Photo courtesy CSU. Oct 2009. |
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - In what may be a first, researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins have replaced two legs on a yearling calf with prosthetics.
The calf, Meadow, had recently undergone surgery to have her two back feet and the lower part of her legs amputated due to frostbite.
The two prosthetic limbs were surgically attached last month. CSU said Meadow was up and walking on them within a few short hours.
Earlier this year, the calf was noticed by her owners who saw her shortly after her back feet and ears had been badly frostbitten. The owners offered to adopt her and they brought her to CSU's Veterinary Teaching Hospital from her home in New Mexico.
Anesthetizing cattle is difficult because of the construction of their stomachs. Risks include aspiration into the lungs and airway obstruction during surgery, and pneumonia as a post-surgery complication.
CSU said five anesthesiologists, including students, managed Meadow's care during and after the surgery. She is now back in New Mexico living on a ranch with several goats and other rescued animals.
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The calf, Meadow, had recently undergone surgery to have her two back feet and the lower part of her legs amputated due to frostbite.
The two prosthetic limbs were surgically attached last month. CSU said Meadow was up and walking on them within a few short hours.
Earlier this year, the calf was noticed by her owners who saw her shortly after her back feet and ears had been badly frostbitten. The owners offered to adopt her and they brought her to CSU's Veterinary Teaching Hospital from her home in New Mexico.
Anesthetizing cattle is difficult because of the construction of their stomachs. Risks include aspiration into the lungs and airway obstruction during surgery, and pneumonia as a post-surgery complication.
CSU said five anesthesiologists, including students, managed Meadow's care during and after the surgery. She is now back in New Mexico living on a ranch with several goats and other rescued animals.
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