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Working BC born with short tail


wyndrunhr
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I have a pup from working lines that was born with short tail. I've been told this sometimes happens in BC's and just wondered if anyone knew of any good trial dogs that were born with a short tail and would love to see video or pics of them. I'm wondering if it would affect this pups potential in performance in any way? When I say short I mean about half a tail length with no twisting or deformation of vertebrae at base of spine but only about 3-4 disc's from base.

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I know of one such dog in the east who trials, can't remember, maybe in open, but her shorter than normal tail is the result of hemivertebrae, according to her owner. Have you had the pup's spine X-rayed? I don't think it's something you could tell just from looking because it has to do with the actual shape of the vertebral body and not twisting or anything like that.

 

J.

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I would second Julie's advice to get an x-ray just to be certain. Short tails in some breeds can be associated with spinal defects and it would not hurt to know just what you are dealing with. That said, a friend with a natural bobtail Aussie found him to live a pretty long and active life even though he had transitional vertebrae (spinal defect that was associated with the natural bobtail), being active until about the age of nine when certain problems manifested themselves in loss of hind end abilities.

 

A non-sedated x-ray should not be prohibitively expensive and might provide you with relief (nothing to worry about) or a heads-up (allowing you to be prepared for possible future issues). Hopefully, it will be nothing!

 

Best wishes!

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It is probably not an issue for your dog, but I would recommend a thorough vet exam and would caution you that I've known numerous dogs with short tails and many of them had other congenital or heritable defects including eye problems, heart problems, and cryptorchidism. That also includes littermates who were born wth normal tails. I think it's worth investigating. Do you know if there are related dogs with health problems?

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Your comment, Emily, interests me because that's precisely what the vet told me when I brought Bute in for a puppy exam. It was obvious he had an over bite (underbite? I never remember which it's called but a short mandible) but less obvious he was crypto chided and then he also turned out to have Vitamin B malabsorption.

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Even if I do vaccines myself, I always take pups in for a well pup exam. If I know of any problems in the lines or if another pup in the litter had an issue, I always let the vet know that so that s/he can check for those things in my pup. It just makes sense to me.

 

Sue--A simple way to remember: an overbite is when the top (over) teeth reach out past the bottom (farther than is normal). An underbite is when the bottom (under) teeth reach out past the top (think bulldogs and the like).

 

J.

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Your comment, Emily, interests me because that's precisely what the vet told me when I brought Bute in for a puppy exam. It was obvious he had an over bite (underbite? I never remember which it's called but a short mandible) but less obvious he was crypto chided and then he also turned out to have Vitamin B malabsorption.

Sue,

Was Bute born with a short tail?

 

Thanks!

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I would do spinal imaging before engaging in sports or work, just to be safe. Border Collies can carry the gene for a naturally bobbed tail. However, with this gene you can also (in a certain percentage of dogs) get spinal cord deformities. The bobbed tail can also indicate a gene mutation or a problem with development.

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