This Donkey Has A Prosthetic Leg And Her Name Is Bella Burro
A donkey in Minnesota is living the good life thanks to a prosthetic leg made specifically for her. Her name is Bella Burro, and if it weren't for a couple in Minneapolis, she'd be dead. Totally dead. But she's alive, and she's got her own Facebook page, and it's all thank to both that couple of folks and the fine people at Arise Orthotics. As of this article's posting, Bella is 2 years and 5 months old, and fabulous as ever.
Upon being rescued from a negligent owner, Bella's current owners took her in to have surgery to remove her back right leg, which had been badly damaged by frostbite. Without the surgery, Bella would likely have died, or at least have lived the rest of her life in extreme pain.
Above you'll see a set of photos showing Bella's surgery process – frostbite to three-leg.
After the surgery, Bella was given a relatively rudimentary peg leg, soon replaced by a slightly more advanced peg leg from the Wyoming Hanger Clinic. While this peg (the one you'll see in a couple photos in pink) could have served the donkey the rest of her life, it remained a bit awkward for the animal to use whilst walking.
You'll also notice three Nigerian dwarf goats in a couple photos – these are also in the care of Bella's owners, and the whole crew live in the same environment together, eating and playing and the like.
Bella's owners sought out local help at OrthoPets, a group that focuses on Orthotics and Prosthetics for Animals.
Below you'll see OrthoPets fabrication process which includes custom fabrication, cutting, and molding of limbs for animals of many sorts.
March 20th, 2015 was the big day for Bella, a day which she'd head to the Twin Cities Animal Rehabilitation center to get her brand new OrthoPets prosthetic.
As of July 2015 Bella was still needing some adjustments to her prosthetic, but here in 2016 she's doing extremely well.
The video below shows Bella walking with her new prosthetic leg on a parking lot. No big deal!
Not even 5 minutes into it, she's walking on her own like a super star!!
Posted by Bella Burro on Friday, March 20, 2015
Below you'll see another donkey with a very similar prosthetic. This donkey is owned by a couple of folks that stay in contact with Bella, sharing info on how their prosthetic experience is going and the like.
This donkey goes by the name Hoss and lives in Kansas. As you can see, prosthetics such as these can be customized to fit the wearer, in size, shape, and color.
You can follow the further adventures of Bella Burro through her Facebook page. For more news on advancements in prosthetics, keep it tuned to SlashGear – hit this gesture-controlled prosthetic arm story to keep cruising right this minute.