A pug rescue is now raising funds so a puppy with a rare genetic disorder that gives her upside-down paws can get the surgery she needs.
Every now and then, nature can throw us all a curve ball and we can watch as an animal that we never would have imagined is brought into the world.
For some animals like the “zonkey,” this is the result of an unlikely breeding pair but it’s just as possible for an animal’s genes to form in such a way that they truly stand out.
That’s how things turned out for Pinky the dolphin and a cat with two faces named Quimera , but we rarely find that these unusual conditions do the affected animals any favors.
And that has certainly been true for one little pug named Mila who is awaiting an important surgery to ensure she can live her best life.
The Oliver and Friends Farm Rescue and Sanctuary in Luther, Oklahoma is reaching out to its supporters after taking in a seven-week-old pug named Mila.
According to People , she was brought to the sanctuary alongside her brother after being surrendered to the Skiatook Paws and Claws Rescue.
And that change of venue occurred because the staff at Oliver and Friends wrote on Facebook that they had previously rehabilitated and secured crucial corrective surgery for another dog named Milo who had the same rare genetic disorder as Mila.
That condition is known as bilateral luxated elbows and it’s the reason why Mila’s paws appear upside-down in these pictures.
But while her brother only had one leg affected by this condition, her condition is much more severe and will need major surgery for her to achieve any mobility.
As a representative from Oliver and Friends wrote, “Without surgery, she will never walk, run, or play like a normal dog.”
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And it seems their Facebook community has been moved by her predicament as the three posts raising money for Mila have amassed a total of $4,326 at the time of this writing.
And now that Mila has underwent a CT scan on her limbs to give rescue workers a sense of what needs to be done, her surgery is scheduled for May 23.
In an update post, they wrote that surgeons are planning to align Mila’s bones with a brace called an external fixator and some thick rubber bands to hold her leg bones in place.
This would give Mila a greater range of motion than if they fused her elbows and won’t require as much time spent in a half body cast to recover as Milo went through.
But while this procedure may not work out because some important ridges in Mila’s bones never formed for her, Milo now lives a full life with fused elbows so that’s an acceptable plan B.
Until then, the rescue’s workers are committed to giving her as much love and freedom as they can while she awaits her surgery.
As they put it, “In the meantime she’s been living her best life! She’s very playful and has quite a fierce attitude which will suit her well for the future recovery.”
h/t: People
