Last month, The Bucket Fund collected for Bella, the baby donkey who had a frostbitten back leg that had to be amputated.
You can read her story here.
Since Bella recovered so well from her surgery and was young and very lightweight, she was an excellent candidate for a prosthetic.
Since Bella’s medicals bills were arranged already so they asked that The Horse and Man Group Bucket Fund donation of $2215 could go towards Bella’s prosthetic limb instead (we’ve almost paid for the whole limb… we were only $285 short!).
This is Bella at the Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital in Wyoming where they did the amputation.
HERE IS AN INTERESTING TIDBIT!
What I found out was that HANGER CLINIC is making Bella’s prosthetic… Hanger Clinic is best known as an industry leader in human prosthetics.
And…
Hanger Clinic is also the same company who made the tail for the dolphin, Winter, who was featured in the film, DOLPHIN TALE.
Do you remember that movie based on a true story? A boy falls in love with a dolphin called, Winter, who had to have her tail removed because it was severely damaged… and the small aquarium that rescued Winter fought to get anyone to create the revolutionary prosthetic. It was a rough road of trial and error, but now Winter can swim like a champ!
Well… the people who made Winter’s prosthetic are making Bella’s prosthetic.
Cool, eh?
So, I asked a few questions of the actual person from Hanger who is creating Bella’s new limb.
Do you remember the movie, DOLPHIN TALE? Well, the same company that made her prosthetic is making Bella’s new limb!
I pulled this from the website…
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FROM THE ENGINEER WHO IS MAKING BELLA’S NEW LIMB!
I thought it would be interesting to hear from the technician, Cole, who is actually making Bella’s prosthetic.
So, I asked 5 questions…
1) Who made the peg that Bella is using now to get used to walking with a prosthetic? And what is it made of?
Answer:
Dr. Vlahos at the Rocky Mountain Equine Hospital made the “peg” that Bella is currently using. It is made out of PVC pipe.
2) What is a ‘test socket’ and what material is it?
Answer:
The test socket is made of ¼” Vivek and is used to confirm the fit before beginning production on the final prosthesis.
3) What is the final prosthetic material and how long will it last?
Answer:
The final prosthetic is made of a co-poly plastic, and replacement will depend on anatomical changes, including growth; so it’s difficult to say just how long this first one will last her. She is expected to grow.
4) Where is her amputation, exactly?
Answer:
Her amputation is in the middle of her lower leg. Similar to what’s known as a below knee amputation in a human.
5) How long will it take for Bella to become accustomed to her prosthetic?
Answer:
I could take Bella and her stump a couple of months to become really accustomed to wearing her prosthesis.
This is the test limb prosthetic that Bella tried on last week.
PAYMENT RECEIPT
Right now, I am working with a lovely gal at Hanger to see if they have a tax-deductible account for us to donate the Bucket Fund monies – as well as a Pay Pal link for me to send the money so we have a paper trail.
Once I have a receipt, I’ll post it here!
March Bucket Fund Bachelor Band of Wild, healthy boys (1 pictured here when still free…) that were rounded up and now are in a pipe corral prison.
Click to help with MT’s Surgery Fund…
