Working dog supplements

djflawless

Well lads
Have a new pup in the past 2 weeks.shes now 11 weeks old.shes the runt of the litter but not a bad pup.about a week behind on growth towards the other pups and healthy otherwise
Shes a yellow lab bitch from good stock

A friend whos mad into dogs and trialling suggested a couple of supplements to build her up a bit stronger/try to have her catch up with the rest of the pups
The 1 he pressed on was calcium powder

Just wondering do any of ye give new pups supplements at all.and what ye would consider worthwhile of giving pups?

snipe02

used to give it to my lurchers for their joint development but id suggest whelpi lamlac or collevet tonic there is a vitamin supplement for cattle called b12 good stuff also used to get calcium powder in carlow

djflawless

Yeah the calcium powder is what i was thinking.i know i can get it there in portlaoise.you'd hardly know brand names?
And the cattle stuff, im guessing itll have to be dosed down?

Mauser 308

djflawless wrote: »

Yeah the calcium powder is what i was thinking.i know i can get it there in portlaoise.you'd hardly know brand names?
And the cattle stuff, im guessing itll have to be dosed down?

Djflawless, be careful with the calcium as a supplement, it can be easy to give too much which can cause issues.
Instead of a supplement would you consider the real thing? ie give the pup a raw chicken leg each day, along with what ever you are feeding. That way it will get quality protein, and the calcium it needs.

Buy a pack of legs in Tesco/Dunnes, Lidl etc give them raw as they are. Don't worry about the bones once they are raw.

The dog will love them and wait and see the difference in the pup.

djflawless

Mauser 308 wrote: »

Djflawless, be careful with the calcium as a supplement, it can be easy to give too much which can cause issues.
Instead of a supplement would you consider the real thing? ie give the pup a raw chicken leg each day, along with what ever you are feeding. That way it will get quality protein, and the calcium it needs.

Buy a pack of legs in Tesco/Dunnes, Lidl etc give them raw as they are. Don't worry about the bones once they are raw.

The dog will love them and wait and see the difference in the pup.

Thats kinda going into the raw diet is it?i was considering it but changed my mind.i might give it a go.
The missus loves chicken fillets so i might chance a small few during the week.it would have me mind at rest too if nobody was around eating the fillets without bones

Mauser 308

djflawless wrote: »

Thats kinda going into the raw diet is it?i was considering it but changed my mind.i might give it a go.
The missus loves chicken fillets so i might chance a small few during the week.it would have me mind at rest too if nobody was around eating the fillets without bones

Fillets on there own are great protein and some vitamins, but they are much better off with the legs and thigh's with skin,bone and all. They get the calcium and extra vitamins etc from the collagen in the bones. And pound for pound the dogs get much more good stuff out of the legs compared to the fillets for the cost.
I was skeptical at first also but once you try you will very quickly come to see they manage them just fine. Just make sure they are raw and not cooked, cooked are dangerous but honestly raw are perfectly fine. Honestly get a pack of legs in Tesco or your local supermarket. Give the dog one when you are there and able to watch just to put your mind at rest.

snipe02

Talking to me vet at the dog track on fri night whelpi is yiur best bet wjth proper diet as mauser saux easy on the calcium and he said the collevet is only good for 5 days every now and then but its got caffine and they canfall apart if left on it so you need something more long term for a pup whatever you choose ring a vet and run it by them first hope your pup thrives

djflawless

Chicken legs it is in the mornin so!!
May start gettin friendly with the butcher

arnold27

djflawless wrote: »

Yeah the calcium powder is what i was thinking.i know i can get it there in portlaoise.you'd hardly know brand names?
And the cattle stuff, im guessing itll have to be dosed down?

If you decide anytime to go with supplements there is some brands like Johnson's, Beaphar, Hatchwell, Seveb Seas However I would prefer natural things (if there is any on the world nowadays).

djflawless

Well id be against taking medicated products meself but sometimes it cant be helped.thats why im going to stick with the raw chicken legs
so heres hoping haha

snipe02

djflawless wrote: »

Well id be against taking medicated products meself but sometimes it cant be helped.thats why im going to stick with the raw chicken legs
so heres hoping haha

supplements are natural Just concentrated as to get the best out of them. your pups digestive system will extract more from the food Only if you break down the fibres by mincing or even better liquidising it otherwise puppy would get more from supplements remember it takes energy to digest and for a young pup a chicken leg is a big ask

Mauser 308

djflawless wrote: »

Chicken legs it is in the mornin so!!
May start gettin friendly with the butcher

Well did you try?

djflawless

Yeah shes gone thru 3 legs and a breast so far.she seems to b having a bit of trouble with the bit of cartilladge cap on the end of the leg so i just pull this off.seems to be making her sh!te a bit runny tho.is this just a common effect?

Other than that it seems to suit her

Mauser 308

djflawless wrote: »

Yeah shes gone thru 3 legs and a breast so far.she seems to b having a bit of trouble with the bit of cartilladge cap on the end of the leg so i just pull this off.seems to be making her sh!te a bit runny tho.is this just a common effect?

Other than that it seems to suit her

Leave the cartilage in there,or reintroduce it in a few weeks when the dog is milling the legs. Its great for them.

Re the runny stools. As I understand it, this is a common problem with dogs when introduced to raw meat for the first time. Its just the change in diet. Keep it up and the dog will be right in no time.
Go easy on them at first. One a day,a few days a week. Then gradually up the numbers and frequency to what you want.