Puppy with arched back

[TessieMom]

This time I am posting a question for a friend who has two 11-week-old dachshund puppies. The larger one is a girl and she is developing normally. However, the male is shorter and smaller and his back is starting to develop a major arch upward in the middle. She wondered if anyone else has ever had a similar problem with a puppy and whether he would grow out of it or this was an early indication of back problems. The parents were tiny minis. She plans to bring him in to the vet next week, but wondered what to expect. Thanks, Rena

[~Jen~]

Yes i have seen this before its whats called a roach back (i know sounds nasty) its more common in smaller mini.'s who are more lightboned. I do not know the long term prognosis for it though ... its a bone structure thing and usually not noticable til they begin to mature but can show up at birth. Dachshunds should have a nice level topline good and strong looking... i think roach back showed up when they bred the mini.'s down from the standards thats just a guess though. Its always a good idea to have the vet. have a look http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

Jen

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by ~Jen~ on October 14, 2000 at 04:07 PM</font>