Hey guys time to pick your brains again. Jax is 7 months old . Trouble lived to be 16. Anyhow as trouble got older his joints got worse . He never suffered in his 16 years if he had of he would of been put down , that may sound cold but I assure you I mean that with nothing and love and respect for my dogs , I know if they could they would do anything for me and my family. It's a little promise I made myself to never let my boys me miserable or in pain . Anyhow as trouble got older his joints began giving him problems , he went from an active lab to one that didn't want to move some days , on bad days he went to the vet . Anyhow Jax is 7 months now and at 7 months he is bigger than trouble was full grown .Jax kind of woddles in his back legs already . I asked someone st the vet if he needs to be on a supplement for joints and they said not right now . Jax loves physical activity and his favorite is retrivieng up and down stairs . I'll be playing fetch in the yard and he will go sit on the top of our 3 steps on our deck wanting me to throw the ball off the steps. Well now he doesn't walk the steps to retrieve he Flys off the top step . I told my wife it's time to cut out the steps or Jax may pay for it later on down the road . So that's kind of my question am I doing the right thing here or should I let him do what he wants as far as play goes and let him just have fun and have the best life possible? Part of my wants to have him take it easy with the jumps and all that other part says let him do what he wants because everyday with my boys has been a blessing , I dunno suggestions ?
Going to add this important or not it bothers me and I feel it needa to be disclosed . Trouble was bought by a breeder that works at the Vet . On troubles last days he was suffering I know my dogs . He went to the vet and the staff literally all were upset tears in there eyes but they told me he didn't have long . One of my biggest regrets was not putting him down that day there against there wishes , I brought him home and called the family they said their goodbyes to him and thankfully he passed about an hour after everyone had a chance to say goodbye . I don't want Jax to go through that . I also don't want his quality of life to suffer because I'm over protective . Jax loves to run and jump ,it's me who tries to discourage him from the jumps afraid hell pay for it when he gets older.
My girl who is nearly 2 years old was diagnosed with ED at 7 months of age having had her first bout of limping at 5 months of age so I would say protect your puppies joints as much as possible so no games chasing balls up or downstairs steps, retrieving in moderation is fine but not with deceleration on the joints as they go to pick up so no chasing after a moving ball, no unnecessary jumping such as playing with a Frisbee. If your pup is on a balanced diet there is no reason to supplement without any indication of problems. My girl is on a joint supplement but there is very little scientific evidence that they have any effect. Really sorry for the sad time you had with Trouble. Life is about balance as to what Jax loves to do and what may not be so good for him in the long run. We only have a short period of time in which we can protect growing joints, once growth plates have closed at around a year old other activities can be introduced
Sorry ED = Elbow Dysplasia which is a term which covers a whole bunch of problems relating to the elbow
Trouble had something like that , I forget what the vet called it but he had a big knot come up on his front left leg. Vet assured me he wasn't in pain and it looked a lot worse than it was . It eventually ruptured before he passed , Vet also would not remove it they said he was too old and probably would never wake up if put under for surgery . He got to where he couldn't jump in the car for a car ride, again me and my promises . I picked him up and placed him in the truck. My vet had an emotional attachment to my dog though which looking back now I'm fairly confident they just didn't want to be the one to out trouble down . He was the last puppy of a bloodline that the Vet had had for years . All the other dogs had died or been sold to people that lived far away . So while he did get a lot of vet attention I believe he should of been put down earlier . They couldn't do it and when it got too bad and the vet refused I told my wife I wouldn't let him suffer and if the vet wouldn't put him to sleep then I would haft to myself ,but I couldn't do it either... Bad /sad situation all around
Hey, you did the best you could for your boy and he was well loved by all that met him. We can never really know when our pups are in pain as they are so stoic. I was shattered when I discovered the problems with Juno's elbow and the reality that my precious girl had probably always had pain from her elbow, and probably still does, but I can't change it. I can trust try to make life as good as possible for her, and that's what you did for Trouble
Again I've nothing to add , except to say , you sound like you have a great big heart and trouble and now jax are very lucky to have you as their human xx
Yes that's all we can do . Told myself I'd never get another dog, much less a yellow lab after trouble. My daughter and wife wanted a puppy and they found a chocolate lab, we get to the kennel and see Jax (yellow) and brought him home. Another possibly silly question. Do the bigger labs have a higher risk of joint problems ? Like I said at 7 months old Jax is both taller and thicker than trouble was grown . He's the biggest lab I've seen in person. Part of me thinks the heavier the dog the more strain on his joints , another part says although he's heavier he is overall bigger as in bones ,head everything is bigger on him not just his weight ,so part of me thinks because he's so much bigger that his joints will be stronger . Maybe I'm over thinking it ,I just like to look ahead on things . If I'm doing an activity with Jax that when he gets older is going to do him harm I want to know . At the same time he's a very active dog that loves to run and run and run and when you think he's got to be gave out he takes a big drink and a 2 minute rest in the shade and is back at the running . He's high energy and loves physical activity and I know he needs it ,but I want it to be safe and healthy exercise that won't hurt him down the road . Our back yard the fenced part is about 75 yards end to end . I can stand at one end with a ball and throw the ball basically end to end (I'm a big guy and was an athlete) Jax can run end to end so long it actually worries me he may just fall over . I do monitor him and make sure he does rest and not over do it . I'd he doesn't burn off his energy and gets "bored" the digging starts as well as he wants to chew . Even if we pick up all the chew toys or not chew toys my daughters toys that they fight over lol. Jax still will run laps around the yard like a crazy dog . He's been known to climb chain link fences too . We have a big privacy fence surrounding the pool and rest if the yard is chain link . One day he wanted out if the chain link fence . I saw him leap and he nearly cleared the fence, he landed back legs on the fence almost in the same motion ,pushed himself off and off he went . Other time the former owners built a tree house in our back yard . It's about 15-20 ft off the ground with a ladder built in to the bottom. Couldn't find Jax and I was puzzled searched the back yard (privacy fence part ) for holes under the fence as well as loose boards on how he escaped . Then I heard dog claws on wood... The dog had climbed that 15-20 ft ladder into the tree house after a bee .
