Hemivertebra In Pug

[Rainy]

Hi all im posting this hear from the pug Thread in hope of more advice,

Hi pug people im in need of a little advice to pass on to a friend, long story short i convinced this couple to buy a pure breed pug insted of the pug cross they were looking at getting, they found a registered breeder and got there little girl all went well for the first 2 months but about 2 weeks ago they noticed she seemed to not be useing her back legs very well they took her to a vet and was told its just puppy growth wobbles, yesterday they were worried still and i told them to visit another vet she found a lump on her back and sent them straight to a specialst, apparently her spine is growing mishaped and is putting pressure on the spinal cord, they were given 3 opitions operate witch may fix the problem but she may not survive , leave it and live her life in a wheelchair and on meds for the rest of her life or PTS. as you can understand they are distrought so i couldnt get all the info i wanted so i told them to sleep on it and ring the vet this morning and write down the name of the condition so they dont forget and to call there breeder to let them know what is going on.

Can you guys tell me how well pugs recover from operations and if anyone has had an experiance like this befor, what do you think you would do in this situation and any recomenations for help in the brisbane area

Thanks in advance S

Thanks for the advice guys they are planning on contacting the breeder, the condition is called hemivertebra aparently this is what gives the pug its screw tail but unfortunatly has happened further up the spine causing the back leg problem. is there anyone in brisban that can recomend good specialst?

Im feeling terible atm because i pushed the register breeder pitch so hard better health, less genetic probs etc etc and now this has happened

thanks S

[puggy_puggy]

Personally I have come across three black pugs with hemivertibra and one fawn. All with varying degrees of it from having a hunched back and slightly imobalised back legs to back legs that do not work at all and drag out behind the dog.

I have also heard of a litter that was PTS.

One of the pugs with HV I have come across was PTS at a puppy. Another two are wobbly on their back legs and have hunched backs but have learnt to compensate with other muscles etc over the years. The other one I first saw could only drag it's back legs behind it and was only a pup but the month or so between me seeing it it had begain to try and flip it's feet around and stand up.

I don't know about surgery but I think it's not a viable option for most HV. Intensive physio would be the first place to start..

[~Anne~]

How sad for your friend. Hermi seems to becoming more common these days and that is a real concern, althoug it could very well be just my perception.

I can't really add any more than what has been said above. There are many Pug specific forums around where you can talk to others who are experiencing the same issues and conditions. The US based Pug forums are full of great information and advice. PM me if you would like links.

[Rainy]

Hi guys thanks for the advice and support the decision has been made between owner, breeder, and specialst to PTS

[~Anne~]

That is so sad, but possibly for the best.

Maybe, when they feel the time is right, they can look at a rescue Pug.