Meet Brutus, a 2 year old Rottweiler that is happily able to live his life following the efforts of a dedicated duo on Loveland, Colorado. The duo raised funds and managed to get Brutus four new prosthetic limbs.
The tale begins with Brutus being the victim of negligence. As a puppy, he was left outside in freezing temperatures for quite some time. He developed frostbite on all four paws. The owners attempted to amputate the paws on their own resulting in botching up of the paws and leaving him barely able to walk.
Laura Aquilina, new owner, said, “If he didn’t have the prosthetics, he’d essentially be confined to rooms with carpeting.” In order to stop that from happening Aquilina and Laura Ornelas, animal rescuer, started a page to raise funds. They needed $11,900 for the surgery and managed to raise $12,612.
Aquilina told, “Dr. Gall removed bone fragments on Brutus’ mangled paws, his dew claws, and two toes on his back paw in preparation for the prosthetics.” Orthopets, based in Denver, stepped in next and provided Brutus with four sleek new limbs. Brutus’ recovery took eight long weeks followed by six weeks of rehabilitation. As of now he is doing quite well and pays regular visits to his physical therapist. Sasha Foster, canine rehabilitation therapist at CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital said, “We will work with Brutus to help him adjust to wearing his new prosthetics. Once he’s mastered that, we will help him achieve higher-level functioning activities, like hiking and playing with other dogs.”
