Mary's excerpt from "Skeletal Diseases of the Growing Dog: Nutritional Influences and the Role of Diet"
"Nutrition is one of the single most important factors affecting development of the musculoskeletal system, and energy, protein, and calcium are some of the more critical nutritional components affecting skeletal development. When given in excess, they can be detrimental to normal skeletal growth.(1-7) Most pet owners in the United States feed commercially prepared diets, which are balanced and complete. The vast majority of developmental skeletal disorders diagnosed in veterinary practice occur in large and giant breeds and are associated with excess (i.e., inappropriate) intake of a commercial diet and/or supplementation." ************ Mary, your post noted above was ike a breath of fresh air to me. Thank you. I've been reading the recent Berner-L posts about HD and other skeletal development issues. It seems to me that most posts are very focused on slamming anyone who disagrees that genetics is THE key factor in HD and other skeletal abnormalities. And I feel this greatly diminishes an open forum for discussion with diverse views (which can be a great way to learn new things). Personally, I feel the issue of skeletal development and abnormalities is a bit like the Kibble versus BARF issue: there are no absolutes, only variances. Moreover, I've been appalled at the lack of correct information posted. Interestingly, there seems to be a large volume of personal assumptions displayed as fact in many posts. My concern here is that this type of psuedo-information can cause erroneous beliefs in newbies who would learn from this list. While most of the posts I've read seem to me to be screaming 'genetics is the largest role in HD', very few posts have addressed the serious effects that improper nutrition can also have on canine skeletal formation - whatever the genetics dictates. This may or may not be fact, depending on which studies one elects to quote, but its my personal belief that a genetically sound dog (orthopedically speaking) can be seriously effected adversely by improper nutrition during growth stages. Further, I personally believe the effects of improper nutrition during growth stages can cause all sorts of skeletal dysfunctions and abnormalities. And I've witnessed several of these dogs (unlrelated events) in my lifetime. Were these dogs genetic freaks? That was my thought the first time I saw one. I thought I was seeing a genetic mutant of some sort. Thankfully, a nutritionist friend began my education in the stunning effects improper nutrition can have on anyone/anything in a growth stage. And my nephew, the PhD in genetics from UC Davis with a masters in Nutrition, keeps me up to date on stuff he thinks would interest me. Before anyone misquotes me, NO, I am not saying nutrition is THE key to HD. I am saying that it is my personal opinion and experience that improper nutrition - including improper feeding and supplementation - can be a huge factor in improper skeletal formation during canine growth cycles. Items like overabundance or lack of calcium and other like items can have huge effects on skeletal growth. My heart went out to the person who posted that they fed exactly as the breeder suggested and the puppy still persented HD. I hope the breeder stood behind that puppy and respected your adherence to diet. I personally wish more POs respected their breeder's diet requests as that helps our efforts to breed and grow better dogs. Again, I personally feel there are no absolutes in our discussion here. And I'm hoping for a more open forum tolerant of differing views. It's a great way to learn. Bernerly, Esther Wilson http://www.wilpowerkennels.com __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos http://launch.yahoo.com/u2
