I am thinking about buying an affenpinscher puppy with a soft fontenelle.  Is this a bad idea?  Does it indicate illness, or is it simply a quality?

I have a bitch who was born with an open fontanelle and I wouldn't have dreamed of selling her as there may be underlying reasons such as pressure from brain etc.  She is now 18 months and it has pretty much closed up but it is still soft.  She's generally fit and healthy but has had a few problems that have required veterinary treatment althogh I couldn't be certain if that is attributable to the fontanelle or the fact that she was also the smallest/weakest of the litter.

I obviously told my insurance company when I registered her and she isn't covered for any problems that result from that.  Personally I wouldn't buy into any potential problems nor would I sell the,.  You really need a vets opinion as to the extent of the problem.

Best Wishes

Andrea

do you think that maybe fact that she's such a little dog make a difference?  i thought that maybe since the soft spot was so common in chihuahuas it was ok with an affen?

it's not a quality it is a defect you would be better buying a healthy dog to save upset along the way, funny enough i was just reading about this condition today in the book of the bitch and the author feels pupps born with a soft frontella should be put to sleep to save brain injury accidents to the pup.  Why dont you take a look in that book or ask a vet about the condition and see what advice they give you before making a commitment.

Johanna

As Frank says it is a fault and nothing to do with the size of the dog.  The bones haven't grown properly and may not change.  The vet suggested that we may have to have Katie put down but luckily her fontanelle has almost closed and it isn't too soft, however, we bred Katie and there was never a question of selling her.  While your heart may think this is a good idea please listen to your head as you have no idea what you could be letting yourself in for.

Be patient and you will get the companion that you dream of.

Good luck

Andrea

I always thought that some breeds do have this more prominently than others.  Don't know which ones though?