Bobby and Karen Leib went to adopt a shelter dog and that is where they found Bogey. He had two broken legs that were never treated and had fused together. He was deemed unadoptable, destined for euthanization and kept hidden in the back, completely out of sight of potential adopters. The shelter underestimated Bogey and the Leibs adopted him right away. They said his broken legs never slowed him down and he would hop around like a bunny. His life would soon change, once again, for the better.
According to a video posted to Youtube on August 31, by Vanderbilt University, Karl Zelik the assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University and a team of student researchers, heard about Bogey and set out to help him. They began the task of customizing leg braces for the handicap dog. There was a lot of trial and error. In the end, they made the perfect pair for Bogey. He no longer hops around, and is able to take actual steps.
Pet prosthetics can be costly. Usually upwards of a thousand dollars. The pair made for Bogey can be made for less than fifty dollars. Nikki Steiner, Electrical Engineer undergraduate said she found the work very rewarding.
The Vanderbilt team has kindly made their affordable design available to the public, so that anyone with a special needs pet can customize a similar version at a fraction of the cost.
For more information visit my.vanderbilt.edu/batlab.
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