A friend of mine breeds old english bulldogs, one of the pups of his most recent litter was born with a front left paw defect. It appears like digit 2-3-4 are missing. The dog has a full digit at the pinky position 5 and a completely intact metacarpal pad. He is not selling the dog but it is available to a home if someone would like him. I Am wondering if you have seen this defect before and what type of issues it may present over time in the dog.

Updated On June 13th, 2020

Pet's info: Dog | Olde English Bulldogge | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 12 days old | 14 lbs

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

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Hello. It is hard to tell how this pup might do as it grows. If there are no pads, & the pup has to walk basically on just skin, this can definitely cause pain & lameness, even with the intact metacarpal pad. If he manages just to walk on this, he may be comfortable, but I would imagine his gait will be off or awkward. In the long term, he may do really well wearing a protective boot on the foot. Only time will tell. An x-ray of the foot may give more information. And yes. This defect in various forms, happens in many breeds. Thanks for contacting PetCoach.

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