Exercise/Diet

[shelleysparkles]

Hi, I'm a little confused and I was hoping someone might be able to give some advice. First, my puppy has Ectropion/Entropion and a scrolled eyelid. (it doesnt hurt him at all), the vet said that it was merely an esthetic challenge for him and that he would'nt operate unless it was painful to Buckley. I chose a breeder who legaly threw me for a loop, concerning his health contract as well as his CKC papers and is no longer in contact with me. I just want to know that Buckley is doing well, that I am doing him justice by giving him love and helping him live a long healthy life. How much exercise should an 11 month old Saint have? I was told that he was to be walked for at least and hour or to let him run for half an hour. Is that enough? I am also curious as to what he needs nutritionaly at this stage in his life. I give him V-C supplements and glucosamine(750mg). I also feed Nutro Natural Choice Lg Breed Puppy, it contains 26% protien and it's designed to have a calcium/phosphorus ratio specifically designed to slow down rapid growth. I was told to feed this till he was at least 18 months. I know this is really lengthy but I know you understand what it's like to be frantic about your baby's health. And by the way, even though the doctor thinks that he is esthetically challenged-I know my Saint is the most handsome dog Ive ever had the privledge to know.

[jules]

I may be wrong but I think I read they should get at least 15 min of exercise  2x a day.Plus not too much while their growing.Also make sure to not to exercise until 1 hour after they eat  or 1 hour before they eat to prevent bloat.

[declanssexymama]

I was told to stop feeding puppy food after six months in order to slow down their growth, thereby protecting their joints.  You don't want them to grow too big too fast for their bones and joints - that's where hip/elbow/knee problems start.  The slower they grow, the better off they are...I think that's why some people say that this breed will grow until around 3 years old.

But I'm a newbie too, so I'm just relaying info that I've read or heard...

[tyscrzymom]

Hi There, Sorry to hear about your babies eye problem Sounds like he gets great exercize.We walk our Saint every day for 1 mile he gets to free run the first block then he walks right at my side.Our Bubba is 8 months old now and in great shape.He weighs 125 right now.Sorry to hear you had a poor breeder All the Saint Breeders I know either only feed puppy food until 8 wks or most of them never feed puppy food!Their pups go straight to adult food...and these are all show dog breeders so I follow their advice I know to stay away from high protein in dog food...I'd also say if your dog is happy and healthy then keep doing what you're doing...but I would get him off pup food.
Take Care,Heather&Bubba

[Yaz]

Hi There,
Buckley is certainly a handsome boy. I am from Ontario, Canada and our first Saint had ectropion as well as entropion. But his eyes turned very bad - we had to have emergency surgery on him and spent close to $3,000 on medical bills and medicine to try and fix his eyes. And, after all of that he still will have to have a few more surgeries since he was only six months at the time. We ended up placing him back with his breeder and got another puppy from them. It is very common for Saints to have developmental ectropion as they grow into their heads, so your guy should be okay.