Ed Helps Ferdi Back Up On All Four!

Ferdinand, our canine patient, was born without a fully developed front left leg. As a puppy, missing the limb didn’t hinder his mobility. But as the 140 lbs. Cane Corso Mastiff continued to grow, the missing limb proved to be a problem and his original owner considered putting him down because of this disability.

Nina, his current owner, stepped in and saved Ferdi’s life! A health care professional in the Delaware Valley, she asked a coworker if he thought there were prosthetics made for dogs. The coworker referred Nina to Ed Moran, CPO, at Orthologix.

Ed created a custom prosthesis for Ferdi using the same methods used to fabricate prosthetics for human patients. He made a cast of Ferdi’s leg and created a custom silicone liner, which he retrofit into a hard plastic shell prosthesis with a rubber foot.

"My first concern was that Ferdi would eat whatever I put on his leg!" Ed said. "That didn’t happen however. Ferdi doesn't gnaw on his prosthesis and was very cooperative during the fitting process."

Ferdi is trained as a service and therapy dog. Ed has introduced this canine pal to his new pediatric amputee patients. Ferdi also visits the elderly at an area retirement home.

Though he is an older dog, Ferdi still maintains an active life and tolerates the prosthesis well. His owner tells Ed that her pet runs and walks easily with the use of his prosthesis.