<div>Debbie,</div>
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<div>In humans, Rickets is a condition caused by malnutrition, most specifically a deficiency of Vitamin D and also sometimes Calcium. It causes a softening of the bone and bowing of the legs is a classic sign. Sounds like your buppy was not only malnourished but probably taken from its mother way to soon.</div>
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<div>Treatment of rickets includes vitamin D supplements among others, and high exposure to sunlight! Ultraviolet rays, at their strongest when the sun is highest in the sky, are the strongest producer of vitamin D for the body.</div>
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<div>Of course this all applies to humans, I didn't work with many dogs when I was a nurse, but I can't imagine that it's too different in dogs. The good news is that if she is as young as they think, and she does indeed have rickets (with her symptoms and the fact that her sibling does it seems very likely.), then it's very treatable and the prognosis for mostly if not complete recovery is good.</div>
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<div>The outlook with Rickets is much better I suspect than if she'd had a congenital bone deformity.</div>
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<div>Brenda- moslave to Copper and Elphaba</div>