Animals with prosthetics

[Catherine]

These are all amazing stories of animals that have been helped by artificial parts. Some you will have heard of, others are less well known. The amazing thing is how well the animals have done with the new body parts.

http://io9.com/need-a-pick-me-up-check-o...1678464527

I don't know which is the most amazing. The alligator tail is pretty good. The cat with the new back feet replacements is doing very well. It certainly improves his quality of life.

It seems there is no part that someone won't try to replace. Bird beaks must be the hardest, but they have been able to do it.

[Tobi]

They are all amazing. And the prosthetics have given the animals their lives back. In the old days they would have been put to sleep.
The little piglet with the wheelie-cart is lovely.
It's amazing that just a $7 wheel glued on has given that Tortoise his life back.
The cat feet are beautifully and thoughtfully designed, which is typical of the work they do at Fitzpatrick Referrals.

I have seen a successful bird beak replacement on a veterinary video somewhere once. I can't remember where....

[Catherine]

The cat feet work the best. They are set into the bone and they give the cat full function. They didn't try to make them look like feet. That was what was wrong about early prosthetics. They looked better, but didn't work to well. The cat seems to have accepted them and acts naturally.

In the old days people would have given up. We had the idea that if something wasn't perfect then life wasn't worth it. Animals have wonderful quality of life while coping with handicaps. When we can fix them with prosthetics it is even better.

[Tobi]

If I look back to the 1950s, I can see there has been a huge shift generally, in peoples' attitudes towards their 'pets'. Obviously there are exceptions -I'm not talking about those. But generally people are feeding their pets better (I remember when they were given scraps -and I mean scraps -from the table, like gristle and fat trimmings. And cats were often kept as 'mousers' and sometimes not given food at all so they would do a better job!
And people are seeing their animals as worthy of good care, treating them more as a family member. Of course there are often financial restrictions involved in vet care. Not everyone can afford expensive bone implants for example. But we are seeing more and more about what is possible to extend life and quality of life, and many people and vets are not having their animal put to sleep, but exploring options, so long as the animal is comfortable.
In the 1950s the average dog lived to be about 8 or so. Now many are living to 14, 15 and even older.

I think all this is really positive and shows how we have progressed. We easily notice the bad things that happen regarding animals, but there is a trend for better things -I think so anyway.

[Catherine]

You are right, things have changed for the better. That is why we notice the bad things. In the old days dogs and cats were not welcome inside the house. They were not members of the family the way they are now.

Foods and toys and everything else is so much better for our pets now. So when an animal (pet or wild) gets hurt or is born damaged we look for ways to help. People choose to take in a damaged pet so they can help them.

Professionals put in time and money and develop artificial limbs and work out solutions so that a damaged animal can have a happy life.

This is real progress. We are a kinder gentler world.

[Tobi]

Well, I was beginning to wonder if we are, or we are not. As the last few years I have heard hundreds of terrible reports about cruelty to animals. I was beginning to wonder if these crimes were on the increase. But it may be because of a wider media reporting going on, the internet, and more petitions created by those who care deeply.

But when I thought back to the way people generally treated pets many years ago, I began to see how on average, life is much better for pets.

[Catherine]

The news can give us a slanted view of the world. All those petitions seem overwhelming. Then I think about it and all kinds of bad things have been going on for years. Now we are objecting to them and even stopping them. So things are getting better.

Better than that, good things are being done for animals. Injured animals are getting a chance to live and thrive. It is amazing what they have been able to do for so many different creatures. I am sure that there are many more that we have not heard about.

Maybe we are living at a good time, a time when we can see positive changes.