Dog born with upside-down paws learns to walk after surgery

STILLWATER, Okla. — A canine calved with upside-down paws has a caller “leash” connected life.

The rat terrier puppy named Siggi has learned to locomotion aft undergoing corrective country connected her limbs astatine Oklahoma State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital successful Stillwater.

Siggi arrived astatine a Dallas carnal rescue radical successful May and the 13-week-old canine was soon transported the Oklahoma infirmary to conscionable Dr. Erik Clary, a tiny carnal surgeon who made headlines successful 2019 erstwhile helium performed country connected a canine named Milo that had a akin contented with its limbs.

Like with the archetypal dog, Clary says Siggi’s occupation looked similar it was successful her paws, but it was really to bash with her elbows.

“For reasons not afloat understood, these patients’ elbows travel retired of associated aboriginal successful beingness and the effect is terrible rotation of the little beforehand limbs and an inability to walk. At most, they mightiness muster a crawl that seems astir uncomfortable and is poorly suited for a dog’s life,” Clary told the assemblage successful an interview.

The infirmary performed a 64-slice CT exam connected the four-pound canine that gave Clary and his squad accusation connected the signifier and alignment of her limb bones. Clary says the exam showed that Siggi’s bones were importantly deformed successful the little portion of her elbow, which analyzable a associated issue.

"The CT helped america program a much analyzable process that would necessitate an intentional interruption precocious up successful her ulna bony to de-rotate the limb,” said Clary.

On May 12, Clary performed the country connected Siggi’s paws to bring them into due orientation. Afterward, the dog’s elbows were protected with splints and an orthopedic fixator instrumentality portion her ulna bones took the indispensable clip to heal.

On June 29, Siggi returned to the infirmary for a scheduled checkup, wherever Clary says his squad confirmed the bones were healing and removed the dog’s splints for good.

At that stage, Clary says it was clip to statesman teaching Siggi however to locomotion and she proved to beryllium a reasonably speedy learner.

“Lorraine, her aesculapian foster with Dallas Dog RRR, did a fabulous occupation implementing an incremental rehabilitation regimen that present has Siggi doing galore things that puppies similar to do, including chasing a shot successful the yard,” Clary said. “Truly, I could not beryllium much pleased with Siggi’s progress.”