Bionic feet for amputee cat

A cat that had its back feet severed by a combine harvester has been given two prosthetic limbs in a pioneering operation by a UK vet.

The new feet are custom-made implants that "peg" the ankle to the foot. They are bioengineered to mimic the way deer antler bone grows through the skin.

The operation - a world first - was carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick, a veterinary surgeon based in Surrey.

His work is explored in a BBC documentary called The Bionic Vet.

The cat, named Oscar, was referred to Mr Fitzpatrick by his local vet in Jersey, following the accident last October. Oscar was struck by the combine harvester whilst dozing in the sun.

The prosthetic pegs, called intraosseous transcutaneous amputation prosthetics (Itaps) were developed by a team from University College London led by Professor Gordon Blunn, who is head of UCL's Centre for Biomedical Engineering.

Professor Blunn and his team have worked in partnership with Mr Fitzpatrick to develop these weight-bearing implants, combining engineering mechanics with biology.

Mr Fitzpatrick explained: "The real revolution with Oscar is [that] we have put a piece of metal and a flange into which skin grows into an extremely tight bone."

"We have managed to get the bone and skin to grow into the implant and we have developed an 'exoprosthesis' that allows this implant to work as a see-saw on the bottom of an animal's limbs to give him effectively normal gait."

Professor Blunn told BBC News the idea was initially developed for patients with amputations who have a "stump socket".

"This means they fix their artifical limb with a sock, which fits over the stump. In a lot of cases this is sucessful, but you [often] get rubbing and pressure sores."

The Itap technology is being tested in humans and has already been used to create a prosthetic for a woman who lost her arm in the July 2005 London bombings.

"The intriguing thing with Oscar was that he had two implants - one in each back leg, and in quite an unusual site," Professor Blunn told BBC News.

He said that the success of this operation showed the potential of the technology.

"Noel has some brilliant ideas," he added. "And we're continuing to work closely with him to develop new technologies."

The Bionic Vet is on BBC 1 at 2245 BST on Wednesday

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10404251.stm

^ includes video.

Calf walks again on false legs

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A calf who lost her two back hooves to frostbite is back frolicking in the fields of New Mexico - thanks to a pair of prosthetic limbs.

The calf, named Meadow, was found a few months ago by rancher Nancy Dickenson and her stepdaughter, Martha. She had lost both her rear hooves and half of her ears to severe frostbite. Having experience of rescuing animals, the Dickensons bought Meadow from her owner, and set about getting her back on her feet.

They persuaded veterinarians and students at Colorado State University to help her - and they obliged, amputating part of her hind legs and fitting her with prosthetics.

Dr. Robert Callan of Colorado State said he thought this was the first time a bovine calf has been given double prosthetics - the procedure is rarely carried out on animals which are generally destined for the slaughterhouse.

Not that Meadow is likely to end up on anybody's dinner plate soon - Nancy Dickenson said: 'A few people have asked "Is she going to be beef?" and I said "Are you kidding? This is my newest baby."'

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Calf_walks_again_on_false_legs&in_article_id=762430&in_page_id=2

Calf walks again on false legs

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

A calf who lost her two back hooves to frostbite is back frolicking in the fields of New Mexico - thanks to a pair of prosthetic limbs.

The calf, named Meadow, was found a few months ago by rancher Nancy Dickenson and her stepdaughter, Martha. She had lost both her rear hooves and half of her ears to severe frostbite. Having experience of rescuing animals, the Dickensons bought Meadow from her owner, and set about getting her back on her feet.

They persuaded veterinarians and students at Colorado State University to help her - and they obliged, amputating part of her hind legs and fitting her with prosthetics.

Dr. Robert Callan of Colorado State said he thought this was the first time a bovine calf has been given double prosthetics - the procedure is rarely carried out on animals which are generally destined for the slaughterhouse.

Not that Meadow is likely to end up on anybody's dinner plate soon - Nancy Dickenson said: 'A few people have asked "Is she going to be beef?" and I said "Are you kidding? This is my newest baby."'

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?Calf_walks_again_on_false_legs&in_article_id=762430&in_page_id=2

Injured Dog Set to Get Prosthetic Legs

Apr 28, 2009

A dog that chewed off his front paws after being caught in an illegal snare is about to get two new legs. Vets say once that happens, Andre will be ready for a new family.

See vdeo at: http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/injured-dog-set-to-get-prosthetic-legs/17290222

Frog fitted with false leg

A frog called Brullie is believed to be the first in the world to be fitted with an artificial leg.

The giant bullfrog had his shattered lower leg bone replaced with an inch-long metal pole in a two hour operation in South Africa.

The lame amphibian went under the vet's knife after being bitten by a dog, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Owner Anne Mearns, 62, of Johannesburg, said: "People think I'm mad to care so much about a frog but I couldn't bear to see him in so much pain.

"Frogs are famous for their legs, so the thought of Brullie being left lame broke my heart. I knew without surgery he would never move again, so I to rushed to the vet and begged him to operate.

"The vet was more used to saving cats and dogs and couldn't understand why I was so worried about a frog, but he eventually agreed.

"It was a nervous few hours while we waited for him to come around after the op, but he's healing up now and hobbling about the garden. The x-rays suggest he'll be as good as new."

Mrs Mearns, a wildlife expert who writes teaching material for schools, believes the operation is the first time a frog has ever undergone surgery to replace a broken bone.

Brullie remained unconscious after the vet rubbed a tiny dose of watered-down dog anaesthetic into his porous skin.

The surgeon, who operated for free, then opened the damaged limb to insert the tiny steel rod over the snapped right leg bone.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3263270.html

See also: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5082594/Lame-frog-gets-his-leg-back-in-world-first-operation.html

Mosha the elephant's new peg leg

Mosha the elephant looks happy learning to walk with her new jumbo-sized prosthetic leg.
Her leg was blown off when she stepped on a landmine when she was just seven months old.

She was close to death when she was taken in by the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand, in 2007.

Her new peg leg is crafted from plastic, sawdust and metal.

It is the first time an elephant has been fitted with a prosthetic leg.

Mosha, an Asian elephant, lives at an orphanage for elephants in the tropical jungle of northern Thailand, near the Cambodian border.

Now aged three, Mosha wolfs down 200lb of food a day.

Metro.co.uk featured her last year when she had a stump fitted but she has now had to have a larger limb fitted to support her bulk.

Thousands of pachyderms are injured and killed due to landmines, with a recent survey estimating there are about 100 new mine casualties each year.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Mosha_the_elephants_new_peg_leg&in_article_id=575202&in_page_id=34