Rottweiler with loose ligament at puppy stage – pasterns

by Girish
(Kalyan, India)

Front leg loose ligament at puppy stage

Front leg loose ligament at puppy stage

Hi sue,
before you again say I am not Vet and just a rotty owner, I acknowledge that and go ahead with my question….

My question, and I hope many other owners too have similar query or may have experienced this, is about the loose ligament in front legs just above paws !

Many puppys do have such loose ligament issue at puppy stage which get over as they grow and unfortunately some get much severe too causes – walking on marble surfaces or slipper surfaces make it more severe.

How is it possible to get rid of such problems if any owner identifies them, and what are the precautions to overcome it.

Any specific postures to make pup stand more on paws rather than bent as shown in the attached picture.

Calcium supplement ?? I always discourage additional calcium injections etc as they can even have side effects.

I hope to get opinions from other owners who did successfully overcome such problems with their pup.

Hi Girish
As this isn’t your first question and you already know that I’m not a veterinary professional I can just go ahead and give you my opinion :o)

(but of course I always have to make sure other visitors know this as it would be irresponsible of me to give out veterinary advice without clarifying that point!)

What you’re showing in the Rottweiler puppys’ photo above are weak pasterns – the pasterns are the ‘ankle’ joints on the front legs.

This is like any musculo-skeletal condition in large breed dogs, and can be caused by a number of different things. The number one reason for this is genetics… basically the pup inherited the gene for weak pasterns (although this doesn’t mean his parents necessarily show the same trait, it can be a ‘recessive’ gene).

Although weak pasterns are primarily a genetic problem, and you can’t ‘undo’ genes, there are other factors that can make this condition worse or better. The most important thing to consider is diet, and a puppy food specifically designed for large breed pups is essential. A diet too high in protein or minerals or a diet lacking in essential nutrients will make this condition worse. Overfeeding a puppy, or encouraging him/her to put on too much weight, too quickly will also cause more problems, as will giving additional supplements such as Calcium. Avoid these.

The type of surfaces the pup walks on and how much exercise (and of what type) he gets also play their roles. It’s important to try to prevent a growing Rottweiler puppy from walking on slippery surfaces, as this puts too much strain on his growing joints and ligaments. Also excessive exercise, or jumping, running on hard surfaces etc, has the same effect.

So, although a pup showing weak pasterns such as in the photo is genetically inclined to have them, you can help minimize the problem by feeding a well-balanced diet with the correct ratio of protein:fat:calcium (see my Feeding Puppies page for more on this), limiting exercise, and providing walking surfaces that have good ‘traction’. Also keeping the toe-nails cut short helps too.

This problem often seems to get worse in young/adolescent puppies (before the age of 6 – 8 months or so), and improves as the pup grows. Although a puppy with this problem will probably always have it to some degree.

Hope this helps :o)

Comments for Rottweiler with loose ligament at puppy stage – pasterns

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Dec 13, 2016

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Week Pasterns NEW
by: Anonymous

High Protein does not really create or worsen the condition, Calcium Overfeed does , so the calcium deposits needs to be absorbed for bone growth and remodel, excess calcium gets deposited on knee joint-Carpel and you might begin to see a Knuckle over syndrome, few things you can do are
1. put him/her on High quality Dog Food that is Breed Specific and has good Calcium to Phosphorus ratio, less the calcium , better it is
2. Trim the Nails often
3. moderate exercise is absolutely OK. but not hard runs or heavy chase
4. No Calcium Supplementation during this period
5. Raise the Food Bowl so he has to stand on his Toes and Eat
6. Vitamin C for Absorption of Calcium, Vitamin C needs to be without Xylitol in the ingredient
7. Bring him on to MSM, Gloucasimine supplement for a month or so

around 5-6 months a slow turn around should happen , but during the growth stages, Large Breed Puppy can look whacky in and out, Genetics does play some role but you can try and control to what you can, around 6-7 months the pasterns should align in on normal case.

if you see any kind of Knuckle over , you need to talk to Vet


Aug 30, 2015

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Pups and surfaces NEW
by: Haricharan

Hi,
I am Haricharan and I have a rottweiler pup “bheem ” , he is 50 days old. After a recent visit to the vet I have serious doubts and fear about the surface my pups in. He usually sleeps with me or in a separate room, which are tiles, granite or marble, and I am told I should not let him in such surfaces and also jot to leave him outside. Which makes it very confusing. What am I supposed to do if I put him in a carpet he doesn’t stay on it, he doesn’t want to left outside, and I can’t make my whole house flooring to carpets. Please help me with this issue. Where do I put my pup?
Thanks in advance!!!


