Vincent the cat was in a similar predicament when he was brought to the Story County Animal Shelter in Nevada, Iowa. The tiny kitten had been found at a local campground and was brought to the shelter with severely deformed hind legs; in fact, his legs were missing below the tibias, or shinbones. A shelter worker named Cindy Jones took pity on him and brought him home in hopes that something could be done to help him. Jones’ daughter, Emily, a veterinary student at Iowa State University, thought that one of her professors might be able to help, so she put her mother in touch with Dr. Mary Sarah Bergh, who teaches orthopedic surgery in the school’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.
Dr. Bergh estimates that there are less than 25 animals in the world who have undergone a procedure like Vincent’s, but the success of his surgery gives her a lot of hope for other animals like him.
“I think this does open the door for us to be able to help other animals that have similar problems,” she said. “And even what we’ve learned just through Vincent’s one case, we’ve actually refined the technique and the implants, so the next cases we do moving forward will be even more successful.”
For animals to have the best chance, caring humans are sometimes their only hope. Thanks to high-tech solutions like prosthetics, many animals are receiving shots at better lives. In Vincent’s case, his titanium legs, created via 3D modeling, have been helping him around–other animals favor 3D printed prosthetics, 3D printed wheelchairs or carts, or other similarly high-tech answers to help their mobility. This story touched our hearts here, as we’re regularly on the lookout for stories where technology assists our furry friends.
You can watch Vincent and his new legs below:
[Photos: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University]