Hemivertebrae

Screw-tailed Dogs And Hemivertebrae

Have you ever noticed how some breeds of dogs have a little cork screw or screw-tailed appearance? Often these dogs tend to be the short muzzled or brachycephalic breeds as well, and their short little kinky tails tend to balance out their short, pushed in faces.While the short little kinked tails may be cute in appearance, it is also an indicator of a deformation of the vertebrae of the spine, known as hemivertebrae. There are also some types of hemivertebrae or hemivertebra that can occur in other areas of the spine as well resulting in other malformations and movement problems. The breeds most likely to have hemivertebrae at the tail include Pugs, Boston Terriers and the English and French Bulldogs. The breeds that are most commonly seen with hemivertebrae in other areas of the spine include German Short Haired Pointers and the German Shepherd. [...]

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