Westie Puppies And Kinked Tails

[Andrena]

Hi,

I am awaiting the birth of a westie with a breeder due end of February. The breeder has advised that the mother to be has a kink at the tip of her tail which they had docked as it caught in the door. The breeder also has just had another litter of pups in December from a different mother and one was born with a bent tail which they thought was a 'packaging' issue and the vet suggested docking.

Should I be concerned with this ? Is this common and could there be any other health concerns with kinks in tails. I do not want to show dog it is going to be a family dog.

Many thanks

[dancinbcs]

I have known quite a few dogs with kinked tails and it is not something I would worry about in a pet. I have no idea why they would need to be docked. I have even used a top winning stud dog who had a small kink in his tail and it wasn't passed on.

[Alyosha]

The vet will be able to tell if it's an injury or a deformity. Sounds like a simple break.

Tail breaks do happen in utero - it's pretty crowded in there sometimes! It probably doesn't need docking unless the nerve or blood supply is affected. If it is, the end is better to come off as the dog won't feel when they injure it, or it can have poor blood supply and be prone to infection. Docking it can be a much more traumatic thing to do when they're bigger.

[Andrena]

Thank you all for your replies, it has put my mind at ease, much appreciated.

[Missymoo]

I think a family of my sons school buddy is getting one from this litter too :)

[Dogsfevr]

I would have no issue .

If we had a pup born with a kink it would depend on the severity but would certainly consider docking below the kink,some kinks are not dog friendly