Skipper the six-legged dog has caused people from all over the world to fall in love with her in the space of not even a week. The Aussie/Collie mix was born with four back legs, two front legs, and two tails, and she has multiple functioning organs from the waist down!
Branded a ‘miracle pup’, vets say Skipper’s extra limbs are different from anything they’ve ever seen before!
Posted by Skippers Journey on Saturday, 20 February 2021
Skipper is a pretty average pup in every other way. She’s still less than a week old and weighs 11 ounces, and she eats and drinks like normal. But from the hips down, it’s like seeing double.
“What we think happened with her, is that sometime during development when the body normally starts patterning itself so you get this mirror image, she started trying to split- almost like trying to form a twin, and it just didn’t one hundred percent complete itself,” Vet Dr Everd told KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4.
At the moment, Skipper is healthy, eating plenty and moving around, and since she has pretty much double of everything below her waist, she even answers nature’s call-times two!
As far as the future is concerned, the miracle pup might have to face a few hurdles as she grows older. Skipper has Spina Bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly. Because of this, she could need physical therapy at some point in the future.
For those of you who are interested in the exact science behind this rarity, Neel Veterinary Hospital further discussed Skipper’s condition on a Facebook post:
“She has a type of congenital conjoining disorders called monocephalus dipygus and monocephalus rachipagus dibrachius tetrapus which simply means she has 1 head and chest cavity but 2 pelvic regions, 2 lower urinary tracts, 2 reproductive systems, 2 tails and 6 legs among other things. It is likely that she was going to have a litter mate but they did not separate in utero. She also has signs of spina bifida along her spine. Positively, her organs appear to be in great shape, she is peeing and pooping, and is very strong! She nurses well and is growing appropriately so far.”
This is a miracle named Skipper. Literally. She has survived longer than we suspect any other canine has (at just 4 days…
Posted by Neel Veterinary Hospital on Sunday, 21 February 2021
Because she’s still so tiny, it’s impossible to know what other issues she may encounter as she grows.
Skipper is one of a kind, meaning that vets have limited information to tell them how she is going to grow. There’s a chance that she could live a pretty normal life, but there’s also a chance that she might not.
“Without knowing exactly how things are wired inside, or how she will continue to develop, we don’t know how long she will live for,” Dr Everd said. “She might have a shorter lifespan than the average puppy.”
Despite this, vets are hopeful that Skipper will go on to live a life as normal as possible. From a research perspective, she will be able to teach them exciting new things that will help them to expand their knowledge of puppies born with multiple limbs.
“It’s very exciting, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn more about her and see what she can teach us,” Dr Everd concluded.
What a little sweetheart! We hope that she goes on to live a long and healthy life, and we can’t wait to see what she looks like as she grows up!
Take a look at the adorable video footage of her below, and be sure to check out the Skipper’s Journey Facebook page for more pupdates.
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