Tech
Rare Deformity Didn't Stop This Cat From Walking (VIDEO)
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Dec 02, 2015 03:23 PM EST
Three-year-old Vincent was born with a rare deformity in which his hind legs were missing below the midway point of his tibias.
The domestic short-haired cat was brought to an animal shelter as a kitten where animal specialists weren't able to determine what was responsible for the health issue that prevented him from properly walking and jumping.
Health officials worked with BioMedtrix, a veterinary orthopedics company that donated materials to create titanium shafts, to support his weight and work as extensions for missing parts of his legs.
Vincent's first surgery occurred in February 2014 and within just a few days, he was taking his first steps. Then, a second procedure followed earlier in February, in which he underwent subsequent treatments to gradually lengthen the prosthetic legs. Eventually, researchers say, they'll be as long as the hind legs of an average house cat to normalize his gait.
"I anticipate that he'll be jumping and doing really normal cat things very soon," said Dr. Mary Sarah Bergh, the veterinary orthopedic surgeon who attached Vincent's prosthetic legs and has overseen his rehabilitation, in a news release.
Want to see how Vincent's doing? Check out this video.
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TagsHealth, Tech, Cats, Veterinarian, Animals, Tibias, Legs, Deformity, Walk, Gait, Kitten, BioMetrix ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Dec 02, 2015 03:23 PM EST
Three-year-old Vincent was born with a rare deformity in which his hind legs were missing below the midway point of his tibias.
The domestic short-haired cat was brought to an animal shelter as a kitten where animal specialists weren't able to determine what was responsible for the health issue that prevented him from properly walking and jumping.
Health officials worked with BioMedtrix, a veterinary orthopedics company that donated materials to create titanium shafts, to support his weight and work as extensions for missing parts of his legs.
Vincent's first surgery occurred in February 2014 and within just a few days, he was taking his first steps. Then, a second procedure followed earlier in February, in which he underwent subsequent treatments to gradually lengthen the prosthetic legs. Eventually, researchers say, they'll be as long as the hind legs of an average house cat to normalize his gait.
"I anticipate that he'll be jumping and doing really normal cat things very soon," said Dr. Mary Sarah Bergh, the veterinary orthopedic surgeon who attached Vincent's prosthetic legs and has overseen his rehabilitation, in a news release.
Want to see how Vincent's doing? Check out this video.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone