Vets and staff at the Neel Veterinary Hospital were shocked to see a puppy born with 6 legs and 2 tails. The Australian Shepherd Border Collie Mix, who has been named Skipper by her family, was born on February 16th, 2021, weighing 11 ounces.
Despite the low odds of a dog with such deformities surviving, Skipper is still alive and thriving close to three weeks after she was born, and the vets are confident that the puppy will have a long and healthy life.
Newborn Puppy Reported To Be Healthy With Deformity
Skipper was born normally together with her siblings. However, their similarities end there, since Skipper does not have the same number of limbs and organs as her siblings, at least on her lower body.
Skipper has two tails, six legs, two lower urinary tracts, two pelvic regions, and two sets of reproductive organs. Speaking to the press, one of the vets at Neel Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Everett, said that she’s never seen any other puppy born with such a condition in her lifetime.
The chances of a puppy born with such a deformity surviving are very low, but Skipper is already beating the odds, and the vets believe that she will survive and thrive.
According to one of the vets at the hospital, Skipper’s condition is caused by several congenital conjoining disorders, including monocephalus rachipagus dibrachius tetrapus and monocephalus dipygus.
According to Dr. Everett, at some point in Skippers development inside the womb, her body tried splitting itself to form another puppy, but the splitting process did not get to completion, resulting in the double organs in the lower section of Skipper’s body.
Rejected Since Birth
Due to her deformity, Skipper’s mother rejected her right after birth, meaning the pup had to be cared for by vets and fed from a bottle since birth. However, she already has a family that loves her, and so far, she’s growing like any other normal puppy.
During a recent visit to the hospital for a check up, the vets noted that all her legs are mobile, and so far, they had not discovered any signs of pain or discomfort. The puppy was eating well, relieving herself without any trouble, growing on schedule, responding properly to stimuli, and moving around without any assistance.
Despite the good progress, the vets are closely monitoring her condition. Still, they expect that she will have a long life. As she grows older, however, it will get to a point where she will need walking assistance or physical therapy due to the extra set of legs.
When the news of Skipper first came out, there was a lot of backlash against the vets at the Neel Veterinary Hospital, with the public saying that the vets should euthanize Skipper to put her out of her misery.
So far, however, Skipper has not shown any signs of pain or discomfort, and the vets believe that the puppy deserves a chance at life and happiness, just like any other puppy would.
