Dog born with upside down paws learns to walk after Oklahoma State surgery, video shows
Siggi was born with upside down paws, but this determined rat terrier didn’t let that stop her from moving around.
The spotted pup would crawl on her elbows as her back paws kept her going — but that’s no way for a puppy to live.
Thanks to her Dallas animal rescue group and the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Siggi is now learning to walk on all four paws.
When Siggi found herself with Dallas Dog Rescue Rehab Reform in May, her humans knew to contact Oklahoma State because of a similar surgery the school performed in 2019.
Early that year, the school’s College of Veterinary Medicine treated Milo, “an adorable foxhound puppy who was born with the rare condition of front paws facing upward instead of downward,” the college said in a Tuesday news release.
“At OSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH), Milo met Dr. Erik Clary, a small animal surgeon, who performed corrective surgery that proved quite successful,” the college said. “Months after surgery, the public interest in Milo’s situation remained intense to the point of prompting a news conference at OSU to report Milo’s recovery to his fans far and wide.”
Like Milo, “sweet” Siggi is getting her turn in the spotlight as she learns to walk, run and play. This comes after she, at 13 weeks old, got to meet Clary and the veterinary team.
“As with Milo, Siggi’s problem looked like it was in the paws but it was actually in her elbows,” Clary said. “For reasons not fully understood, these patients’ elbows come out of joint early in life and the result is severe rotation of the lower front limbs and an inability to walk. At most, they might muster a crawl that seems most uncomfortable and is poorly suited for a dog’s life.”
Siggi was only 4 pounds when she first was examined by Clary, and a CT scan showed that her situation was more complicated than Milo’s case.
“Unlike Milo, Siggi had significant deformity of the bones in the lower part of her elbow complicating the joint issue,” Clary said. “The CT helped us plan a more complex procedure that would require an intentional break high up in her ulna bone to de-rotate the limb.”
With an additional challenge, the team performed her surgery, bringing Siggi’s paws right-side up. Following her surgery, Siggi was placed in orange casts complete with the Oklahoma State Pistol Pete mascot. The splints and orthopedic fixator device allowed her bones to heal before her checkup on June 29.
“With that checkup, we confirmed the bone healing with X-ray exam and then removed Siggi’s splint for good,” Clary said. “At that stage, the task then became one of teaching her how to walk and she proved a fairly quick learner.”
Video from the college shows Siggi learning to walk up a ramp as she collects treats for her hard work.
“Lorraine, her medical foster with Dallas Dog RRR, did a fabulous job implementing an incremental rehabilitation regimen that now has Siggi doing many things that puppies like to do, including chasing a ball in the yard,” Clary said in the news release. “Truly, I could not be more pleased with Siggi’s progress.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 8:01 AM with the headline "Dog born with upside down paws learns to walk after Oklahoma State surgery, video shows."