This story was written by Nicole Blanchard with the Idaho Statesman
When the Idaho Humane Society posted on Facebook about one of its recent surrenders, the shelter had to make sure its followers knew it wasn’t, well ... full of it.
The Humane Society shared several photos on Monday along with the story of Duckie, a 9-week-old boxer/Great Pyrenees mix who was taken to the shelter last month after his owners noticed they’d never seen the pup defecate.
“On his medical exam, we discovered Duckie was born without an anus. Yes, you read that right,” the Humane Society wrote.
The pup was diagnosed with imperforate anus at the shelter’s vet clinic. It’s a rare congenital condition in which a puppy or kitten is born with no anus, making it unable to have a bowel movement. If left untreated, the condition is fatal.
“Dr. (Alix) McGrath, our director of shelter medicine, believes that Duckie was able to survive for as long as he did because his large intestine was absorbing all the nutrients from his feces back into his body,” shelter officials wrote in the post, noting that the pup was pretty bloated when he was brought in.
McGrath performed surgery on Duckie on March 14 to create an opening, which is the only treatment for the condition. Officials said the surgery was a success and Duckie is recovering in foster care with an employee. He has since been able to poop — and the Humane Society said in its post that they believe the bowel movements are intentional.
“Prior to his surgery, Duckie would act as though he was trying to poop (spinning, flexing, spinal curvature) but, obviously, was never successful,” the post said.
The pup is scheduled for a checkup in two weeks, at which time the Humane Society said it will update on his condition. Officials anticipate being able to put the puppy up for adoption in the future.
