is there a doctor or a vet in the house?

[quietann]

I have a baby rat with an odd deformity. He has a little extension of skin growing off one hip, and the associated leg is deformed and he can't keep it underneath himself. He can walk, he's fat and normal for a 13 day old baby otherwise. Does anyone have any ideas what this might be?







And here he is with all his siblings:

Comments

[goddessfarmer.livejournal.com]

I'm not a doctor, or a vet, but I've sure spent a long time with critters. I'd be very interested to see an x-ray of that ratling. My initial psychic impression is that it tried to grow an extra leg, and the hip joint is probably all messed up. I also note from the pictures that this one is all white, while the others have black on them too. Is this unusual? Let me know if you want me to do a full psychic impression. I'm too tired right now, but could look into after some sleep, and does the critter have a name?

[klingonlandlady.livejournal.com]

Yeah,it looks that way to me too. Poor little rattie!

[quietann.livejournal.com]

That could well be, though I had not thought of the extra leg hypothesis. There are no bones in that little tag; it is soft... but the end could almost be the bottom of a rat foot... I am taking another rat to the vet tomorrow, and will show him the photos. Baby is too little to be taken anywhere just yet.

I was not surprised to get a black-eyed white in the litter, because there are lightly marked and unmarked whites on both sides of the pedigree.

The little guy does not have a name, but he does probably have an adopter...

[ratgrl.livejournal.com]

The all white, or BEW, marking on this baby is a little unusual, but doesnt have health issues associated with it. It's a color goal for many breeders to be able to breed a rat like this. It shouldn't have affected his development.

[jerkface02.livejournal.com]

aww!! i like the special one! look at his little tummy!

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Hmm....

I'd really want to get my hands on him and feel that leg before I could make a serious educated guess, but the first two things that occurred to me were the extra leg idea or a developmental anomaly of the long bones of the leg.

Let me know what you find out when you go to the vet - you've got me intrigued....