Since the advent of 3D printing, creating prosthetics that are custom made for people has gotten easier and moderately cheaper, with specifications and unique designs coming up every day.
Our animal friends are not exempt from this gem,
as there are parts suited for pets who have lost a limb,
giving our furry friends an extra spring in their step or even a prosthetic jaw.
This has also created an entire genre of feel-good videos of its own.
These printed prosthetics can be lightweight, relatively affordable, and endlessly tailormade for your pet.
Doctors can craft prosthetic jaw and students can produce artificial dog legs in their spare time.
Animals lose limbs for a multitude of reasons, it could range from accidents or being born with an abnormal limb.
Dogs can adapt to having three legs, and this is true to a certain extent according to specialist Theresa Wendland of the Colorado Veterinary specialist group.
But problems arise when the animal compensates for the extra limb,
putting pressure on the remaining limbs, can be rather dangerous.
However, prosthetics, if made right can restore their range of motion.
As with human prosthetics, these prosthetics have to be tailor-made to suit the animal,
a prosthetic created for a german shepherd is not the same as that created for a chihuahua.
This would mean factoring in the animal weight, stance, gait and weight.
To accomplish this, orthopedists must examine the animal’s movements and attempt to form a limb that is in rhythm with the others.
While methods differ,
a basic procedure involves creating a plaster cast
, designing the prosthesis using images and video, and then constructing it out of durable thermoplastics and metal.
3D printing to the rescue
3D printing streamlines this process by allowing modelling of the proposed part, and gives adaptability before final finish,
This is becoming increasingly beneficial to younger animals since growth is impossible to stop,
having the original model enables engineers to simply ” resize the file and reprint”
Vitoria was a graylag goose with most of her beak gone when she was dropped off at an animal rescue centre. As a result, the poor goose was unable to feed and was forced to rely on humans.
enter a dentist with 3D printing who was able to use this technology to recreate her beak. After this Vitoria was released into the wild.
not every animal is able to grow back its body parts,
but 3D printing is able to let these furry friends regain a normal gait and appearance.
