Stunted growth

Question
I have a three year old dog(female Dobermann) who really is short.
I was wondering if you could prescribe some med. or better yet if you know of any food that can help.
Her vertebrae is not straight (so her back looks kind of curved)but the vet (in Ghana)says it is nothing and that it has nothing to do and not what is affecting its height in anyway

Answer

Hi Valense,

Your dog may be smaller than the average Doberman because of her spinal problem. It's also possible that she may have been the "runt" of her litter, and is just naturally small in stature. Another possibility for your dog's size could be that she isn't a pure Doberman, which could make her smaller than a purebred dog, or her parents weren't "breed standard" dogs. It may be that she didn't receive the correct nutrition as a puppy, and didn't grow as large as she could have.

There are many reasons why a dog might not grow up to be as big as you thought she would. Being an adult though, your dog is done growing, and she is the size she is. Nothing is going to change that, at this point.

Unless your dog is in pain or has mobility problems, the vet who examined your dog is correct, that the back condition isn't effecting her in anyway. That might change as your dog ages, she may need pain medication at some point because of her back. But for now, if she's a happy and active dog, you haven't got a problem.

Feed your dog the best dog food you can afford, and make sure she doesn't get fat. An overweight dog is prone to develop back problems, and your dog doesn't need to carry any extra weight.

Your dog may not win at a dog show for her breed, but I'm sure she's a wonderful dog who loves you very much. She's tall where it counts, in her heart!

Best of luck,

Patti