I’m having street dog dont know the bread, its 5 months old and having rickets, his back legs are bend very badly.
Plz give me solution. Plzzz reply sir . he can’t able to walk .
glee says
Don´t wait any longer, bring your dog to a vet for correct diagnosis.
Suresh says
Hi glee is rickets for my rotweiler is curable ,the stage is my front legs are poorly bend and it’s joints also round.
My pup only 3 months old is it fully cured
glee says
Hi Suresh, yes! As long as you bring your pup to a veterinarian asap for a proper checkup, there´s a bigger chance of curing its rickets. Don´t wait too long.
Suresh says
I went vetenary doctor but they advice me some calcium syrups and tablets I follow till now my doctor say May your dog swollen and bow front legs cure or it may be permanent bend for it.My dog front leg is severely bowed and she walk differently can it cure permanently she has rickets.when she grows is the bone damage permanent or it grows like normal
Manoj says
My german shepherdis of 1 year old and he hs rickets kn his hind legs can it be cured ? Could you give the diet details please , and milk must be avoided??? My Vetc is useless we have very few people here
Jane says
Hi, I have just adopted a rescue dog that was found on the streets abandoned and very undernourished. We don’t know how old he is. The vet estimates he is 5 years old due to his teeth, but if he has rickets he may be quite a bit younger than that. I think he might have a mild case of rickets as his front legs are slightly bowed. I read that teeth can be affected by rickets and the vet had to take out 15 of his teeth due to them being rotten, infected and loose. We have taken him to the vet multiple times now but the vet hasn’t mentioned anything about him having rickets. But the vet has said that he appears to be healthy for the moment. We are feeding him a nutritious diet so there are no issues now with him being undernourished.
My question though is since he has the bowed legs and i think he has rickets, do you know what the long-term consequences of this are? Will the rickets keep progressing? Will his legs become more bowed? Will his teeth keep deteriorating faster than normal? Will this affect his life span? Do you know if there are any other health concerns that may arise due to the rickets?
Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I’ll also ask my vet about it next time we take him in.
Corbin says
Hey, my puppy has real bad rickets. She has got to the point that she walk funny & not on her paw. The vet told me to splint it & the other said don’t. My dog trainer told me to just to change the dog food. What should I do in this case?
Det Rabe says
Hi. I have a pet who has rickets. She can’t stand her back legs. She’s 7months old. Anyone here who would like to help me. Thanks. 🙂
Ali says
Hi,
I have a five month old German Shepherd female puppy.Its back legs are very much bow.They looked bad when she is walking slowly.I am very worried about her.I start giving him bread and milk one month ago.But there is not any slightest recovery in its legs so please tell me some food with which she recover soon.Thankyou.
Rachel says
Hello,
I have a 7 week puppy ..we bought him when he was a month old, he seemed healthy and fine. Easily adjusted to cows milk with pedigree powdered. But during the first shot vet told us not to provide milk and rather curd with rice, he even loved that . Just two days , and he got sick that , since two to three days he hasn’t been walking and just crawling. What should I do?? Pls suggest . Vet suggested a calcium and deworming syrup which we did give. Any suggestions..?
Alok Kumar says
I have 3 month old Labrador puppy and the symptoms of rickets are been seen . So, what’s the next step to do ?
Madelynn says
I have a two year old catahoula, he had rickets when he was about 4 months old. He’s been having some problems the last few days when it gets cold in the evening, I was wandering if you knew any long term effects? I’ve searched and can’t seem to find anything on it.
Ashish says
Dear sir my German shepherd puppy is suffering from rekets from 3rd month now he completed 4months with recovery is it totally treatable and how many months takes German shepherd for full growth. I consult with veterinary doctor he suggest me royal canin and glucosamine supplements.
Glee says
Hi Ashish, have you tried the recommendations from your vet? If you did let us know how your dog is doing now.