!?!!WHAT??!! My dog may not have big paws after all!!!!

[DenverFurKiddos]

Whoa....I need some opinions on this!!  I have now had Winston for a little over 2 weeks.  At our THIRD vet appointment for his ear infection, I started in with my (usual) barrage of questions, including my concern that he has tarter on his teeth. 

MY vet HIGHLY questioned that Winston is 6 mos due to the amount of tarter on his teeth, and placed him more at the 10 mos age.  Given that information, she also highly doutbted that he would even reach 100lbs! In fact, she said that it was possible that he wouldn't grow much larger than his size (47lbs) now.  She said that she thought that he was probably a newfie mix due to his smaller stature! 

I contacted the person that sold Winston to me, and she told me that in her area, she has very hard water.  She denied any wrong doing, and suggested I have DNA tests conducted on Winston's parents if I doubted that he was full bred. 

What would you do??

[angelsmama]

well it wouldnt matter to me if i found out my dog i thought was pure wasnt..  like my baby now , angel , shes a mix but i love her just as much as i did dotty (who was a purebred dalmatian). if hes not a pure newf would that change how you love him? i wouldnt bother with it personally

[angelsmama]

well the woman you got him from if she claimed he is pure she should have to pay to prove it

[marypyrs]

What would I do? I'd just continue to LOVE him in every way possible. And give him the very best of care in each and evey way. Sometimes "Big Paws" come in different packages. I'm not sure how it is with Newfs. But in Pyrs, often you don't really know what you have until they are three or more years old. He's a lovely boy! "I am who I said I was. I am the immage of myself! I AM WINSTON!"

Take care, jane

[FumbsAuntie]

well if it makes you feel any better.. our breeder explained to us that Newfoundlands dont stop growing until they are three.. Winston may not be Giant puppy! But im pretty sure that with the love your family is giving him, he will definatly grow more than the vet is expecting.. just give him some time!! and in regards to the breeder, im so thankfull that you were able to get winston out of there.. and if anything at least spread the word about the conditions, if it didnt seem right to you it might be against certain animal rights and codes.., and the breeder.. maybe someone will get a hint!
WInston really is a beautiful dog though and definalty has those newfy eyes!

[kathryn]

We have hard water here in Houston but my dogs don't have a lot of tartar build up on their teeth.  I give them lots of stuff to chew on to help with tartar.  Cinder is really the only one that I have seen any build up on her teeth and she's nearly 3 and after lots of bones, ropes, etc she has none now.  So I can see the hard water problem if the dogs don't have anything to chew on.
For me, I don't care if they are trial size or full size as long as they are healthy but I would be really ticked off if I had paid pure breed prices for a mixed breed.

[schelmischekitty]

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/teeth.html

Decay

Although dogs do not generally have cavities in their teeth, Boomer can develop tooth problems if his diet includes soft foods that can leave debris in gum pockets at the base of the teeth. The debris leads to infections, which soften the gums and cause them to recede. Such infections cause foul breath odor, which should be a clue to visit the veterinarian. If let go, this disease can lead to tooth loss.

Tartar, a precipitate of calcium salts, builds up on teeth in hard water areas. Tartar can build up and lead to increased gum disease and, ultimately, to tooth loss.

Tartar buildup increases with age. It can be removed from teeth by rubbing with a solution of three percent hydrogen peroxide or a weak one-percent solution of hydrochloric acid. Advanced tartar buildup may require sedation of the dog and scraping with dental instruments.

Pet owners can prevent or alleviate gum decay by feeding kibbled foods and hard biscuits to scrub the teeth, by keeping soft foods that can leave debris to a minimum, by providing hard rubber or nylon toys for chewing, and by brushing Boomer's teeth a couple of times each week. When brushing teeth, use baking soda or a special toothpaste formulated for dogs, not toothpaste for humans..

[MommaBear]

I think he will grow more,,, Bear a newf mix was probably 70lbs at 10mos and always on the small side but just had huge growth spurt at 18mos and is close to 100lbs now

[schelmischekitty]

good point, mommabear. axle was still putting on a LITTLE height, and weight, in october.  now everyone is pretty sure he's done growing since he turned 3...  but then, we thought he was done when he turned 2!