Have you ever seen a dog with six legs? A little puppy born in Oklahoma has become an object of interest and awe among dog lovers and veterinarians alike with its six limbs. That's not it! It also has two tails. The tiny marvel was born last week and has been named Skipper. She is a part Border Collie, part Australian Shepard mix and currently weighs just 11-ounce. The vet attending her has called her ‘nothing short of a miracle.’
“I don’t think I’m probably gonna see another puppy in my lifetime like this,” said Dr Alison Everett, a veterinarian at Neel Veterinary Hospital, in an interview with News 4.
Apart from the double back limbs, Skipper also has two anuses. She is one of eight siblings born in the litter but none of them have any such deformity.
While she is too small to fully gauge the extent of her condition, the vets assume there’s a lot more to be revealed as she grows. She likely has two urinary bladders—probably two reproductive systems as well. They suggest that during development, the cells might have tried to split—as if creating a twin. But it never completely separated and the result is Skipper. According to Daily Mail, her condition is ‘monocephalus dipygus and monocephalus rachipagus dibrachius tetrapus’ as she has one chest cavity and one head but all the lower body systems are double.
Though she seems to be holding on just fine right now, things will likely go south in the future. Because of her spina bifida, she’d require lots of physical therapy and possibly even mobility assistance once she is older.
But for now, she is eating and crawling. According to one report, Skipper’s mother has rejected her and she is being bottle-fed.
There are no external signs of pain or discomfort. However, she will have a shorter life expectancy than the regular pups born in her litter. But with care and medical assistance, she will survive just fine.