Interesting news item in the Guardian about a prosthetic limb created for a whippet with a 3D printer. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/video/2016/jan/28/dog-receives-3d-printed-prosthetic-leg-video I'm not fond of seeing dogs attached to wheels but I think this has more potential. I'd love to see how this dog adapts to the prosthetic in the long term. She doesn't look too comfortable with it right now, but that may well change.
Really interesting. Like you I'm not keen on the use of wheels etc attached to limbs but the dogs frequently seem to adapt very quickly and get on enjoying life. Hopefully she will adapt to her prosthetic limb, in much the same as people do, and if it enables her to get around more easily it's progress.
You see quite a lot of TriPaws. They seem to manage pretty well without a prosthesis. This 3D printing lark is so far over my head it's in the next county....
3D printing is so incredibly cool.... Who knows where it will go and what it will eventually do to traditional manufacturing, shops etc.... If it's comfortable for the dog and allow it do do things it otherwise can't then I think that prosthetics are great. Though as Jac says dogs do seem to cope perfectly well with three legs (especially if they still have the two front ones).
I think that looks cool. I try not to judge on the wheel thing - I think the journey people go on with dogs is unique to those dogs and people. I saw a dog at clicker expo being carted around in a pram. Ok, the wheels weren't attached to the dog, but were just as necessary. Dog looked to be having a ball....and much rather included than not. I think it's an agonising decision best left to those who love the dog.
If the dogs happy and enjoying its life its fine. However I do think we need to think carefully about what we do to our dogs. Just because we can do it doesn't mean we should. Every case like this needs to be handled with care and we need to have clear goals. We often see the sucessful ops and the dogs that cope well but the ones who don't ? Sometimes its hard to balance the ethics and whats best for an animal and our own feelings for them. Its something which I've thought long and hard about and have my own cut off points and do's and don'ts. I have faced this type of thing with my dogs and my own health too. Sometimes we have to make tough hard desicions which we don't like and the vets and doctors however well intentioned and kind can't really help
I also think that the age and general health of the dog should come into play . I have my own personal views on this subject, but to each his own as long as the dog has a good quality of life which is what matters to me .
