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O&P Aids Animals
By Meredy Fullen Welcome to the Creature Care Department
"One can measure the greatness and moral progress of
a nation by looking at how it treats its animals." Mahatma
Gandhi
My mother taught me to read when my brother went to kindergarten
and left me at home with another year before I could join him in
school. Because I began reading at an early age, Mom always
encouraged me to read at a more advanced level, and when I was ten,
she introduced me to James Herriot's All Creatures Great and
Small series.
I grew up in a rural community on a modest horse farm among a
myriad of dogs, cats, and horses, as well as an occasional pet
raccoon or bird just to keep things interesting. I reflect on my
childhood experience with a sense of fondness; after all, it was
that and Herriot's stories which fostered my affection for
animals.
When I first entered the O&P industry and began hearing
stories of practitioners fitting animals with prosthetic devices, I
initially couldn't understand why anyone would invest the time,
expense, and effort to provide prosthetic care for animals. I mean
we're talking about animals, created as part of a complex
ecosystem. And in the spirit of survival of the fittest, they were
equipped with an inherent ability to adjust to life changes, right?
Not necessarily.
One year ago this month marks the first animal O&P article
by EDGE Editor Miki Fairley, which we have tapped to be a
regularly featured department this year in The EDGE .
Since the first appearance of our Creature Care department, we have
received stories from a variety of practitioners across the US
regarding care that they have provided for animals in their
communities. We have the opportunity to share with our readership a
set of stories that are similar to Herriot's, but with a unique and
modern technological twist. Our hope is that this department will
present some entertaining yet helpful clinical perspectives from
this unique side of the industry.
In researching this topic, we came across several animal O&P
stories that were previously published in local newspapers or in
the national media. In this re-introduction of our Creature Care
department we would like to share these short stories, coupled with
some astonishing facts and figures regarding Americas pets and the
length to which many of us would go to care for them, as published
on several websites and SKY magazine of Delta Airlines.
Mending a Marsupial
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Stumpy |
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Although kangaroos aren't your typical pet, in
2003 the story of Stumpy received national media attention when she
was fitted with a prosthetic leg after losing a foot due to an
injury.
Tammie Rogers, director of the International Kangaroo Society,
Lancaster, Ohio, owns a one-acre property where she cares for sick
and injured kangaroos. Rogers had been caring for Stumpy, a
three-year-old at that time, when she observed that the kangaroo
could not "posture," meaning that she couldn't take the natural
upright stance of a kangaroo by standing on her hind feet with her
front paws up in the air. "She walked around on three feet. She
didn't hop," Rogers said. To make matters worse, Rogers was forced
to prevent Stumpy from mating because she feared the weight of
carrying the offspring in the pouch would be too much for the
macropod.
Kangaroo facts:
- Male kangaroos are called boomers. Females are called does
(like deer) or flyers.
- If you lift a kangaroo's tail off the ground, it cannot hop.
They use their tails for balance.
- Kangaroos are called macropods. This means "big foot."
Enter Rick Nitsch, CPO, of American Orthopedic Inc., Columbus,
Ohio, who began experimenting in animal O&P several years
earlier. Nitsch fitted Stumpy with a Luxon® Max DP prosthetic
foot donated by Otto Bock HealthCare. Just like Nitsch does for
people, he custom-made a plastic and fiberglass limb using the same
molding and fitting process. He first made a cast of the kangaroo's
residual limb, filled the cast with plaster, and produced a replica
of the leg. The replica then had to be modifiedwith the plaster
shaved away or filled into make sure it would hold the animals
weight in the best way and enable it to walk with a normal gait.
That took several fittings, with the process lasting up to a month.
The limb was then secured to the animal with a strap or hinge. "The
animal can't tell me it hurts or it's falling off, so it has to be
foolproof," Nitsch said of the fitting process. "The first few
steps, the animals try to kick it off. It takes some animals longer
than others to get used to it." After receiving the artificial limb
from Nitsch, Stumpy was reenergized. She was posturing, running,
and hopping again, and Rogers was going to allow her to breed. She
also enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame with the national media
coverage.
Help for a Holstein
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Dottie Holstein |
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In December of 2003, a story surfaced about a
Holstein dairy cow named Dottie in Silver Lake, Pennsylvania.
