We are set to collect a wonderful little Dalmatian puppy next weekend, and have been very involved in the process since her birth. We've had a chance to visit the breeder three times already, when the dogs were 2, 4, and 6 weeks old, and were basically granted pick of the litter. We were between two lovely girls after our first visit, and on the second visit made the final decision. We've been nothing but excited [and still are] but at the third visit this past weekend, we discovered that the puppy has a tiny kink of no more than 20° right at the second to last vertebrae of her tail. Looking back at photos that we took on earlier visits, we can see that the kink has likely been there since birth it was just too small for us to notice.

Cosmetically, it's disappointing to see the flaw in an otherwise stunning puppy, but certainly not enough to put us off having her. Of more concern for us is that her health is otherwise in order. She plays and jumps just like the rest of her litter, and seems to have no pain associated with the kink. The breeder offered to have an x-ray of her spine, but I am not sure how necessary this really is, and am not sure how to proceed, so I am trying to amass some collective wisdom.

We've been to speak with our main veterinarian, as well as another for additional input, and they both advised that she is very likely to be healthy with the only stipulation that she not be bred further, and that an x-ray isn't necessary. Our vet suggested that we could have the x-ray if the breeder is offering, but then in the same breath said that it also might not even show anything as her bones are likely not done ossifying and a problem could arise later. Argh!

With this information, I contacted the breeder and said yes, please let's just have the x-ray as she'll be under anesthesia anyway for her hearing test next week. She then replies and tells me it would be a separate trip to get the x-ray done, but she would do it. Now I'm thinking it's silly to have it at all, and why put the puppy under twice for an x-ray that likely won't show anything.

Is it worth proceeding with the x-ray? Is it even a useful examination at this stage? Is this any reason to walk away from this puppy? I don't think so, but my experience is surely much less than that of others.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story and provide some insight!

Personally I wouldn't worry about it and it's a unique way to identify your dog in the future.

I have a dal with a tiny kink at the end of her tail. It's never been a cause for concern, and she's 5 years old now.

Just so you know, baby puppies aren't anaesthetised for their hearing test; it's done fully conscious (though they often fall asleep!). So any x-ray would need a special sedation/anaesthetic which I wouldn't want to do to a pup without a very good reason, because of the risks involved.

Kinky tails occur in my main breed from time to time and don't seem to bother them although the tail is an extension of the spine, so in my view, the kink should be noted.  If this was my decision, no way would I want x-ray to be done if it means a full anaesthetic.  I sold a puppy to some people whose vet said there were problems with him, and insisted on doing full front to back x-rays, when the pup had only been with them for under a week (he was over 8 weeks when he went home).   I asked them to bring him back so we could all go to my vet for her opinion (she'd already given him a health certificate).   They refused, and that poor puppy spent all the following Wednesday (first week there) with their vet who found .......... NOTHING WRONG!!    I even had my vet talk to their vet about this!

Frankly if this kink bothers you, why not go for the other bitch you were offered?

Thanks for the replies everyone. I was only considering the x-ray as the breeder suggested it when I told her I was concerned about the tail, and then the vet nudged me into taking her up on the offer. It seems like the consensus is that it almost certainly wouldn't be useful anyway, and the puppy seems to be as healthy, happy, and mischievous as any of her siblings, so I've told the breeder to skip the x-ray.

As for the other bitch, in the time since we made our choice, she was taken by another family. Even given the possibility, I wouldn't trade our puppy for the other dog--we chose her for her look and her character and those are both still in place. If we intended to show or breed her the tail would be a bigger concern, but we only want her as a pet. My main stress is that I want to be as sure as possible (and certainly I know that health is never guaranteed) that she'll have a full healthy life.

I just wanted to let everyone know that little Ms. Fiona with her kinky tail is now with us and getting settled in her new home. If you'd like you can see her resting on her blanket with momma's scent here. She has a lovely little personality, loves our garden, and we had a nice first night with no crying and no accidents!

I do have all of her papers from the breeder which show that her little knickrute has earned her a breeding ban. The breeder, who has been absolutely lovely, still maintains that it isn't a congenital defect, it happened after she was born and that she'll likely grow out of it and that once she does she could have the ban lifted. I think that's quite dubious, but we never intended anything for her other than companionship and intended on having her spayed before we even noticed the tail so it's really no issue for us. But, thanks for your input, everyone!

Very pretty and it is always possible she could have been accidentally been stood on.

Most pet puppies are sold with breeding endorsements which is what you assume is the ban - that would be likely normal no matter which pup you took - and I thought you were only buying a pet anyway?

Did you read their posts fully? They say that they never intended to breed and only want a pet so it’s no issue.

We do only want her as a pet, and she appears to be healthy, so it's no issue for us. There is no breeding endorsement from the breeder, and she went on to say that she felt it wasn't congenital, that she'd grow out of it, and that she'd still be fit for breeding. But, of the dogs from the litter only ours has "Zuchtverbot" (breeding forbidden) stamped into her papers from the kennel club.

The poster is abroad, and in many European Kennel clubs litters are checked by a KC rep and any with anomalies noted, and may not permitted to be bred from.