Hello, this is my first post though have been reading this forum for some time. My bitch has just had her 2nd litter and at 3 days old i noticed one of the bitch pups has a kink in her tail about half way along. Never had this before so unsure of whether anything i can do. She can lift the tail up but the end stays straight outwards. what i would like to know is whether i can still sell her and at what proportion of the normal cost? Sorry if I seem a bit ignorant on this but as i said not had this before and upset for my little puppy, though she is very well in every other way and feeds extremely well!

Thank you for any help

i would take the pup to the vet to get the tail checked, as this happened in my first litter and it turned out the tail was broken ( puppy showed no signs of discomfort) the tail had to be docked.
to this day i dont no how the dammage accured.
i sold the puppy for a small fee to a great pet home

ok I was going to anyway - would they dock even if tail not that long? would strapping help?

spoke to the vet who said to bring pup to surgery at around 10 days old. Unlikely to straighten but might get stonger. She did talk about docking if it just hangs and gets in the way - i cant see this is going to happen though as scottie tails are normally held upright.

when you said small fee are we talking less than half price of normal cost?

If i kept her could i breed from her?

If i kept her could i breed from her?

Are there any relatives on bitch or dog side for 4 generations that have had tail problems?  Why would you consider breeding from anything other than a top quality bitch?

have spoken to the breeder where i got Florence from and she hasn't had anything like this before, awaiting to hear from stud dog owner but as far as i know she hasn't either.

Would breed from her if it could just be something thats happened after she was born(not sure what) or from being in tightly packed uterus - is it normally hereditery then? have read in another post that someone did breed from a kinked tail bitch and all puppies were normal.

would only keep her if could not sell her a home as was going to keep a bitch anyway with view to breeding.

I don't know what breed you have but a kinked tail is considered in many breeds to have an hereditary element, so it's probably best to avoid breeding from her.

If i kept her could i breed from her?

There's several things to consider here....

IF she turns out to be of such outstandng quality that she would have made her mark in the show show ring.

IF she's from lines that need (for the betterment of the breed) to be continued and none of her litter sisters are as good as her.

IF her tail is proven to be accidental or congenital and not an hereditary condition.

Maybe you could talk to some experienced exhibitors/breeders in your breed and ask them if they've encountered this before.

HTH

Debs

yes, thank you will go down that route.

will selling her be tricky?

this site is soo good to be able to get quick advice from knowledgeable people. Glad i took the plunge and joined as i did feel a bit worried that people might think i was asking daft questions. Feel a bit embarassed about having this problem with my pup and not sure what to do.

Hi there - I know of two dogs that had a kink in tail - one due to mum overkeen and pulling the tail in in the other case the other born with it - didn't appear to be hereditary reasons just squashed in womb.

Neither were severe.  One had the kink removed due to catching it but suffered no problems otherwise - and the other is quite happy and hasn't had any issues.

Both found very loving pet homes without any trouble and actually I don't think the cost was reduced at all but not 100% on that - friend of a friend in both cases!

Some breed have inherited "kinks" what breed is it?
dawn.

Hi Dawn were you asking me?  This was in Gordon Setters

thank you rachelsetters thats really encouraging to know. Hopefully my little pup wont have problems either.

Lorripop

i had it in a puppy once & daily, several time a day in fact! massage & really firm finger massaging made it all but straight again!! You need to start right away though.

I do keep stroking it straight between 2 fingers but will do more now - thanks for the advise

What breed is it because this may be something that does crop up in them?

It says its a scottie further up.

Hi Yes I have scottish terrrier.

Lorri

I'm coming in late here, but wanted to tell of an experience I had in one of my litters of kittens last year. I had one particularly promising kitten that I planned to keep and show and use as a stud. Persian, so a fair amount of fur on the tail already from birth.  After 3 weeks or so I suddenly felt it -a KINK in the middle of the tail. I was devastated! I haven't had a problem with kinks in my lines for the past 15 years or so, and this would mean this kitten could not be shown or bred from. I couldn't understand why I hadn't noticed it sooner!

A couple of weeks later it became clear why. It wasn't a kink at all but an abscess, which burst, leaving a perfect tail. Have no idea why it appeared, but it felt just like a kink to start with. It was only when it got bigger that I parted the fur and looked carefully and squeezed and got a face full of pus.

>It was only when it got bigger that I parted the fur and looked carefully and squeezed and got a face full of pus. 

Eeeewwwwwww!

That's what we call a pussy cat, JG. :D

>It was only when it got bigger that I parted the fur and looked carefully and squeezed and got a face full of pus. 

Eeeewwwwwww!

Under the circumstances, I'd guess a Yipieeee was more likely :-p

Too much information!!!

yuky

this kink in my pup i noticed at 2days old and doesn't seem to be getting bigger - in fact now she is bigger the kink feels smaller though still apparent. Hoping its going to strengthen as she grows but i really dont think it will straighten.

wish it was an abcess probelm solved then.

Hi Lorripop. When we bought our second Great Dane in 1999 her tail had a kink about 3" from the tip. We still bought her for showing. She did quite well in the ring and got 3rd at Crufts when she was two. She died in her sleep last May without a days illness in her life.

Isn't that a rather young age even for a Dane?? only 7 years old? Don't they last any longer than that!?

Hi Newfie. Sorry it was 2005 she died. Getting mixed up. My Standard Poodle died last year aged 11. My Dane had only just turned 6 by 4 mths when she died. Yes it was young but I've heard your lucky to get Danes into double figures. Her auntie who we got the year before her died at 7 yrs old. But she was a dog who was always at the vets in her later years. Cassie who died in 2005 was never ill. We never used her insurance once. She had one phantom pregnancy and that was the only reason she ever went to the vets with her apart from her boosters. It was such a shock to find her curled up in her bed in the morning. She looked so peaceful and had obviously died in her sleep. That was how she looked....asleep. OH even started to get her breakfast ready.

She was at the vets 2 weeks before she died  for her booster and was given a thorough examination and was given a clean bill of health.

Oh Bless her...my Newfie was called Cassie, she was put to sleep last year and had no real problems till the end...My brother had a Dane and she went running across the fields one day and promptly keeled over and died...a good end for them though eh?? Better than years of suffering...

I think its because they have never been ill that when they go and they seem so "fit" thats its a big shock. Like you say she was young and she was like a pup all through her life, except when in the ring she came over all regal and grown up. But out the ring was a different matter! We had to have her auntie put to sleep a year before we lost Cassie. Ellie was at the vets with one thing or another later in life. She went for the window cleaner who she knew well and had been coming well before we got her. We had her put to sleep because we didnt trust her. She seemed to age so quick. I have heard of Danes dying the way you have said. So quick and unexpected. I'm pleased Cassie went the way she did with no suffering as much of a shock it was. Better than the way we lost Ellie. Did your brother get another one? My sister would love to have a Newfie. But she has two 1 yr old Border Terriers that are brothers and one of them is aggressive towards other dogs and she wants to get this sorted out first. He is getting help from a behaviorist, but things moving slowly. She cant believe they have been brought up the same and one is like this.

It was like that with my Tula last year.  She was a few days short of 11, and had been for a good run and play and just lay down and was found dead.  That is young for the breed.