Puppy Gets New Paw, Now Prancing For Joy
A dog who lost a paw is prancing and playing nearly as good as new, thanks to a North Valley clinic.
Skip the puppy was born with a bone deformity that ultimately caused one of his front paws to fall off.
A veterinarian was able to save the rest of his leg but left him with a limp, until Wednesday when technicians at Hanger Clinic in Merced fitted Skip with a custom-made prosthetic device.
The device allows him to run and play like a normal puppy for the first time in his life.
"This is raising awareness that animals can use prosthesis," says prosthetist Spencer Greene. "It's been done for a while but especially with the movie 'Dolphin Tale' more people have realized that it's just an opportunity."
Hanger Clinic is the same company that made the prosthetic tail for Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who lost her tail in 2005.
Winter's story came to life on the big screen last fall in the feature film "Dolphin Tale."
