Prosthetics and orthotics are created for use with external organs, modifying their structural characteristics to fit the anatomy, serving to replace parts of the body that have been damaged or were never present. These include artificial arms, legs, fingers, and toes, and are compatible with both humans and animals. Currently, technology has advanced significantly, allowing veterinary teams to utilize 3D printers to produce high-quality prosthetics and orthotics, restoring a complete life to various types of animals.
1. Dogs
Prosthetics used for dogs are made in the form of artificial legs specifically for the damaged part, or as a set of wheels. For example, in dogs that have lost their right rear foot, leaving only three functional legs, creating prosthetics via a 3D printer has become more accessible. Simply scanning the remaining leg and creating a 3D file, then producing the first prototype to test for a proper fit—manufactured from plastic and metal—allows them to run more comfortably. Additionally, there are internal body devices such as splints, screws, or bone components, usually made from metallic materials like titanium.
2. Cats
A 4-month-old kitten had an abnormality in one of its front leg bones. It was treated by using a 3D printer that could print 3D parts that were suitable and fit perfectly, allowing the movement of the paw to function normally without the need for an artificial leg. This prototype was created with plastic, which is low-cost and reduces the burden on the pet owner, while being stable and durable. This is very important for animals still in the early stages of wearing a prosthetic leg or paw, as missing legs or paws can result in physical deformities as they grow.
Prosthetics also include materials embedded within the body, utilizing 3D printing technology for maximum efficiency through a process called DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) using metal materials to transplant a small knee joint. It must be small, roughly the size of a human finger joint, but very complex, porous, strong, durable, and have a varied surface to ensure it integrates perfectly with the existing bone while fitting the original anatomy.
3. Duck
A duck born with a deformed left foot could not walk like a normal duck, causing it great pain. Therefore, the simplest treatment was to remove the problematic foot and create a replacement organ. By scanning the left foot of a duck from the same brood, due to their similar body structure, the scan was used as a 3D model and the part for the required foot was printed, making the prosthesis a perfect fit, allowing the duck to walk like a duck again. Furthermore, it can be designed for swimming, as prosthetics are easily and quickly customizable.
4. Crab
Hermit crabs are small animals, approximately 1–6 centimeters in size, possessing 10 legs in total. They do not have a hard shell like crabs or shrimp, so they must inhabit empty seashells, with only their head and two pairs of legs emerging from the shell, while the other two pairs of legs are used to grip the shell. They eat plant and animal remains and usually live on sandy beaches and by the sea. Keeping hermit crabs not only involves killing the crabs but also harms the ecosystem and the integrity of the natural cycle, burdens the beach, and affects the tourism industry. Additionally, taking away seashells is considered destroying the homes of hermit crabs. Since hermit crabs lack a hard shell structure like other crabs, they must reside in univalve seashells, carrying them on their backs. The female crab lays eggs in the sea, and when the young crabs grow, they usually search for small, abandoned seashells to use as shelter for protection. As they grow larger, they discard the original shell and switch to a new, larger one.
Currently, there is a crisis regarding the shortage of habitats for hermit crabs. The seashells in the ocean that these crabs rely on as homes are becoming very scarce. These crabs tend to use trash cans, pipes, bottles, or other items as temporary shelter. For this reason, it became an inspiration to create beautiful artificial shells using a 3D printer.
5. Horse
Most animals often have problems or diseases related to bones, similar to humans, and have a need for prosthetics made from 3D printing as well. Diseases that occur in horses are often in the ankle area that connects to the hoof, resulting in pain and inflammation between the hoof and bone. If left untreated, they would never be able to walk again, leading the veterinary team to use 3D metal printing from titanium materials to print horseshoes. Using 3D printing for treatment has thus played a major role in producing prosthetics in many various cases.
6. Eagle
Eagles are often injured in the beak area from being shot in the face by poachers. Even if the eagle survives, the life of the eagle, which is a hunter, is compromised as it cannot find food for itself because it only has the lower part of the beak remaining, similar to trying to survive with only one jawbone.
Engineering teams proposed using 3D printing technology to assist the veterinary team in treating the eagle by scanning in 3D and using software to customize a 3D model, then printing with nylon-polymer material and mounting it onto the remaining beak using titanium metal fasteners. This resulted in the eagle returning to its life as a hunter and being able to find food for itself once again using the synthetic beak. Because 3D printing allows for rapid and flexible design, the artificial beak was adapted to fit the original natural anatomy, making it not difficult for the eagle to adapt to its new beak.
