According to the international breeder survey conducted in 2016 by Orit Nevo and Linda Costa in preparation for the Rhodesian Ridgeback World Congress and covering all countries and more than 20 years, only 7% of ridgeback puppies are born ridgeless.

The RRWC 2016 followed up on this and asked FCI clubs with reliable litter statistics about the development of DS and ridgeless over time.

The following clubs participated: SRRS (Sweden) from 2006, NRRK (Norway) from 2000, RRK (Denmark) from 2003, The Ridgeback Club of Finland  from 2002, DZRR (Germany) from 2001, ELSA (Germany) from 2004, KCHRR (Czech Republic) from 2009 and RRCN (Netherlands) partly from 2010 — altogether 19,243 puppies born over a period of more than 10 years. DS shows a strong steady fall from 5.3% in 2006 to 1.7% in 2015, and in the same period the number of ridgeless rise from 2.84% to 4.99%.

There is no evidence, factual or anecdotal, that ridgeless puppies are “killed or neglected” or “not registered” in the surveyed countries. This was a practice in the breed’s earlier days, but better education of breeders and buyers has changed that in the FCI countries surveyed.

Dermoid sinus and mortality:

In the FCI countries surveyed, DS puppies are operated on at a very young age by experienced vets and — like their ridgeless siblings — placed in loving homes to live just as long and good lives as any other Ridgeback. According to Dr. Thomas Laube, who also presented at the RRWC 2016, there is a 100% success rate on DS operations when done by an experienced vet.

Dermoid sinus is NOT fatal for the dog.

Dr. Laube also stated that he had many DS operations on non-Ridgebacks, as well as Ridgeless and third-generation crosses (ie, several generations bred to ridgeless dogs of other breeds).

Dermoid sinus is today an increasingly rarely occurring condition, and can occur in both ridged and ridgeless dogs, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and other breeds.