Roach Back in Boxer

[omegaboxer]

I just got a 4 month boxer and his back is arched; he is from Hungary and will be very big; but when he is walking you can see the arch in his back. I researched and it says that an arched back is roached back. Is it possible for the back to straighten? the breeder says that he will straighten by 1 year old. Can some sone help me with this one?

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

you need to be discussing this with your vet for sure

 

[Caney Creek]

I see you're in Texas... may I ask how you acquired a puppy from Hungary?? And what does him being from Hungary have to do with his size?

The first thing that comes to my mind is that Hungary is one of a handful of European countries known for having LOTS of puppy mills. :( If you bought this puppy over the internet without thoroughly checking out the breeder then it's very possible that you bought from a puppy miller/broker/backyard breeder. If that is the case, I wouldn't trust the breeder's word on anything, and I doubt they know anything about the back "straightening out" by a year old. Did you get a health contract on the puppy? What are the details of it?

 

[gmacleod]

Is it possible for the back to straighten?

Yes and no. A roached back is a structural defect. It is fair to say that it is likely to become less apparent as the dog matures, due to the development of more muscle tone that will help to support his spine and body. However, it is unlikely that the dog will ever have the perfectly straight back that he should have (and would have, if correctly constructed).

In short, I think you could fairly expect some improvement in appearance as he grows up But it is more disguise of skeletal structure than correction (i.e. his structure won't actually change, it will just be better supported by adult muscle tone).

 

[omegaboxer]

Thanks for the responses

I bought the puppy from Hungary because of the breeding; the sire is a European champion champion. Very beautiful and the breeder was recommended by a very good breeder in the US who has imported several of his dogs from the same breeder. I did a lot of research, but I guess I will have to wait and see. The breeder has been responding to all my email and phone calls; but I want to get some advice from someone who may have seen this in the breed as I have not seen this before. He should be a big boy; maybe the muscle tone will aid in the apperance.

Thanks to all for the comments...I love boxer world!!!

 

[Caney Creek]

I saw the picture of your puppy... never seen anything like that :confused: Since I know nothing about the condition I couldn't tell you whether the back will straighten out or not.

Have you taken him to the vet yet?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I have a boxer that is 1/2 english and we had a slight roaching problem when he was about 6-7 months but not like that. I mean slight ... I went to VA tech to have Baxter checked out and it turned out to be nothing wrong with him. He was fine after a few months...He may have fallen in the snow and when we tried to stack him he roached.... however I would def go have this xray and possibly an MRI- was he always like this?

 

[sargboxerluv]

My neighbors boxer's back is arched like that, but she seems to do it on purpose. Whenever someone is showing her attention her back is arched, almost like she is going to start "beaning" but doesn't. But when she is being ignored and "off in her own world", her back is straight.

But I would have your vet take a look and see what they say.

Can the breeder give you any pictures of a previous litter's pups doing this and then ending up with a straight back as they claim? That would be comforting to me if I could see it "work itself out".

 

[Julie P.]

Emma

When I first got Emma I took her to the vet for a checkup. The vet said..."hummm she has a hump back." I was told that some dogs have this. Since Emma has gotten older the hump/curve seems to have straightened out some; very few people notice it any more. Even so, I can still see a little curvature in her spine.