Cleft paw

[hippycourts]

Hi,
I am new to this website.
We have just purchased a Cocker Spaniel that has a cleft paw. We wanted to take him as nobody else would. He is 12 weeks old and a bundle of fun. The paw doesn't seem to bother him but I have tried to find any information on this disability and have come up with nothing. We only got him 2 days ago and haven't taken him to our own vet yet. The lady that we purchased him from said that her vet was not concerned about the paw but he was going to review it in six months with the view of possible amputating, we will be using a different vet as we live 200kms away from where we got him from. Any information that anybody can provide would be much appreciated.

[CarolC]

Hi!



There was someone here with a dog with a similar condition. Here is a link to her message, with one of the sweetest pictures you'll ever see.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/view ... =11&t=7068

It has been several years but you could try contacting her, or try posting in her thread. Do you have a photo of your dog?

[Jenyphur]

Carol messaged me about your posting. I'm the one with the husky mix with the deformed paw/leg. Lindsay is still such a sweet dog and we LOVE having her in our lives. We opted to NOT get her leg amputated and we have absolutely no issues with her leg at all these past 5 years. The only minor thing is that sometimes one of her toenails gets so long that it starts to curl under. Because she isn't really using that paw, it doesn't get naturally worn down as her other toenails do. She does eventually bite it down so we usually just leave it instead of trying to cut it ourselves.

She is one of the fastest dogs at the dog park...and everyone loves her.

We did have one funny thing that happened about 2 years ago. Our dog park has a lake (man made) and she was in the water swimming and running, etc. A man saw her and actually went in to his waste to retrieve her and was holding her looking for her owner as he thought she had just broken her leg. How sweet of that man....the water is sometimes kind of yucky as it's a man made lake so the fact that he went in after her was so sweet. We explained the situation to him and we all just started laughing. He set her down and she took off after a bunch of dogs playing.

I'm sure your vet will probably say something to the effect of "if it's not bothering the dog...don't amputate it".

Good luck and keep us posted.

Jen

[hippycourts]

Thank you Carol for passing my story on to Jenyphur.
Jenyphur, I am so glad you replied to my story, it has given me hope in not getting the leg amputated. Unfortunately I don't have any photos of Buddy yet but as soon as I do I will definitely post them.
We have had him for 3 days now and he is already part of the family. He runs, jumps and plays like any other puppy. My son (16) adores him and has taught him how to sit and fetch in those few days. I will keep you posted.
Tania

[CarolC]

Wow! This is wonderful!! Jenyphur, you're here!!!

It is so neat to learn how it turned out with your dog. Sounds like she is doing fantastic. There aren't that many people in the world who have had this situation, and hearing from you again is almost more than anyone could hope for.

THANK YOU for being there!

Tania, I would love to see the pictures of Buddy. You are both special people, adopting dogs like this. Your stories will probably help yet another dog someday!

[hippycourts]

Attached is a photo of our beautiful Buddy

[CarolC]

Ohhh, that beautiful soft silky puppy. Yes, this is a beautiful dog. He's going to be a fine adult unless I miss my guess. Congratulations!

[critters]

My Lefty has a version of syndactyly, which some people call "lobster claw deformity." I consider all tripods disfigured, not disabled, because they can do everything anybody else can do, although running is a little noisy.

[Christine]

Oh my goodness...what a precious face!!

[hippycourts]

Yes, our Buddy is definitely disfigured not disabled. We have had him for just over a week now. Doing everything a normal 13 week puppy would do. We thought he wouldn't be able to dig but guess what .... he can dig !! We are so glad he is in our life, he is very smart and very loving. I would recommend anyone to give an animal with a disfigurement a chance, they know no difference and still give back so much love. Wish humans were as loving to each other.

[hippycourts]

Update. Buddy is 6 months old now and doing everything a normal puppy does. He loves his daily walks, loves to run and loves to dig !! He has had another vet check and the vet is really happy with his progress.
P.S He is very spoilt !!

[Christine]

Thank you for the wonderful update! We may be calling on you to give encouragement to someone else who finds themselves with one of these sweet babies.
Don't be a stranger and remember...we love pictures!

[CarolC]

Yes, thanks for posting. Your real life experiences will help other people when they are looking for answers. Glad to hear how well he is doing!

[hippycourts]

Buddy turned 1 year old on 9th September. He is still sweet, loveable and full of mischief
Has no problems with his paw other than we have to cut his nails down as they don't wear down naturally.
I will post an undated photo soon.

[Christine]

Can't wait to see how he has grown. I can't imagine how much more you must love him now! Thanks for keeping us posted.