7. Chicken and Baby Chicken
Currently, 3D printing technology is frequently used in the medical field, often to produce custom-made prosthetic legs, and can also create prosthetic limbs and equipment for poultry, such as chickens. One chicken was suffering from damaged tendons that rendered its leg useless. The veterinary team resolved this by amputating the useless leg and producing a custom 3D-printed plastic prosthetic leg. They explained that the reason for amputation was that the chicken's foot had abnormally contracted tendons, putting it at risk for sores and infection. It is clear that 3D printing is highly suitable for functioning as a prosthetic limb on a chicken's leg.
8. Toucans
A Toucan only 1 year old lost its beak due to human actions, causing the upper beak to disappear. The toucan's beak is not only important for its ability to find food and defend itself but is also necessary for finding a mate, as females choose mates based on the color of the male's beak. The veterinary team decided to make an artificial beak for the toucan using a 3D scanner and a 3D printer to match the weight and size of the original. The difficulty was attaching the artificial beak to the remaining stump using pins, as the beak structure is sandwich-like, including blood vessels, nerves, and specific tissues in the mouth area.
9. Alligator
The Alligator is a reptile belonging to the same family as crocodiles, possessing a large, strong muscle mass at the base of its tail, known as the "Bong Tan," used for whipping to defend itself. Its long, flat tail is used for swimming. Without a tail, it cannot swim or hunt for food. Eventually, a special artificial tail was invented for an alligator using 3D printing technology for treatment, choosing PLA, Nylon, or a flexible material similar to silicone for the 3D printing of the prosthesis. It is very encouraging to see how the alligator could adapt to its new tail quickly, allowing it to swim and live just like other alligators.
10. Guinea Pig
The Guinea Pig is a type of pet that is very popular today. Guinea pigs are known worldwide as "Guinea Pigs" and are small, suitable for owners of all ages. But misfortune struck one guinea pig that fell from a height, causing its leg to be injured and the bone to be damaged. The veterinarian treated it until it recovered, and made a small wheelchair to give to the guinea pig to help it live normally, making the guinea pig happy and able to enjoy the freedom of movement once again.
11. Sheep
The Katahdin sheep is a breed of meat sheep that adapts well to its environment, can be released in natural grasslands without supplemental feed, and can shed its coat when the weather is hot. Cruelty and abandonment of farm animals are still seen continuously, and this is another case that was fortunate to receive help and shelter. This sheep had an injury in its rear leg area, and eventually, a 3D prosthetic leg was manufactured using engineering-grade materials to create the prosthetic, passing tests for a snug fit with the thigh. By making a prosthetic prototype from 3D printing easily and quickly, the printed 3D prosthetic legs add value and change the lives of various animals, giving them a better quality of life.
12. Penguin
Because 3D printing technology continues to have positive value for the medical industry, the production of prosthetics designed specifically for the anatomy of penguins that have been unfortunate enough to suffer injuries requiring amputation has been successful. The veterinary team produced prosthetic devices to help them return to walking once again by creating a foot for the penguin to help it stand, walk, and swim normally through the design and creation of a 3D model for the prosthetic penguin foot.
13. Peacock
A peacock had severe swelling from abnormal lymph nodes in one of its ankles, causing it to lose that foot. Current technological advancements have made it possible to help the peacock that lost its foot by providing a prosthetic foot produced by a 3D printer, which was further customized to fit the remaining ankle stump. The peacock had to be trained to get used to the new foot in the early stages, after which it was able to live normally.
14. Tortoise
Over the past few years, we have seen the rescue of animals with 3D printed prosthetics, ranging from dogs, cats, horses, ducks, and even birds. 3D printing makes technology and prices accessible to pet owners or veterinary teams, creating ways to treat and change the lives of these animals. For example, this tortoise, whose shell was damaged by fire, received cooperation from veterinarians, 3D designers, and surgeons in creating a complete artificial shell. The turtle shell not only serves to cover parts of the body but also contains calcium composed of bone in the skin layer, fused with ribs, the spine, parts of the shoulder blades, and the chest bone. Since the thoracic spine is fused to the shell, the torso spine cannot move, so the tortoise needs an artificial shell for protection from danger.
