What should I feed my ridgeback puppy?
Ridgeback puppies should NEVER be feed puppy food.
Puppy food contains extra protein for growing puppies however, ridgebacks are a fast growing breed and combination of minerals and protein could be detrimental to your puppy’s health. Rapid growth is a cause of serious illness such as Pano (growth pains) in the long bones of large breeds like the Ridgeback. Symptoms of Pano range from puppies that "chew" on their ankles or falling down when they run, to serious lameness.
Most vets know very little about ridgebacks, so if your vet tells you it’s OK to put your ridgeback puppy on puppy food, that should tell you he/she knows very little to nothing about the breed.
How much can I exercise my puppy?
It's important to remember that, although most puppies have lots of energy, their bodies are immature and not ready for exercise that causes sharp or repetitious impact during the first year. Large and giant breeds should be 18 months or older.
The leg bones grow from areas located near their ends. These soft areas of immature bone are called growth plates (also epiphyseal plates or the epiphysis). At about 12 to 16 months, the growth plates “close” as calcium and minerals harden the soft area. When the hardening process is complete, most growth stops and the growth plates are said to be closed. Before they close, the growth plates can be injured or fractured more easily than mature bone. An injury to the growth plate can cause the bone to stop growing or to grow incorrectly.
To protect your pup against damage to the growth plates, postpone high-impact and leg-twisting activities until you're sure the growth plates are closed. Leaping after flying disks or over jumps, jogging (especially on hard surfaces), and similar activities should be avoided until the pup matures.
Once your puppy is 18 months to 2 years you can gently start letting them run with you until he/she build’s up slowly. Before that nice small walks or hikes would be perfect.
