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![mrdarcy (admin)](/usericon/92658.jpg)
by mrdarcy on 30 June 2016 - 21:06
1GSD1 exactly what I was thinking, friend had a Cocker with this condition, still needed surgery in the end though.
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by 3Shep2 on 30 June 2016 - 23:06
I have a nine year old female with an extra vertebrae.
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by Jenni78 on 01 July 2016 - 14:07
Luxating patella is not something I've heard of in a GSD, but I guess could be called "knee dysplasia" LOL. Luxating patella has clear symptoms, though, at least if it's bad enough to worry about. This dog is supposedly not showing any symptoms of anything, which is why this is one of the weirder posts on here lately.
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by Hundmutter on 01 July 2016 - 17:07
& Did the vet really say "extra" or is that a translation for a transitional vertebra, BTW ?
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by TIG on 01 July 2016 - 20:07
How old is the dog and is he intact or neutered ( and if so at what age)?
If the dog is not limping or in pain why was he xrayed from stem to stern? Often the sign of a money hungry vet.
There is absolutely NO reason to operate on a transitional vertebrae - in fact would be highly dangerous so either the owner heard wrong (quite possible) or the sign of an extreme money hungry vet who is an idiot.
If by knee dysplasia it is meant a luxataing patella it is getting quite common these days in all sizes of dogs for two big reasons. 1. early spay/nueter is linked to huge increases in this as the dogs are not getting the growth hormones for proper skeleton development. You also see dogs with tall thin limbs, no chest development and narrow heads. # of studies prove the link. I swear vets like early SN since it brings them so much lucative fix it problems later. Solved the problem of declining wellness/vacination visits. It also happens to increase the incidence of hemangio by 500% among other things. 2. the increase of dog sports such as agility especially when done at very young ages affects this because the dog is constantly putting extreme stress on the "knee" joint by making sharp turns at high speeds. Or as in my girls case it was squirrel induced - he sits in the tree in the middle of the yard going NA NA NA and she runs and hits the back fence makes sharp turn and charges the house wall ( concrete) and turns and pushes off to jump for the tree. Sigh
Variable #s of verterbrae are not uncommon in mammals. In extreme cases it can cause deformity but in general one missing or extra is no big deal. Many Arabians have one less and often one less rib - it is a hallmark of the breed. Transitional or one extra verterbrae at the end of the spine is not uncommon in GSD and is only starting to be a big deal because OFA now notes it in its findings. There are some THEORIES which have NOT been proven (thus the use of the word theories) that it may play a role in back problems or causa equina. Once again note the unproven. The reality is thousands of us have owned and lived with dogs with transitional verterbrae that had neither issue.
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