Keeping Your Pembroke's Joints Healthy:      

Many believe that since Corgi's are a small breed that they don't suffer from the affect's of hip and elbow dysplasia that the larger breeds tend to suffer from.  This however is not so much the case.  They do not have quite the incidence but it is an issue in which we would like to address and to help you keep your Corgi healthy and active into it's senior years. 

What we do on our part is have our breeding stock tested to be clear from dysplastic tendancies by having them cleared by Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).

Even at this they can still become dysplastic in their senior years but their is a way to help prevent some of it or at least prolong it's onset. You can do this by supplementing them as puppies.  At 3 months of age until about 9 to 12 months I would recommend supplementing them with a complete joint supplement that contains chondroiton, glucosamine and ample amounts of Vitamin C to help in the absorbtion of these joint enhancing minerals.  Products I personally recommend are Arthi-soothe, Arthi-soothe Gold, or Joint Max.   It has made sense for generations that if we want strong bones as adults, we need to consume enough calcium as children.  Well, in the case of dogs and their joints, the same principle applies to trying to grow stronger and better during the growth phase of their lives.      

Something else you can do, nearing their senior years at 6 or 7 years old it would be wise to start them on a dog food formulated with the forementioned minerals in it.  Many senior foods on the market today already have them as well as other specifically targetted dog foods.  Techically at 6 or 7 a dog is not considered a senior but this is actually when non symptomatic signs of displaysia start setting in.   It is better to be proactive and start them on it BEFORE THEY START GETTING SORE IN THEIR JOINTS.