Pup born with undeveloped/deformed foot

Hi everyone,

I would like some advice about a pup born with an undeveloped/deformed paw, he was the first born from a litter of seven. His little foot is just a sort of pink ball, he has 1 visible claw and i can see the tip of another just sticking out, his dew claw is present and he seems to be using it ok and other than that hes in perfect healthy condition and the biggest of the litter. I would really appreciate any advice of to hear from any body else with a similar issue, im not sure how to add photos, tried the host a photo above (see below). Many thanks in advance.


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Good morning , I assume this is from a litter you have produced yourself ?? Sorry I am not an expert in the field but obviously the pup is not going to be able to use this foot correctly . You should go straight to the vet and ask their opinion and advice on aftercare , it may be that it should be removed. You obviously have decisions to make based on this as the pup will be a lot more difficult to find a home, are you prepared to consider taking the pup on as you have brought it into the world ??

Hi dave,

Thanks for the reply, yes its my staffy's (Bella) first litter, your right i'm going to ring the local vet this morning to seek their advice, it will be such a shame for him to possibly loose a foot, though he does seem to be crawling about ok on it at the min. I will definitely be keeping him if a suitable loving home cant be found, i am a responsible owner and my dogs are part of the family. Im wondering if the stud owner maybe hasnt told me of any defects that may run in the dogs family?? Could it be genetic do you think?

Definitely suggest going to the vet. I have no experience on the subject, but at least you'll get advice from someone with more knowledge on the subject on what can/should be done and how to handle it in case he needs special care.

I think it could be a genetic problem but also just a problem from having to fight in the womb ending up as the runt, pleased you make this statement about keeping the pup as there are 2 reasons
1) It's responsible breeding though it has to be said if there was other problems to be had as a result of this then there is a more responsible action to take
2) Should you find someone willing to take on the pup like this then you always run the possibility that in time it is too much and the pup gets given up or back to you depending on your contract.

Can I ask are you breeding registered dogs that are fully health checked

Yes both dogs are registered and bellas health checks are up to date, i was assured that the studs were too

I think Dave means the tests for hereditary problems that are present in the breed.

You won't know how much the paw will handicap the pup until he's older. The vet may advise amputation or he may want to 'wait & see'.

I think the way it looks it won't give any major problems to the pup. It is going to need extra help and possibly a little boot on the end of the leg, the claw will need to be removed to prevent it growing and inverting, but at least until the dog is fully grown amputation shouldnt be on the agenda. If removed sooner the pup will grow awkwardly due to a lot of pressure on the front legs

Part of the leg maybe upto the elbow may have to be amputated once old enough, as due to the deformed foot having no pad the stump will get sore and infected when walked on hard ground or even get carpet burn from walking around the house.
Why it happen i couldn't say. Was it how the pup was laying in the uterus ( Large litter no room, so pups foot was pushed up by the mothers spine)
Or just a problem between the 2 parents of the pup, if ever breed together again could produce the same or a different type of problem.

I think that you should take him to the vets, I doubt he will lose the foot as long as it isnt causing him any problems. Though as Denise said there is no pad so he may need something to protect it from hard surfaces. More likely they will do some kind of physio or manipulations. These will be much easier whilst the pup is still young. I can't actually see the photos on my work PC so sorry if I'm completely off the mark!