USA : Friday, 28 January 2011 (Local Time)
Nashville,Tennessee: A prosthetic paw was the perfect gift for a family facing a Christmas nightmare. The Swift family was celebrating the holidays with friends, when one accidentally ran over their dog.
The Swifts were given three options for Polo, their nine year old Siberian husky: surgery, amputate, or a prosthetic paw. Surgeries were a minimum $5,000 bill, and the Swifts had already seen their dog suffer using just three legs - every time he lifted a leg to go to the bathroom, he would fall over.
They enlisted the help of Trey Calfee, an animal surgeon with Nashville Vet Specialists. For under $1,000, he fitted Polo with a prosthetic, and the results have been dramatic. Polo is back to his usual ways, enjoying walks and curling up in the snow.
-------------------------------------------------------
DogDiary4u on related story :
Inspirational Dog on Wheels Find New Home
--------------------------------------------------------
According to the records, a Belgian Shepherd in the UK was the first pet to ever be fitted with a prosthetic paw in 2007. It was a breakthrough because the dog's skin could grow into the metal. Veterinary surgeon Noel Fitzpatrick was excited about the operation not just for dogs, but because "it will act as a model for human amputees in the future and provide hope for people without feet or hands."
What would you do if your dog were given Polo's options? Would you pay any price for your pet? If not, where would you draw the line?
Story and Foto from : www.huffingtonpost.com
