curved spine should we be worried?

jazzsel

Our 3 1/2 yr old female Jaz was sold to us by a handler. Good breeding history we have found. However the handler chose to sell her because her back does not lie flat. It was not always obvious. However lately it looks like it is more pronounced? You can feel her spine and I think she has lost a little weight. Does anyone know anything about this? Could it be a genetic disorder? Something else? Please help? Sad

weimdogmom · Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:38 pm Post subject:

Have you talked with your vet about this?

Are there any other symptoms? Limping, change in gait, signs of pain or discomfort?

How long have you have her? Was there any diagnosis at the time you got her?

anne · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject:

What do you mean curved? What do you mean does not lie flat? Is it curved like in a "S" shape or is it more like the back is a little bit "humped" In other words, is the bend veritcal or horizontal?

jazzsel · Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject:

No we haven't talked to a vet about it. The last time I took her to the vet, he didn't even know what breed of dog she was!We won't be seeing him again.
She doesn't have any pain. She is still as energetic and agile as always. The handler didn't mention any conditions when she told us about her back. We have had her for two years. Her spine is humped. You can see it more towards the end of her rib cage rather than coming form her shoulders. Question

weimdogmom · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:24 am Post subject:

Can you take a picture of her back? I think I know what you are saying. Is it sort of over her waist, just before her hips you can see a small rise in her spine? I wonder -- maybe that is why she appears to have lost weight, but she actually hasn't?

anne · Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:15 pm Post subject:

A photo would help....
It sounds like she just has a roached back, a conformation flaw.... but it's hard to say from your description.

jazzsel · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:34 am Post subject:

I would love to post a photo but haven't had the time to figure it out yet. I appreciate your help. She has only lost a couple of pounds. Jazz hovers around 60-63 pds. She is 26inches at the shoulder. A conformation flaw would make sense as to why the handler wanted to sell her. She offered to show her for us. Jazz just wasn't the complete perfection she was after. It just seems like we can see her spine more now than a year ago. It could be too cause we're now looking at our pup and his flat back and it just seems like Jazz's is worse Question

This is a picture of her when she is about 6mths. you can sort of see a bit of the curve. I will see if I can get her to stand still for a photo Rolling Eyes

anne · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:53 am Post subject:

Nice looking dog.
She is not really that roached but has some muscle mass behind her shoulders which makes it look a bit more pronounced. Also if she has lost weight it'd be more pronounced. It's normal to have some of that muscle mass and I had to keep my dog about 5 pounds over his normal weight to cover it.