Jul 21, 2014

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Rottweiler with loose ligament at puppy stage – pasterns NEW
by: Anonymous

“Front leg loose ligament at puppy stage”
How to solve this problem .. ???
please tell me any solution for this problem … ???


Mar 20, 2012

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please help!!! NEW
by: Anonymous

I was just wondering if anyone has had this problem with their dogs hind legs and paws. He shows no pain at all. However, after any type of exercise his legs seems alot worse.When he walks it seems like his legs are shifting. I have brought him to the vet and he had said it was due to lose ligaments. To me it seems as if after any exercise they tense up when he is walking only. I can not see any issues when he is running or playing, only when walking. But I am very worried. Is there anything that anyone would recommened that I do to help him?
please e-mail me.. fresh_0130@live.com


Mar 20, 2012

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please help!!! NEW
by: Anonymous

I was just wondering if anyone has had this problem with their dogs hind legs and paws. He shows no pain at all. However, after any type of exercise his legs seems alot worse.When he walks it seems like his legs are shifting. I have brought him to the vet and he had said it was due to lose ligaments. To me it seems as if after any exercise they tense up when he is walking only. I can not see any issues when he is running or playing, only when walking. But I am very worried. Is there anything that anyone would recommened that I do to help him?
please e-mail me.. fresh_0130@live.com


Mar 20, 2012

starstarstarstarstar

please help!!! NEW
by: Anonymous

I was just wondering if anyone has had this problem with their dogs hind legs and paws. He shows no pain at all. However, after any type of exercise his legs seems alot worse.When he walks it seems like his legs are shifting. I have brought him to the vet and he had said it was due to lose ligaments. To me it seems as if after any exercise they tense up when he is walking only. I can not see any issues when he is running or playing, only when walking. But I am very worried. Is there anything that anyone would recommened that I do to help him?
please e-mail me.. fresh_0130@live.com


Jul 16, 2011

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loose ligament in front legs
by: sahan

dear friends….
my rotti also suffered from this and now he is ok…i bought my puppy when he was 4 months old.after i brought him home i saw something wrong with his front legs.and i was concerned.and i took him to the vet.and he explained me about the loose ligament in front legs.
and he told me to give him a strong calcium powder and some vitamins too.and gave some vaccine to him 4 absorb that vitamins immediately to the body.and i continued it and my rotti is now OK and he is healthy.
make sure that this will be happened to your puppy
if u don’t give him enough calcium and other minerals and vitamins.i gave him
1. vetsym strss powder
2. one alpha capsules
3. fish oil
4. vetsym b plus e
5. multivitamin
if you take much care about your dog you can fix this problem.remember that your dog need exercises and don’t allow your puppy to grow fat.
thax frnds. wish u the very best…..


Oct 20, 2010

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front legs
by: Anonymous

hey i think i have the same problem with the front legs, i don’t know how to explain this but i think he has smthing like a flat foot and his front feet doesn’t look normal they are kind of long or big i think there is some problem with the ankle so any advice thank u


Oct 01, 2010

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More good tips – thanks!
by: Sue from A Love Of Rottweilers

Good additional info that I’m sure will be useful to other owners … thanks Girish :o)


Sep 26, 2010

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some other similar suggetions which i got
by: Girish

i will like to share some other similar suggetions i got from others and websites.

hope it help the rott owners who face such probs !

– making sure the puppies have a diet reduced in calcium, phosphorous, and protein.

This means reducing or eliminating food additives like, meat, eggs, chicken, and any and all milk and milk products like cheese and yogurt.

They even suggest taking puppies with this condition off puppy food and placing them on an adult lamb and rice diet to reduce fat and protein intake. They suggest 23% or less protein and 14% or less fat in the diet.

– Supplements of Vitamin C and E, Selenium, Glucosamine and Condriotin have also been known to help.

– It is highly suggested to keep the puppy at a good weight as being overweight will obviously, seriously increase the problem. It is also suggested that puppies be somewhat restricted in their everyday exercise and play. Of course some exercise is needed to help build up the muscles and tendons in the effected joints, but caution is recommended in letting an effected puppy run and jump and play as a normal puppy does.


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