Animal Prosthetics Have Recently Had A Huge Breakthrough Thanks To 3D-Printing

by N/A, 10 years ago | 1 min read

The world of animal prosthetic limbs is changing for the better, and it's all thanks to 3D-printing.Â

3D-printing technology is allowing for more personalized prosthetics that give more support to animals in real danger.Â

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The case of Derby is a great success for 3D-printed prosthetics.

Derby could not walk due to his underdeveloped front legs. Of course his owners wanted prosthetics for him, but traditional prosthetic dog legs just didn't fit his body. But when Dr. Derrick Compana decided to try 3D-printing a pair of prosthetic legs for Derby, using a sort of loop-shaped leg, it was a complete success. Now just look at Derby go!Â

The prosthetic revolution can also be extremely helpful to wild animals, like Beauty.

Beauty had her beak shot off by a hunter and was left in a seriously compromising position. When a bird loses their beak they cannot feed themselves or clean themselves. Beauty gained the ability to do both with a 3D-printed nylon beak! She wasn't strong enough to return to the wild with the beak...but it was a huge step in the right direction.Â

And now, it's Grecia's turn.

Grecia has been terribly bean. She showed up to veterinarians in truly horrifying shape. Now, a prosthetic beak is being worked on for her using 3D-printing technology. In a case of inspirational crowd funding, thousands of dollars have gone towards funding the beak, after Luciano Lacayo saw a viral image of the injured bird and decided he wanted to help out with the beak, if he could only raise the money.Â