Italian Greyhound owners should take great care in terms of management of young Italian Greyhounds from their early puppy weeks and through their adolescence to minimise high-impact physical activities because their joints are not yet fully developed and stressing those joints at a young age can cause huge problems down the road. Below is an insightful post from The Mobile Vet Nurse explaining why …

This is something everyone should see. This xray is of a 2 week old puppy.

When you get your 8/10 week old puppies, please keep this image in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons, ligaments with skin covering. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.

When you run them excessively or don’t restrict their exercise to stop them from overdoing it during this period you don’t give them a chance to grow properly. Every big jump or excited bouncing run causes impacts between the bones. In reasonable amounts this is not problematic and is the normal wear and tear that every animal will engage in.

But when you’re letting puppy jump up and down off the lounge or bed, take them for long walks/hikes, you are damaging that forming joint. When you let the puppy scramble on tile with no traction you are damaging the joint.

You only get the chance to grow them once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent breeding and a great upbringing-BOTH, not just one.

Once grown – around 12-18 months depending on their breed, you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise. So keep it calm while they’re still little baby puppies and give the gift that can only be given once.

With thanks to The Mobile Vet Nurse for allowing us to share this important information.

Key things to bear in mind:

• Do not let a puppy or young IGs jump on and off furniture
• Do not let them tear around on slippery surfaces such as wooden or tiled floors – put non-slip rugs down
• Do not over exercise them with overly long walks
• Do not allow them to exercise reptitively at speed e.g. playing fetch with a ball over and over again.
• Do not allow a puppy / young IG tear up and down stairs