Dottie, who was pregnant at the time, caught her left rear hoof
under a rock frozen in the ground on her way back to the barn. When
she pulled her leg free, she cracked a bone. Normally, farm animals
in this situation would be put down, but owners Wannetta and Harold
Broderick didnt have the heart to do it. They figured out an
effectiveyet potentially expensiveway to allow Dottie and her
unborn calf to live.
After a failed attempt to fit the cow with a homemade
prosthesis, the Brodericks sought the advice of Marc Klemmt, CPO,
FAAOP, founder of Klemmt Orthopedic Services, Johnson City, New
York. Klemmt was intrigued by the opportunity to help a struggling
family farm, but he had never fabricated a prosthesis for an animal
before and he knew it would present challenges. "This is something
I have always wanted to do," he said.
Cow facts:
- The average cow produces 40 glasses of milk each day.
- It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a
year's supply of American footballs.
- A Holstein cow's spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake. No
two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.
Klemmt fitted Dottie with an eight-pound artificial leg made of
epoxy resin impregnated into a fiberglass-and-carbongraphite shell
with a core of solid maple for extra strength. It was important
that the leg be able to withstand 600 pounds of pressure. At the
base of the leg, Klemmt placed a skid-proof rubber cow boot,
normally used by farmers to protect a diseased hoof from
infection.
Klemmt built Dottie's leg at no charge, simply to see if it
could be done. If he had charged the family for his labor, the bill
would have been upwards of $1,000. While it would have been cheaper
to replace the cow, the Brodericks said there was more at stake
than money.
David Anderson, DVM, head and associate professor of Animal
Surgery at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine was
first approached in 1993 about performing amputation surgery on a
cow so it could be fitted with an artificial limb. Anderson said
owners turn to artificial limbs because of their attachment to the
animals or because they want to preserve them for financial
reasons. Anderson said loss of a limb can shorten an animal's life
by increasing the stress on other limbs and overstressing the
joints.
"There's an increasing use of prosthetics," Anderson said.
Animal owners want to maximize the quality of life for the animals.
Owners are no longer willing to accept that there's an artificial
limit to an animal's life. In the case of Dottie, the Holstein cow,
the Broderick family's tenacity paid off, as she was able to
eventually deliver her calf and return to milking again.
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*Includes rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, mice, rats, gerbils, chinchillas, hermit crabs, potbellied pigs, and hedgehogs. |
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Saving Sassie
Our next story is about Sassie, a Rottweiler, who was born
without the lower portion of her right hind leg. She was the victim
of a blended family. She belonged to "Mom," but when "Dad" entered
the picture, he brought into the family two dogs, who kept picking
fights with Sassie. While she was still living with her family, she
delivered a litter of ten rottie/lab puppies.
Eventually "Mom," who was in fear for Sassie's safety with the
other dogs, delivered her to The Safe Haven Rottweiler Rescue
Program in Rives Junction, Michigan, accompanied by the last female
of the ten puppies, Katie.
Dog facts:
- When two dogs approach each other, the dog which wags his tail
very slowly is in charge.
- Did you know there is a dog museum in St. Louis, Missouri?
There are paintings, sculptures, and other works of art featuring
dogs. Dogs have appeared in works of art dating back thousands of
years.
- A dog can smell much more than humans can. Their sense of smell
is about 1,000 times better than a person's. Dogs can also hear a
lot better. Dogs have an enhanced sense of smell and hearing
because their eyesight is not as good as a human's.
Although Sassie was missing a back leg, she was relatively agile
on three. The rescue workers noted that one of Sassie's ears stood
up and the other lay down, and one had a piece bitten out of it,
probably a result of the battles with her new siblings. Although
she was very affectionate and quiet, she always seemed to be
overlooked by anyone seeking to adopt a companion, until the day
Dr. Beth Bishop, a retired dentist, came to visit. Bishop, who had
previously adopted three full-grown dogs over the years, felt an
immediate connection with Sassie, and they went for a walk
together. They have been companions ever since.
