I've been following this pup's story for a while . He's just amazing. Fantastic work by the rescue too. Just watch this video. You wouldn't think there was anything wrong with him, the way he gets around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N0HpAU4i1c

Aww how gorgeous is he...he is simply amazing, thank you for sharing this with us.

Appauling that a human would allow a dog to continue in life like that, a very well edited video where it doesn't show the complications he would have from such a deformity. Such as impaired immuned system due to chronic stress, complete change of physical capabilities, shifting muscle mass to the front, which will no doubt have an effect on organ position etc.

Just because we can give life doesn't mean it's humane to do so, there was a cat in a similar situation and my thoughts were the same- the only reasons to keep him alive are selfish ones.

when i first read about Duncan I thought the same. However, the charity who have him is specifically involved in caring for animals with special needs and they know their stuff. He has a dog cart to walk with usually, which takes away the extra stress on his front legs, and there is no way they would allow him to suffer if things change in years to come. They are simply giving him a great life for however long that is.
When I watched that video I saw a very happy and chilled out dog.
We would do everything we could to help a human child live if it was born with the same issues, so why not Duncan? Unlike a child, he's not going to grow up with an awareness that he is different and his doggie friends don't mind either.

There are several three legged dogs on my local field and they bomb around chasing balls and playing with other dogs as if they had a full quota of limbs.

I'm with you on this.

I couldn't agree more.

Having had a cat that lost a front leg from an accident I disagree with you.

She was a very happy well adjusted cat who lived to a ripe old age (15) and even managed to catch squirrels with only 3 limbs. She was strong and didn't miss it.

So a child born with a similar disability should have been put down as well?

The dog looks very happy and in very good health and in a hell of a better shape than a lot of pure breeds out there with all 4 limbs (which would have similar issues with lower immunity, organs being pushed into places they shouldn't be, bone and joint issues and a lot of other more severe health issues).

Aww It amazes me how strong & determined animals can be
As long as the animal isnt suffering or in pain then I dont see a problem.
There is also a two legged cat on youtube that I love.

Losing one leg is totally different many dogs manage well, losing two is not the same at all and I would not expect a vet to allow a dog to go on with that sort of catastrophic injury.

I just posted this on fb about Duncan so copied and paste in response to yorkigals question about why not?

Apart from the fact that he is hand standing everywhere, he was born wi a severe deformity, his rear legs were unable to bear weight and fused at the joint, he also has major spine issues, so they amputated and he will face further surgeries as he grows. So not only is the poor mite in for a lifetime of pain, he's going to be putting his body under permanent stress which results in everything from a suppressed immune system to depression. Then you have the unknown aspects of consequences of amputation, phantom limb pain etc, excessive stress on the heart, likely damage to the spine she to his altered walking position and so on. THEN you need to consider the social aspects - lots of dog communication is done by posture, tails and bum smelling - all of which he will not be able to do in the normal way, likely leading to doggy social problems. Then hygiene - how does he toilet? The list is exhaustive and he is just three months old - he should have been euthanised at birth, it would of been the kindest thing, but instead human selfishness takes over.


As for why we do it for humans and not animals - that's a moral question. I would without a doubt abort if my child was severely deformed to the point where quality of life would be affected. If the child was born deformed (ie it was not detected on scans) society says I have to do all I can to help that child survive. On a personal level given the choice of making my child face a life of pain and surgery or allowing a painless, dignified end at a day old - I'd take the latter option. My friends child was born deaf and blind she had a severely deformed spine and spent 12 years in hospital having operation after operation, then moved to a hospice where she died. The only sound she made was screami when they tried to straighten her spine with a metal rod and it was so painful she screamed and cried day in day out. She didn't understand what was happening, all she knew was a life of pain, so yes if that were my child I'd let nature take its course ( or I'd of euthanised if it was legal) for her sake, not mine.

That's so sad Just wish more people could read your post bazaar it may make people think before they try to "save" for their own reasons without thinking of the suffering of the creature they are trying to save.

I was about to jump in an say, "How cruel".... but tbh the video showed a young, confident dog who didn't seem to care or know any different.

If Duncan presented like that to a vet, enthusiastic, healthy etc. then I would give him a chance, closely monitored.

I've seen vids of 'happy' dogs with dogs looking more stressed than that pup tbh, so who's to judge

All I can say to that is we had a beautiful Manchester terrier cross who to all intents and purposes was a happy puppy, who just never learned to be house trained or to stop chewing etc, when she collapsed and died at two (no warning just fell where she stood wagging her tail happily and we had a post mortem it turned out she had a brain tumour the vet said was something she had been born with and had been growing for two years. He said she must have been in great pain for the entire 2 years and her lack of being able to learn was as her brain was being destroyed by the tumour.

Dogs don't always show their pain or distress especially youngsters who have enormous energy and enthusiasm for life, we therefore have to look and think a bit deeper about what really is best for them. If we had known Lucy had a tumour we would have had her PTS not just waited to see how she did as she grew.

