Examining the use and weight transfer of four custom-made partial hindlimb exoprostheses for a dog.

BACKGROUND

Limb exoprosthetics in veterinary medicine are less developed than in human medicine. This case study evaluates four custom-made hindlimb exoprostheses for a 6-year-old dog following metatarsal amputation due to a train accident.

METHODS

After wound healing, four exoprostheses-differing in measurement methods and materials-were tested over 4 weeks, each for 1 week. Assessment tools included force plate measurements, accelerometer-based activity tracking and owner feedback. Force plates evaluated load distribution across the exoprosthetic limb, healthy hindlimb and forelimbs.

RESULTS

The second exoprosthesis, made of polypropylene using a double-mould method, had the highest user acceptance and activity levels. The PitPat tracker recorded an average of 41.4 min of walking per day, with 6.97% of bodyweight transferred to the exoprosthesis. The third and fourth exoprostheses caused skin abrasions and were discontinued after 3 days.

CONCLUSION

Well-designed exoprosthetics can improve limb use in dogs with partial amputation. Force plates, activity trackers and owner feedback are useful outcome measures for evaluating exoprosthesis performance and enhancing quality of life.