Inkbit

Shila the Dog Gets a Set of High-Tech Prosthetic Legs After Surviving a Terrible Lawnmower Accident

Eplus3D

Share this Article

A diagram explaining how the implanted prosthetic works.

A diagram explaining how the implanted prosthetic works.

While the FDA and other countries equivalent agencies are still studying the possibility of surgically attached prosthetic devices, they have unexpectedly found themselves being used by a dog that is missing her two rear legs. This technology was initially designed for human limbs, but it has found itself struggling to be approved by the FDA due to the potential for infections and the long recovery time. However, the requirements for these kinds of implants are less stringent for pets, so the emergent prosthetic technology has found itself employed on an unexpected patient. Shila the dog is the lucky dog who was given back her mobility thanks to a team of Polish vets, who bent over backwards to help the adorable pup.

shila legs

Shila’s 3D printed titanium legs [Image: Lubelskie Centrum Małych Zwierząt via Facebook]

Two-year-old mutt Shila lost both of her rear legs due to a pretty horrific lawnmower accident in the eastern Polish town of Lublin. The accident left her permanently disfigured and with serious mobility issues. The injuries required her to drag her rear leg stumps behind her, something that could have been potentially dangerous during her recovery, and lead to new wounds that could have become infected. Typically if pets sustain injuries that prevent them from a high quality of life the choice is made to humanely euthanize them.

For many pets with mobility injuries, 3D printing has been a huge game changer that is giving plenty of animals a second chance. Most of the 3D printable solutions for disabled pets are things like 3D printed pet wheelchairs or more traditional prosthetic limbs. But Polish veterinarian Ryszard Iwanicki decided to use a groundbreaking surgical solution that gave Shila a pair of permanent leg prosthetics. The procedure was performed at the local Centre For Small Animals clinic by Iwanicki and the surgical team consisting of vet surgery specialist Artur Sokołowski and vet surgery specialist Michał Stelmaszyk.

Slowly Shila gets used to her new limbs.

Slowly Shila gets used to her new limbs.

According to Iwanicki the planning stage of the operation took his team more than three months to complete, and he even flew all the way to London to meet the vet who was the first to have ever performed such a complicated surgical procedure. His team of vets also consulted with multiple colleagues in the Polish cities of Legionowo and Bialystok, where they travelled to meet with the vets. Once a design for the prosthetic was settled on Iwanicki used the Leszek Olbrzymek company located in the nearby town of Pulawy in the Lublin Province. The operation, the first of its kind in Poland, was completed on June 2, taking Sokołowski and Stelmaszykjust four hours to perform.

shila

[Image: Arthur Sokolowski]

“She began to walk really early. Now she is even trying to scratch behind her ear with the new back legs. It makes us very happy,” Iwanicki told the Daily Mail.

The rear limb prosthetics were 3D printed in titanium materials and designed to attach to a patient’s real bone. The implant is 3D printed with a very small and complex geometry that will eventually that will eventually lead to the real bone growing into the implant and fusing the two together permanently. The vets now simply need to monitor Shila and make sure that she doesn’t reject the limbs. She will also need to regain the strength in her rear limbs, a process that could take several months. Updates are being offered (in Polish) on a Facebook page for Shila. Discuss further in the Shila’s 3D Printed Legs forum over at 3DPB.com.

[Sources: Daily Mail, Wiadomosci / Images: CEN via Daily Mail, Facebook, Lubelski Kurier]

 

Share this Article


Recent News

Fuji Introduces Electronics 3D Printer to J.A.M.E.S. Consortium

Velo3D White Paper Explains How Metal 3D Printing is Transforming Tooling Production



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

3D Printing Webinar & Event Roundup: May 28, 2023

It’s another busy week in the world of 3D printing webinars and events, covering topics like automated wax support removal, wire-laser metal additive manufacturing, SLS 3D printing, manufacturing for space,...

Commercial & Defense 3D Printing at the Point of Need with SPEE3D

Australian OEM SPEE3D, which specializes in cold spray metal additive manufacturing (AM) solutions that work under extreme conditions, is one of the more interesting companies in the AM industry right...

Dental 3D Market Grew to $4B in 2022

SmarTech Analysis, the leading 3D printing market research firm and the sibling firm of 3DPrint.com, has released the latest iteration of one of its flagship reports, 3D Printing in Dentistry...

3D Printing Webinar & Event Roundup: May 21, 2023

There are several conferences and trade shows to tell you about in this week’s roundup, along with a few webinars as well. Materialise will discuss what’s new in Magics, 3D...