This is the difficulty - we can't.

I'm very wary of thinking it's right to keep a pup like this alive just because we can or because we think it's giving him a chance or similar clichés.

Obviously the pup "didn't seem to care" because dogs don't reason like that. He doesn't "know any different" because he's a dog. The stress on that little body may be tolerable now but it's a large breed and I can't see how the animal can continue to have a pain-free, active and fulfilling life. I'm not sure that being fitted with a trolley to replace his hind legs is a kind thing either.

While the joy in his life at the moment appears clear to see, I'm not wholeheartedly comfortable with it - if I'd bred a pup like that, with a heavy heart I'd have pts at birth. I would have thought that was the kind thing to do.

He's also very vulnerable so I hope any dogs he comes into contact with are very gentle and well-trained.

Completely agree with you Bazaar. I would not allow a dog or any other animal to be like that, no matter how much I loved them. Being kept like that is not for the dog's benefit, more like someone who can't bear to say goodbye. I adore my dog, she means the world to me, but god forbid if she ended up like that, I'd let her her go in a heartbeat, however much it hurt me to do so, I couldn't stand the thought of her like that for one second. Three legs is different, a dog can still lead a mostly normal life with three legs, but not two. It's not a 'inspirational amazing' puppy I see looking at that video, its a little dog who sadly ought to have been painlessly sent to sleep as soon as the problem was seen. If that pup was in the wild, he wouldn't have survived like that, nature would have sorted it as its simply not meant to be like that, he's only still alive due to human intervention. Science and medical reaearch has and does do wonders, but sometimes we need to stop and think that just because we can do something, doesn't necessarily mean we should - humans should not play god.

Slightly off topic but years ago the midwives used to "take care" of severely disabled children.

Thats awful Molliepops. Really awful.

Yes my great uncle was left to die and all attention focused on his healthier tiwn. Sadly the tiwn died and my uncle did survive, but was severely mentally impared and had physical issues too- although whether this was clear at birth or whether he just had a hair lip and looked weaker I don't know. He did live a good life but relied on his patents,t hen siblings for the entirety- he was 96 when he duded, his full time carer was 92 and had never spent a day away from him.

I don't have any comment to make on the dog's situation but I must confess to feeling a bit shocked by some people's attitudes to disabled humans, suggesting it may be kinder to have them euthanased at birth. How must the disabled feel when attitudes like these are so prevalent? Many even severely disabled people can and do live very happy and fulfilled lives with families who cherish them despite the extra workload they bring. In my job I have cared for many young people with disabilities such as spina bifida and cerebral palsy and they enjoy the lives they have despite the frequent illnesses and complications associated with their conditions. I have a nephew with Down's Syndrome whose mother died when he was one year old, her pregnancy reignited her breast cancer which was in remission so he effectively hastened her death, she knew she was dying but she adored her little baby and called him her gift from God. He is a very happy, well loved little boy who, despite having a lot of problems, would definitely choose to live his life rather than have not lived at all.

I will never believe in euthanasia. There is huge potential for dependant elderly and disabled groups to feel tremendous guilt and pressure for being such a 'burden' on society. Even my dying cousin wanted to die before her time because she felt she was becoming a burden to her family, nothing at all to do with any pain or discomfort she was experiencing because she was relatively pain free throughout her illness.

The disabled can offer a lot to society.......and every human deserves a chance of life. Who are we to ''judge'' whose life is worth saving?

That's your opinion and that's fine, but as a parent I would never want to put my child through a life of severe pain, trauma and endless operations. Especially if all I was doing was extending thier life for a few years. It's selfish - I am not talking things like downs. ( though I would probably abort if downs was identified- for numerous reasons I won't list here) I am meaning life shortening, painful, terminal problems, where the child would not survive without constant medical intervention. I am sure there are millions of stories of the joy such children have brought into a parents life - but again, can you spot the selfishness in that statement? You friend chose to leave a disabled child with no mother, who did that benefit? Who then has to care for that child for his entire life?

As a disabled person I have no problem with euthanasia and when my problems get too bad will be availing myself of the way out. If I had been dreadfully disabled at birth I hope someone would have taken the appropriate measures to make sure my life was without pain and short.

Disability isn't something I have some romantic view about being noble and I don't want people having to look after me and putting their own life on hold.

Since when were animals on par with humans?

Couldn't agree with you more. I felt sorry for the dog.

Have see a few different accounts of this dog and all show that although he has struggles he has a decent quality of life.

How could we ever know if our pets are in horrible pain, would will kill them just in case??

If someone has the time and resources to care for this dog, then I don't see the problem.

And I don't think you can compare with humans, JMHO.

Well I don't see it as killing just in case, it's looking at stopping pain before it becomes too terrible. I have PTS when a dog was diagnosed with something that was incurable and would only get worse, I believe that was better than waiting to see how much worse it could get !

I have also waited too long and I know which one I feel most guilt about.