If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in recent days, you will likely have seen the viral footage of “Jimothy”: an unusually round raccoon in Seattle that hops and skips along in video filmed by local resident Kiana Hall.

This animal has a very rare congenital deformity called short spine syndrome, where the spine fails to develop properly in utero.

In fact, the condition can affect dogs, calves and other mammals – but is so vanishingly rare that in my entire career, having treated thousand and thousands of small animals, I have never seen a clinical case in real life.

What causes the condition, and can it be fixed?

Short spine syndrome is so exceedingly rare that it’s hard to say exactly why it happens.

When it is seen, it can be in........

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