Bishop and Sassie travel around the country in a 37-foot motor
home, helping out at campgrounds where they stay. "When I got her,
she would try to use her leg, which would rub it raw. At first I
made a kind of moccasin for her out of a leather glove and some
duct tape," Bishop said. Shortly after making the journey back to
Oklahoma, the place they most often call home, Bishop took Sassie
to visit the Crossover Clinic, where she met Dr. Beth Stropes. The
veterinarian said it is not all that common for people to get
prostheses for pets that lose limbs. "Most amputations are higher
up which means it often is better to simply have no leg than one
that is shortened," she said. "Actually, it can make a difference
whether the dog is small or large. Smaller dogs with amputations
often can do better on three legs." Sassie has two-thirds of her
right hind leg, which provided plenty to attach to a prosthetic
limb.
Bishop and Sassie were eventually led to Horton's Orthotic Labs
Inc. in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where they met Greg Johnson, CO, who
fitted Sassie with a prosthetic limb. "He's what people in the
medical profession call 'soft-handed'," said Bishop, whose dog was
Johnson's first canine client. "He has a real talent for making the
patient feel comfortable, and he did a great job with Sassie."
"When I first met Sassie, she crawled up in my lap, and when we
walked she could hardly keep up," said Bishop. "Since then, I have
worked to keep her leg exercised. Now when we walk, she can keep up
with me in her new prosthetic leg." Sassie has gone from being on
the bottom of the heap in a Rottweiler rescue to being a goodwill
ambassador for Rottweilers and for the disabled.
Nearly half of US pet owners consider their pets as family
members. Want proof? Look at what people increasingly are willing
to spend on their pets at the veterinarian.
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Exploratory surgery and endoscopy are becoming routine in the US for animals. |
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Reflections
We live in a time where people seemingly have less and less time
for one another, but conversely they seem to make the time for
their animals. Nearly every suburb across America has a mega pet
store of some kind. There are shows and entire networks on
television dedicated to our loyal companions and even pet
psychologists to diagnose and treat behavior issues.
The facts and figures found in Creature Care (as published in
SKY magazine January 2005) were gathered from the
following sources:
After reading these animal stories and reviewing the facts as
gathered from a variety of animal organizations, I glance across
the living room at my Welsh Corgis happily dozing on the loveseat,
lying on their backs, all four legs up in the air, and their heads
hanging over the edge of the seat cushions, and I am reminded that
I too would settle for nothing less than the best care for them if
it were ever required.
In the spirit of the words of Mahatma Gandhi, if it is true that
the greatness of a nation can be measured by how she treats her
animals, then why not offer them the best medical technology,
rehabilitative therapy, and O&P applications if it increases
the longevity and quality of the lives of all our creatures, great
and small? 
Table Of Contents - April 2005
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Focus on IPOPs, EPOPs: Does Early Mobility Benefit Amputees?
“Although amputations have been performed for centuries as a lifesaving procedure, the current protocols for care of the
person undergoing this life-altering surgical procedure, in some cases, may not reflect the complete and active lifestyle in
which the amputee can now engage."
Feature
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Kiwi: An RRD Innovation
Feature
- Exclusively Online
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Flo-Tech: Expanding Options
Feature
- Exclusively Online
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A New Paradigm of Postoperative Amputation Care
Feature
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OA Knee Bracing Relieves Pain, Reduces Medication Need
Feature
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Soldier Gets New Prosthetic Design
Josh Olson can never forget the date of October 27, 2003. The young soldier on duty in Iraq was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and lost his entire leg. An infantry squad leader, Olson knew immediately that the leg was gone, but says, “I was just happy to be alive!”
Cutting Edge
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Online Education Technology: What We Have, What We Need
Education Outlook
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Independent Networks: Leveling the Playing Field
Leading EDGE
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O&P Aids Animals
Creature Care
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Saddam's Palace Basement Becomes O&P Lab
Global View
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Gary Horton's Goal: Providing a Lifetime of Support for Patients
Industry Leader
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Got FAQs?
Got FAQs?
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US-ISPO Conference Provides Much Food for Thought
Association Spotlight
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CMS Proposes Wheelchair Codes
Association Spotlight
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Jason M. Jennings, CPO
Profile
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ACPOC/Academy Meeting Opens New Dimension
Perspective
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President's Message: Introducing The Academy Today
Viewpoints
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