Proper footing for puupy kennel run? - Page 1

In my weak pasterns thread I have been advised 3 things to try to help my 16w/o puppy develop correctly: - Increase exercise, especially in loose footing like sand. - Modify diet to include additional natural(unprocessed or raw) protein. - Move the puppy from a crate for confinement to a kennel run with a loose footing such as sand, sawdust, etc. I would like to know the pros and cons of each type of footing to consider for the run. The 4 suggestions I've received are: - Pea gravel - Sand - Sawdust - Wood Shavings The pea gravel concerns me as she already has a frequent tendency to try to pick up small stones and eat them - so I'm worried about what might happen when left to her own devices all day. The sand concerns my wife who speaks of something called "sand colic" and is concerned about that. The sawdust is a little concerning due to respitory related concerns but seems the most benign over all. I’m a little concerned about the give however and don’t know if it the best medium in the sense. The wood shavings - I'm not sure how much give they'll have and along the lines of the pea gravel, the next most favorite "prohibited" item she loves to try to eat is mulch, which isn't a far cry from the shavings. Any other suggestions or pros/cons would be a huge help - I'm planning on making this change t his weekend. I would tend to lean towards sand - but my wife is pretty concerned about it. Thanks for any help. -Calvin

Calvin, A pup that is eating small rocks and or sand can NOT be left unsupervised in any run unless it is concrete. Concrete must be properly prepared or you will have problems with paw pads getting raw, and normal wisdom suggests concrete may not be the best surface for weak pasterns. That is anecdotal, but probably worth considering. I suggest you build a sand course, maybe 10 to 15 feet in length, does not have to be terribly wide, put her on a leash and regularly take her out there along with her normal time outside to exercise/play with her. Eating small rocks and or sand is a real problem with some pups. I have two that do it and if I do not keep them away, they do eat it. I can guarantee she will have a belly full if you leave her unsupervised. Most of it passes through, but there is always the possibility that she can retain it and that could cause difficulty down the road. Good luck.

Cledford, I have never known of a dog to eat sand! My brother used to show pigs and kept his pigs in sand. The sand pollished their coats and made them clean and shiny. I would also think that sand would be a good idea, but you need loose sand so that your puppy has to do a little more work to move around. The sand is good solid advise! I had a puppy that had week pasterns and we lived close to Galveston, Tx. and I would take her to the beach and it didn't take but a month of daily trips to the beach to chase a ball to strengthen her right up. She was from the first litter I ever bred and was a really nice SchH dog. Especially when I was so ignorant (thought I would make a lot of money by breeding, LOL!) and she didn't come from working lines, sometimes when you don't know any better and no one tells you any different it does work out, SOMETIMES! Vickie

I have seen pups and older dogs eat sand, rocks wood chips and anything else they wanted to.

sand is dusty when dry, dirty when wet, gets in the coat and makes the skin itchy/gritty. The idea of a sand-run for exercise is a good idea, but I wouldn't make a sand kennel. Sawdust is good, but does break down and turn into mud - would need to rake it back into the middle and refresh/add more on a regular basis. Shavings work well but you need a solid fence to keep it in - the dog or wind will quickly move the shavings out of the kennel. Pea gravel IMO is the best, but if she eats it - that is bad. You may try a little at first, put a bunch of chewies in there so hopefully she chooses the chewies and not the gravel. If you think she would eat the gravel, then I would opt for sawdust as a next option. Again, you need to use a lot of it - needs to be deep to accomplish what you want (strengthening the tendons) and you need to get in there, rake and add more, regularly. If you have a place to put it and a tarp to put over it, call a sawmill and order a truckload. molly

Hodie, Thanks again for indulging all of these questions - I really appreciate your time and effort, along with everyone else. As I told someone else who's helping me information related to this topic - I consider good knowledge given by someone who's obtained it the old fashioned way (i.e learning the hard way) a real gift. My only means for repaying the favor it to let you know that someday I'll make sure to pass the information along to the next person who needs it. Re. the sand - she doesn't eat it and has access to a large pile in the back yard that she'll climb but nor ingest. The rocks, sticks, mulch and pretty much anything else she can beat me to removing from her mouth goes down the hatch. I'm frequently checking stool to see what's passed... I noticed in another thread that you'd noted puppies eating dirt are often mineral or bacteria insufficient - 'Stel does this as well, though not as much anymore. Having been a former cop I'm starting to put a lot of these things together in my head and wondering if I didn't get a bad batch of food - I'm sure it must be hard to regulate kibble content precisely. Here are the clues: weak pasterns, the rickets like bowing of her front legs apparent in the 12 w/o pics, the frequent attempts of eating clumps of soil during the same time frame. Maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist but does this thought seem valid? There just seem to be a lot of potentially nutrion related issue all going on at the same time (around 12 weeks) that for the most part (aside from the pasterns) have improved. Anyhow, thanks again for the advice. If you have a free moment to recommend supplements/doses appropriate for a 16 week pup I'd appreciate it. -Calvin

Thanks Molly! There are a lot of horse farms in the area that use saw dust for stalls - I've just never tried to buy it before and haven't seen it at Southern States/ Tractor Supply, etc. We have bought the wood shavings that come in a bale the size of a hay bale - so I'm just going to have to poke around and see what I can come up with. -Calvin

I always preferred pea gravel for dogs and puppies that were not rock eaters. However, there were always some that ate anything they could get hold of, so they were kenneled on cement. I never had an older dog get blocked from eating pea gravel, they passed it in their stools, but know of plenty others who have so it's not worth taking the chance for a dog with a bizarre appetite. I like the idea of the sand run, makes good sense to me. I hate cement runs for puppies. If they don't have short, strong pasterns and tight feet to begin with, the cement tends to make it even worse. If they have excellent feet and pasterns, the surface never seemed to make much of a difference with any of mine and they never broke down regardless of what sort of surface they were kept on.

Just an idea for your kennel run, I have the vinyl kennel floors from Options Plus, Inc. They have a website www.optionsplus.com It costs about $400.00 to cover a 10x10 kennel area. They come in 2'x4' peices that snap together. You can add more or less depending on what your size requirements are. They come in the light grey (same color as concrete). They are very sanitary and easy to clean, not porous and have grooves where the urine and rain can run down and keep the floor dry. They are not hot in the summer and they are easy on the dogs as opposed to concrete. You can either lay them on solid ground, over a sand base or onto a wood or concrete platform. For myself, my husband built a wooden platform. The kennel sits right on top. I wouldn't have any other floor now. And, best part is, the dogs always stay clean. Just a suggestion.

Calvin-- Depending on where you live, there might be a temporary solution available to you. In my area, it has become very popular to put a boundary of small gravel around the baseball fields--schools and parks. Right next to the woods and 2 fields where my dogs daily run, the town put in a new ball field--with the gravel. On rainy (muddy) days, when no one is around, I make use of the baseball field--heavy grass and gravel. The gravel is thick and just like walking on sand. Check out the baseball fields in your area--you might get lucky, and it being winter--no kids using it. If you start treating with gluc/chon, I'd give Cosequin DS, at least 1000/800 mg daily (2 tabs). It's pricey--but the best. Also, I'd supplement with Ester C, min 750 to 1000 mg daily. Your puppy looks like an affectionate sweetheart. Good luck.