DENVER, Colorado: "We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic dog." (With apologies to the Six Million Dollar Man)
It's a moment that would almost certainly make Lee Majors or Lindsay Wagner really proud - a three-legged Saluki named Sally is being considered for a revolutionary prosthetic procedure.
Sally was found hobbling in the Kuwaiti desert by the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). Part of her left hind leg had been severed (it remains unclear exactly how she was injured) and a vet in Kuwait wanted to amputate the remaining limb.
PAWS volunteer Steve Holden then got in touch with his alma mater, Colorado State University (CSU), and found out that Sally might make a good candidate for a procedure known as a 'biological ingrowth'. This is where a metallic implant is grafted onto the remainder of Sally's left hind leg, where-after bone, muscle and skin will hopefully grow onto it.
PAWS then flew both Sally and Holder over to Fort Collins, where a team of doctors at CSU consulted with VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital's Dr. Robert Taylor to perform the ground-breaking procedure on the unfortunate pooch.
Okay, so maybe it's not a six-million-dollar operation. And while Sally won't be getting a brand-new bionic leg, the replacement limb she will be receiving is still pretty much cutting-edge.
"This implant is formed from titanium, and it's coated with a space-age coating such that soft tissue can grow into the metal and cause it to be a permanent piece of the bone," hospital spokesperson Lauren Immel, told The Rocky Mountain News.
The hospital is the only facility to have done the biological ingrowth procedure on dogs. The procedure may soon be used on human amputees as well.
Normally, human amputees are given prosthetic limbs which strap on. However dogs don't take to them too well. "One of the big problems with the traditional socket-type prosthesis is that dogs wont use them and then they chew them up," said CSU animal surgeon Dr. Erick Egger.
But will it really work? Dr Egger told MSNBC that the critical issue is whether soft tissues like skin and muscle will grow into the metal that extends into the body.
MSNBC also reports that it could be a month or two before Sally gets her new leg. Currently, the doctors at CSU are looking into ways to raise the US$5000 needed to cover the materials needed for the operation.
wow, that's good to hear. that's one lucky dog. when i was a kid, i always wanted to be bionic!
yes. lindsay wagner will be so proud of sally! LOL
This is amazing! Imagine that. A bionic leg. Technology is truly something that we can all be proud of. I'm glad that not only people are being helped with new medical breakthroughs.
wow.. this is amazing. technology is going to the dogs, literally! i think this is good. anything that makes the dog complete again is good coz poor sally can't be walking and living her dog life as 3-legged! makes me wonder, what will they think of next?
i feel its only right to help sally as she probably got injured because of people's doing anyway. its just nice to see that there are still people who would go to great lengths in helping an animal in need.
Whew. Technology sure is exhilirating. Even dogs arent left behind.. which is good news really. Good luck sally! :)
people are not the only ones given a second chance in life now. indeed there are super beings and super pets surviving all sorts of misfortunes in their lives. good luck to all of them.
whoa! a real bionic dog! what a lucky dog she is. i just hope that she can still enjoy the rest of her life without any pain and complications from her bionic treatment.
sweet. technology goes to the dogs as well. nice to know that there are some animal lover geniuses out there.
not exactly an atomic-powered leg, but it is quite an inspirational story nonetheless.
amazing! it wont be long now when we can actually have super pets and of course super humans where diseases will become extinct and any body part can be replaced with a replacement part. how cool!
While this story showcases a truly marvelous leap in science and technology, the comment left by Mat from NYC suggests the potential perils of such progress. Would living in a disease-free society - one in which extreme old age is, perhaps, the only "natural selector" left - be as wonderful as some believe it might?
a disease free society? i dont think thats really a possibility even with all the advances in medicine and technology.
it's not really bionic now, is it. still, it is kinda cool. one of our dogs have arthritis- something like this should probably help
nice. hope the doggy can live a pretty normal life. makes me think.. pretty soon, all our body parts will be replaceable. it's cool but kinda creepy if you think about it.
remarkable. since this is a first, i just hope that there would be no complications on the leg later on.
i think they're trying it on dogs first to see if its safe for human use..
This is nice. I'm wishing that all goes well in the operation. I hope Petshed will still keep us in the loop about Sally. It's been a month now and anytime Sally will get her new leg. It would be nice to know how the operation went. :)
bionic woman is out! sally the bionic dog and bionic woman make a bionic pair! wuhu!
does anybody know whatever happened to this dog? were the doctors able to raise the needed amount for the operation? i sure hope so.
The first permanently implanted prosthesis was done in Denver at Alameda East by Dr. Robert Taylor in October, 2005 on a double rear amputee named Triumph. I believe she is still the only double rear amputee in the world who made this cutting edge surgery. She has been featured on Denver TV, Animal Planet etc.....her story can be seen at www.triumphthedog.net. Biomedtrix in New Jersey made the titanium implants and many, many others were involved.
Trust me...I know....she is my dog and over two years later is doing incredibly well on the prosthesis. She paved the way for the other dogs now just receiving implants. She continues to give back as a therapy dog by visiting and inspiring young people in schools and hospitals........."moe"