Hi there , I touch wood when I say this but Dexter has never had a limp so I've not really seen anything to help you out....watching some of the larger labs around my neighbourhood ,I would say a lot of them have a distinctive sway....would that be what you mean by a woddle? I guess if you have asked about supplements you have had someone check it out at the vets? I would be really,really careful with the steps...especially when you say he 'flies' off the top one.Their joints are still developing over their first year so it's not recommended for them to do lots of jumping and leaping.Ive got tiled floors so I've always been really careful of the stairs,my dog wasn't allowed upstairs until he was 13 months but even then he could still be daft and come down too fast and skid at the bottom into the wall .....I needed to piece that very carefully. You don't need to stop his retrieving fun,he sounds like he loves it but try and courage it in a different place x
Yes he just sways his back legs you know how a big cat like a lion or a tiger when they walk you kind of see their shoulder blades shift and move when they walk? Jax kind of sways when he walks , not like in a painful limping way he's just huge lol. As far as the steps I don't do it on purpose ,when he goes outside either to use the bathroom or to just go outside he doesn't walk the steps he jumps off . I guess I could pick him up and carry him down the steps ,not a big deal to me . When we are playing he will retrieve the ball or rope whatever to me 19/20 times 1/20 times he goes up the steps and drops the ball and just looks at me ,as if he wants to jump off them. He lives indoors so he doesn't have a lot of impact on his joints only in play time or when he goes outside. And yes it was the Vets advice on the supplements, troubles breeder told me I could put him on them now if I wanted to. However she asked the food he was and I told her and she said I could do it but also may be better to wait and see IF he needs it . Basically in not so many words she said wait. Like I said the vet was who I got trouble from so for his life and now Jaxs they have been close to this Vet .
With the steps it would be good to encourage Jax to go down in a more controlled manner rather than rushing as it just reduces the risk to joints and also of accidents. I would say the best thing you can do for Jax is to keep him slim, being overweight puts strain on the joints, and I know you are monitoring his weight and body condition. I try not to get too OTT about weight now, although I've just reduced Juno's daily ration by 20g as she had put on 400g as we adapt quantities for her new food . I knew she had put on a little weight though just by sliding my hands down her sides. So I would say get to know how your dog feels and looks for the discernible waist and a nice tummy tuck and you probably won't go far wrong. I still keep regular checks on Juno's weight though just to confirm I'm right on the body condition
Vet said Jax was a little under weight his last visit , nothing to be concerned about though he's not starving lol, it's like he's growing so fast he's struggling to keep up ,he's just a large framed dog ,his head his body his feet all bigger than my other lab when he was full grown . He's filling out more now than just growing . Last vet check a rib or 2 was visible on each side and in front of the back legs was kind of sucked in. Sorry for my terms here I'm describing the best I can . Now no ribs and that hollow or whatever it's called in front of his back legs is barely viSible. I wasn't starving him either lol . He still eats the same he's just so active . I changed his food (per vet advice) and the same portions filled his weight out (i also snuck him so meat and eggs to cheat a bit )
I use very much the same terminology re the weight , just goes to show that every dog is different and has their own needs xx
Is that your dog in the pic on avatar? How old is it ? Also Jax is yellow trouble was yellow as well with the black nose . Jax has the red nose and is almost white . I honestly thought he was going to be ugly with the red nose not the case I can't take him anywhere without "that's the prettiest lab I've ever seen comment . Jaxs eyes were blue as a pup now they are this yellow green color , very unique they look like a wolf's eyes .
That's Sam at about 10 weeks , he's 22 weeks today ! I'll post an up to date one ( just because I can) . I'd never heard of different nose colours until someone on here mentioned it ! This was taken yesterday ( excuse the laundry and stuff ) We need some pics of jax please
