OCD in puppies (As in Osteochondritis Dissecans)

[weathergirl]

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/osteochondritis-dissecans-or-ocd-in-dogs/1045

I had never heard of this until recently, but I'm curious if others have had any issues.  I know someone who has a golden retriever puppy who has been diagnosed with OCD.  No family history, and I wonder about nutrition (too much protein/calcium) and activity (too much, especially jumping on and off things), as both can be contributing factors. 

I'm curious to know more about it.  Has anyone here dealt with it and/or have any stories to tell?  As a new breeder, I'm suddenly wondering if I should be educating puppy families about certain things to decrease the likelihood.  I guess I'm mostly wondering how prevalent it is among working dogs out there.

[runamuk]

There seems to be a genetic component in some breeds.  I know of a standard poodle person who had issues with this in two different show pups she purchased.  I know in horses its more common in horses being fed for rapid growth when young but some lines are more prone to it than others.  It happens in humans as well.

The breeders I know who raise large working breeds tend to advise against added nutritional supplements and stick to a sound diet.  It used to be common to feed all sorts of extras to pups, eggs, calcium supplements, cottage cheese, etc.  There are so many high quality dog foods available now that these old feeding routines are less common.  Common sense goes a long way.

[Old Dog]

The local Benelli rep bought a pup from a really large line of Labradors.  He wanted a really large Lab, so he over fed the pup, and used a food with too much protein and calcium in it.  The pups growth was so abnormal that he got to where he couldn't stand up.  The pup ended up living in a crate, on a special diet, and not allowed any exercise for over 6 months while the rest of his body caught up with the long bones in is legs.    I haven't spoken to Mike in a while, so I don't know how the dog is doing now.

I did a lot of research on the proper diet for Jasmine prior to picking her up.  One item that came up a lot was feeding the proper balance of calcium and protein.  I takes a little longer for the pup to reach their full growth, but when they get there all their bones and ligaments are in proportion. 

Like Run said, there are a lot of quality dog foods out there, and many of them are specifically formulated for large breed puppies.  They tend to cost a little more, but for the first 9 months to a year it's well worth the expense to insure your buddy has a long and healthy life.   

[AspenBud]

I'd talk with a vet about the matter as well as other breeders.

Issues like this seem to pop up more with the large/giant breeds like Great Danes. If it is genetic in nature it's probably something that can be bred out with high enough selectivity.

Or put another way, you don't hear about problems like this much in field bred English Pointers. You hear about it a lot in Great Danes, among other issues with them.

[WRL]

Its not that uncommon especially in some lines with ortho issues.

Don't confuse it with pano though (long bone disease, something dogs grow out of).

WRL