In March 2020, volunteers from the Phthiotida Charitable Association found a kitten in a deplorable state. Three of his legs were amputated, the wounds became infected. “We could not leave him without help, we immediately looked for a solution. And when there is love and perseverance, we get the result,” Angelika Barcioka, the president of the active club, wrote in those days in her post on social networks. She named him Perseus, hoping that someday the mutilated animal would acquire winged sandals, like a mythical hero.

An extremely complex incident – it should be noted that the x-ray also showed fragments from an earlier shot in his body – was undertaken by veterinarian Sophia Zoya and her colleagues at Larisa’s veterinary clinic. After a series of surgeries, Perseus was fitted with state-of-the-art prostheses: customized titanium and carbon fiber implants. His new shoes were made from 3D printed non-slip plastic. In the same way, the anatomical regions of the hind limbs were made, on which implants (bone blanks) will be applied. Such an operation was undertaken in Greece for the first time – and it was completely successful: today the cat walks and enjoys a new life in the house of Sophia Zoya, who adopted him.

The Greek company bio3Dvet has taken over the preoperative research, design and manufacture of innovative limb prostheses, as well as personalized surgical guides used in surgery. It is a startup founded in 2018 in Ioannina. The idea came from Haris Kolios, an industrial design engineer, abroad, where he worked for several years. There he saw the application of technology in veterinary medicine and innovative technological methods used by foreign veterinarians. Returning to Greece, he met orthopedic veterinarian Alexandros Ifantis. This is how the company bio3Dvet was created, consisting of engineers and veterinarians. Perseus was the first difficult incident for which they needed to find a solution. It’s only been three years and a lot has changed. “The development of technology in this area is proceeding rapidly, as a result of which the “tools” available today are much more effective and promising in terms of animal welfare. The possibilities provided by digital design and 3D printing provide revolutionary solutions to very complex orthopedic veterinary problems.”

“Animals don’t speak with words, they speak with their eyes. Most understand what happened from the very first steps and express their gratitude.”

Recently, their team was called to help Aivar, a dog that was shot dead in Crete, losing his entire right forelimb and left from the middle of the forearm down. “He was doomed to crawl with his chest, trying to move. The length of the part of his right limb that was preserved allowed us to fit him with a prosthesis to restore his lost mobility. His adaptability was incredible: he just put it on and has been running every day since,” says Haris Kolios. A similar story is with Zacharulis, the donkey, who was found insulted in Megara, with one leg cut off at the level of the hoof. Euthanasia seemed like the only solution until bio3Dvet’s help was requested. Since December, with his new artificial limb, the animal can now move and lie down with complete autonomy.

“Each time this happens, our joy is indescribable. Animals speak not with words, but with their eyes. Most of them understand what happened from the very first steps, and their gratitude is reflected in their eyes.” And what is the cost of such intervention for guardians? “Although each case is different, an orthopedic device – a splint can cost 50-300 euros, an exoprosthetic device – 500-1500 euros, and an artificial limb – 2000-5000 euros.”

The path of Vasilis Tsigura is similar, although from a different starting point. He went from being a plumber to making wheelchairs for paralyzed or seriously injured animals, saving them from euthanasia and restoring their lost independence. “Because there is no more life left,” as he says. He started as an amateur, making a wheelchair for the stray dog ​​Lupo, a Belgian wolfhound, from water pipes (this work took two weeks). “He was found by volunteers in a field in Paleo Faliro and his hind legs were paralyzed. On July 4, 2015, he took his first steps in a wheelchair. How can I forget it? Then he was adopted, and now his name is Denzel. He is lucky, he lives happily,” says Mr. Tsiguras, who founded his own company, Plus2feet, that same year. Since then, he has helped over 2,000 animals, mostly dogs and cats, but also turtles, a domestic duck in Pefki, and a bear with a broken spine, Usko, who lived in the Arcturus shelter in Nymphaeum for four years until he died of kidney failure in 2019. year. The Plus2feet machine shop in Ilion produces about 350 wheelchairs a year.

He himself adopted two disabled dogs, Lily and Makis, who were homeless. “Every time I get into the skin of an animal, I feel like I’m in a wheelchair. The change in their daily life with the restoration of mobility is not only physical, but also psychological. They show their relief and joy with their body language,” continues the founder of Plus2feet, who is also touched by the reaction of the guardian animals. “One of the recent cases we dealt with was the dog Lou. Together with the children, her guardian came to the laboratory, a patient with cancer in the last stage of the disease. When she saw her pet walking with a wheelchair, she burst into tears. “Whatever happens, watch Lou like your eyes,” she told her children. I don’t know how I restrained myself and did not cry … “

Lessons for children from the will of animals

Those who live with a four-legged with mobility problems know this well: disabled animals have twice as much cheerfulness as healthy ones. The same applies to dogs and cats with other disabilities such as blindness or deafness. Every year, the animal welfare organization SCARS (Second Chance Animal Rescue Society) collects hundreds of kittens on the streets who have lost one or both eyes due to chlamydia or rhinotracheitis (a disease highly contagious to cats, not to humans) and promotes their adoption in Greece and abroad. “Blind cats are no different from other cats. They use the rest of the senses. They perceive the world around them with the help of hearing, smell, touch. They are playful, purr loudly and love even louder,” says Dionisis Tsantinis, co-founder of SCARS.

Mirto Xanthopoulou, Vice President of Stray.gr, agrees. Members of the association conduct educational visits to schools with Vince, a dog missing one ear. “He has a slight disability, but neither he nor the other dogs realize it. This does not bother him, he lives perfectly with her, after all, not a single animal cares about diversity. This is what we tell children. We note that animals perceive everything differently as completely normal – and this is another thing that they do much better than us … “. Leela, a blind dog, has been with the Stray.gr family for ten years. He lives with a foster family. “She adjusted to her blindness and became a nice, calm animal. None of us has ever pitied her, but we are having a hard time finding a home for her that will feel her, who will understand her, who will see her not as a blind person, but as the wonderful being that she is,” adds Ms. Xanthopulu. “Animals should be seen as they are, without stereotypes, prejudices and useless expectations. But shouldn’t we do the same with humans?

“There are no animals with special needs. Animals live in the present, unlike humans, who often worry about events that may or may not happen in the future. A dog or cat that can’t see, can’t hear, or is missing a limb won’t think they’re different or that they can’t do what they used to do, they’ll keep trying. So there is no reason to feel sorry for these animals. However, there are reasons, and indeed many, to help them,” stresses Dr. Christos Karagiannis, a behavioral veterinarian. “In what sense; Mainly by creating a friendlier environment for them in our home. Avoid frequent furniture changes in the house and cover sharp corners of furniture so that blind animals do not get hurt. If we have a deaf pet, we communicate with him through gestures and avoid walking in places with a lot of cars. And so on. In any case, the “key” to a harmonious symbiosis is to understand him and listen to his needs. Let’s try to see the world and life from his point of view, and not from ours.