A Two Legged Wooly Lamb

As much as I only like Dogs, I did have to have some sympathy for this animal:

A two-legged lamb born to a farmer in China’s Shandong province is beating the odds by standing up on its own two feet, but animal experts in the U.S. are sheepish about its chances for long-term survival.

According to Rex USA, the limb-missing lamb was born to farmer Cui Jinxiu, who said the lamb was one of two born in July.

“The first one was a very healthy and normal one,” she told the press. “However, the second one surprised me. With a further look I was surprised to find that the lamb only has two legs.”

At first, the family thought the lamb wouldn’t survive, but it proved its strong desire to live.

“I thought of dumping it after it was born, but the next morning it even stood up by itself,” she said.

However, animal experts like former veterinary nurse Maggie Ahrens don’t want to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes: This is a difficult row to hoe for the lamb.

“Although dogs (yes we are the best!) and cats (this is complete rubbish) can manage with only two legs, sheep, goats and other hoof-stock will have a harder time,” she told AOL News. “Part of that is temperament, and part of that is physiology. Hooves are difficult to deal with.”

That said, she thinks the fact that the lamb rose to its legs is a good sign.

“Young livestock are ‘programmed’ to get their legs under them and rise, if for nothing else than their mother’s milk,” she said. “If it’s standing and it continues to do so, then that’s excellent.”

Still, when animals are born with missing limbs, Ahrens said, there are sometimes underlying problems. She hopes that the farmers will be able to afford a complete checkup for the lamb.

“If the bowel is incomplete, which is uncommon, but not unheard of, or if there are other issues that surgery can fix, there’s a good chance for this little critter,” she said.

Meanwhile, Susie Coston, the national shelter director for Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal protection organization, said the real risk will come as the animal gets bigger.

“This lamb could grow to be 125 pounds, and, eventually, the legs could break down from the stress, especially from getting up and down,” she said.

In that scenario, the only option for a decent life would be for the lamb to be fitted with prosthetic legs or a cart.

“Animals with prosthetic limbs can live normal lives in flocks,” she said. “But carts aren’t long term, just for temporary paralysis. You can’t have an animal with a cart live with others, because it could fall over.”

Coston figures the lamb’s owner may not be able to afford prosthetics, but she hopes, if that’s the case, it will be donated to a sanctuary that can. If that doesn’t happen, Ahrens said, the only solution might be to put the lamb out of its misery.

“If it’s clear that the lamb is suffering, the only kind thing you could do would be to humanely euthanize it,” she said. “I do wish the family well, the money from tourists will probably help them a great deal, and I hope the lamb survives.”

 Thanks to AOL News for this story

 Ned

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