

The shelter wrote that Quasi will not be available for adoption until he is healthy and has his temperament evaluated. “He may not be as pretty as many dogs on the outside, but his heart and soul shine through and make him one of God’s most beautiful creatures,” Anderson said. His adoption journey is being documented on his page through pictures and video posts of his visits to the vet and playing outside. His fan page on Facebook, “Quasi The Great” was created on Thursday to help people learn about his condition and bring awareness to dogs with special needs.
Short spine syndrome dog how to#
Quasi is unable to turn his head, but otherwise his condition doesn’t affect his day-to-day activities.Īnderson said, “He gets around just fine and knows exactly how to snuggle to fit into a lap.”

“Born different but never knowing any other way, he seeks to please the people who have shown him kind hands and warm hearts,” Anderson said.Īccording to the shelter’s Facebook page, the shelter staff originally thought he had lived his life in a kennel, but the 3-year-old was later diagnosed with the syndrome, which is a genetic condition.

Named after the “Hunchback of Notre Dame” character, Quasi is one of only 13 known dogs in the world with short spine syndrome, according to Secondhand Hounds. Sara Anderson, the large-breed foster coordinator for the shelter, said she was contacted to take Quasi because of her love of special-needs dogs. The dog was taken in by Secondhand Hounds, an animal shelter in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Quasi was also seen by a human geneticist at University of California, who is studying his blood to find out what causes short spine syndrome. The spine plays an integral part in a dog’s physical appearance, which is why short spine syndrome alters a dog’s profile so drastically. This mutation affects the bone and cartilage development in the spine. A dog with short spine syndrome is suffering from an abnormal genetic mutation. Typically, they will also be smaller in stature than dogs of the same breed. If short spine syndrome rings a bell, it’s because it describes a hunchback dog. As writes, all dogs born with Short Spine Syndrome share similar traits, including sloping backs, short, broad necks, rear legs that are longer than the front ones, elongated jaws and either no tails, docked tails, or shorter than normal tails. His back cannot be surgically repaired,” the shelter wrote on Facebook. Dogs born with the condition have a spine that’s been, quite literally, shortened. “Quasi is missing a couple of vertebra in his back, but that is not causing him pain. He will be seeing a specialist to fix what is called a screw tail, a vertebrae deformity in the tail.
Short spine syndrome dog skin#
Quasi had his neck clipped and cleaned to help the skin heal from his collar wound and he was neutered. On Monday, Secondhand Hounds updated Quasi’s 50,000 fans on Facebook on the pup’s health and medical treatments. “He’s such a friendly dog.Quasimodo, a purebred German shepherd with short spine syndrome, is gaining fans online with his story. He has a lot of fans on Facebook,” Elly told Daily Mail. “Wherever he goes he draws attention but he really revels in it. Elly says that his birth defect left it so he essential had his “butt on his back,” but a surgery has made it easier for him to go to the bathroom on his own.Įlly says that despite everything, Cooper is the “happiest dog,” and people are always happy to see him, too. Early on, the dog had a few medical setbacks, including a fall that fractured his neck in five places and a bone infection.īut in other ways Cooper’s condition has seen improvements. While many people would pass over such a unique-looking dog - or even worse, he could’ve been euthanized for his disability - Elly has a warm heart towards differently-abled dogs and committed to giving Cooper all the love and help he needs.Įlly says she was aware Cooper would need medical attention but had the support of Secondhand Hounds. But Cooper soon found his perfect home with Elly Keegan and her family.
