Puppy born with upside down paws learns to walk following surgery at Oklahoma State University
A puppy born with upside-down front paws is now walking for the first time thanks to Oklahoma State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Siggi, a rat terrier puppy, was brought to the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in May after a Dallas animal rescue group found the little guy, according to a press release. The unique little pup was 13 weeks old and only weighed four pounds.
They knew Dr. Erik Clary, a small animal surgeon at the hospital, was the right person to help Siggi because, well, he'd done it before. In 2019, Dr. Clary and Oklahoma State University's College of Veterinary Medicine made headlines for successfully treating a foxhound puppy, named Milo, born with the same condition.
On May 12, Dr. Clary performed surgery to place Siggi's paws into the proper position, which required placing splits at her elbows and putting in an orthopedic fixator device so her ulna bones would have time to heal.
After a check-up in June to make sure everything was healing as intended, the pup was given the okay to learn how to enjoy the simple things in life -- like chasing a ball around the yard. In a new video recently released, Siggi is seen showing off her new paws and how quickly they can get her around.
"Back in 2019, I learned firsthand what 'going viral' meant as Milo's story was picked up from the OSU newswire and distributed across the globe. I never expected anything like it, but once it was unfolding, I purposed to deliver the message that as severe as a pet's condition may seem, it may still be within the reach of veterinary care," Dr. Clary said in a press release.
For more information, you can read the full press release here.