Millie the greyhound is thought to be the first dog in Australia with a 3D printed prosthetic leg, proving animal prosthetics don’t need to be expensive.

Millie the greyhound is an Australian pup with an interesting claim to fame. She’s thought to be the first pup in the country with a 3D printed prosthetic leg.

The hound is four-years-old and was kicked out of greyhound school when she was just eleven weeks old due to a painful paw. Mr. and Mrs. Dieppe rescued the pup, who soon after had to have her front leg amputated.

The dog-parents have since spent $10,000 on providing Millie with prosthetics, shipped in from abroad. However, the pooch didn’t take to any of these options.

Instead, Edward Dieppe turned to Autodesk, the 3D printing software company, to help create a custom plastic paw. Millie can now hop, jump and run comfortably with her 3D printed prosthetic leg.

“It really just allows her to be free,” Mr. Dieppe said, “And for us as her parents, I suppose you could call us, not to worry about her damaging her leg.”

Autodesk Comes to the Rescue with a 3D Printed Paw

“She likes the fit and feel of this one much more than any of her other prosthetics… It’ll probably take her a little while to get used to,” adds Matthew Knight from Autodesk.

Autodesk used Fusion 360 to model a new leg for Millie before printing the prosthetic. After the expense of prosthetics from overseas, in the end, it took just a few hundred Australian dollars and a 3D printer to provide Millie with a prosthetic she can comfortably wear.

The benefit of 3D printing in Millie’s case is that the cheap price tag means any breakages or growth spurts wouldn’t cost her pet parents more than a few hundred dollars.

Autodesk is also creating cheap prosthetics for humans using the same software. Want to find out more about prosthetics? Check out All3DP’s related articles, here.

Source: The West Australian