Like every other puppy in the world, Skipper is adorable. The newborn border collie/Australian shepherd mix has a big splash of white on her face and a white belly. She eats and goes to the bathroom just like every other puppy.
But unlike any other puppy around, Skipper has six legs and two rear ends.
"This is a miracle named Skipper. Literally," Neel Veterinary Hospital in Oklahoma wrote on Facebook on Feb. 21. "She has survived longer than we suspect any other canine has ... with her combination of congenital conditions. You might notice she looks a little different - 6 legs!"
Skipper was born along with eight other puppies on Feb. 16. The litter was the result of an accidental pregnancy, according to a report on Skipper's Facebook page. Her owners took her to the vet to be examined.
"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," according to the veterinary hospital's post.
"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."
The exam showed that her organs appear to be in good shape, all of her legs move, and she is responding to stimuli just like a normal puppy.
According to questions answered by her owners on Facebook, she goes to the bathroom out of both rear ends. Her owners are bottle feeding Skipper because her mother rejected her when she was born.
Skipper might need physical therapy one day and help moving as she gets older. But right now, her owners are making sure she spends time crawling around. They posted that right now her outside legs are dominant and her inside legs are not as powerful.
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