Rickets in Dogs: When Growing Bones Fail
Dr. Geoff Carullo, DVM, FPCCP, DPCVSCA
- Articles
- 3 min read
Rickets is a nutritional and metabolic bone disease of growing dogs, characterized by defective mineralization of bone and cartilage. While considered uncommon in well-managed practices, rickets still appears in real-world settings—especially in rescues, home-fed puppies, neglected litters, and chronically ill juveniles.
When missed early, it leads to permanent skeletal deformities, pain, and lifelong mobility issues.
Rickets occurs when a puppy lacks the ability to properly mineralize growing bones due to deficiencies or imbalances in:
Because puppies are actively growing, their bones are especially vulnerable.
👉 Rickets affects puppies, not adult dogs.
Adults develop osteomalacia, a related but distinct condition.
Despite commercial diets, rickets still occurs due to:
1. Improper Diet
2. Vitamin D Deficiency
3. Calcium–Phosphorus Imbalance
⚠️ Over-supplementation can be just as dangerous as deficiency.
Early Signs (Often Missed)
Advanced Signs (Classic Presentation)
In severe cases, puppies may become non-ambulatory.
X-rays are diagnostic.
Typical findings include:
👉 Radiographic changes often appear before severe deformities become obvious.
1. Correct the Diet (Most Important Step)
2. Supplementation (Carefully)
❗ Overdose can cause fatal hypercalcemia
Never empirically megadose.
3. Supportive Care
Bones that have already deformed will not always straighten, even with correct treatment.
Rickets is largely preventable.
Key messages for owners:
👉 Most rickets cases reflect education gaps, not owner neglect.
Rickets is not rare where:
The disease is easy to prevent, easy to diagnose, but devastating when missed.
Early X-rays.
Early diet correction.
Early intervention.
That is how rickets stops being a lifelong sentence.
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