
His owner said that after undergoing surgery, Cooper was able to urinate without requiring assistance. Ĭonsider the story of Cooper - an American foxhound with the condition - and how he experienced trouble urinating properly because of his fused spine. The medical treatment for canines diagnosed with the condition revolves around improving their quality of life. Is There a Cure for Short Spine Syndrome in Dogs?Ĭurrently, there’s no known cure for short spine syndrome. Abnormal development of these hips or hip dysplasia.After all, improper inbreeding could cause congenital disabilities and health problems like: The prevalence of inbreeding, however, could make the condition more common than it should be. And when it happens, it’s usually only limited to a single offspring. Canines with the condition seldom get pregnant, however. The book states that female dogs with short spine syndrome have a prolonged heat or reproductive cycle than normal canines. The theory first appeared in the book “Genetics of the Dog, ” penned by American geneticist Elaine Ostrander. But recent studies show that improper inbreeding might be the reason behind the condition. In the past, dogs with short spine syndrome were suspected of a rare genetic phenomenon. What are the Causes of Short Spine Syndrome? And this is because your canine’s vertebrae will never mature into a proper bone and will remain in their cartilage form. The tail could either be short, docked, or missing altogether.ĭue to spine compression, a dog with short spine syndrome will be smaller than the average dog. Even though their heads appear normal, it’s fused with their shoulders resulting in a short, broad neck.Īs for the rest of the body, your dog’s back will be sloped, and its rear legs will be longer than its front legs. Dogs with the condition have their vertebrae compressed together, resulting in an unusually short body. Īnother example of a condition that could afflict your dog is short spine syndrome.

There are many conditions that could affect your dog, and it could range from something as common as leptospirosis to rare diseases like hypertrophic osteopathy.
