A VET based in Tilford has fitted a dog with a prosthetic paw, in a pioneering operation being watched by the medical world as it could have implications for human amputees. The procedure was carried out by Noel Fitzpatrick on a Belgian shepherd called Storm. Rather than have eight-year-old Storm put down or his entire leg amputated when a lump was diagnosed as an aggressive tumour, owners Francesca and Derek Taylor agreed to have just part of his leg removed. His new paw, made of laminated carbon fibre for flexibility, is set in a metal implant attached to the remaining bone. "The Holy Grail has been to get the skin to join the metal," said Mr Fitzpatrick, explaining this had been achieved through the development of a special coating. The vet, who operates a specialist orthopaedic and neurosurgery veterinary referral centre at the Greenhills Rural Enterprise Centre in Tilford, said it is the first time that the implant type has been used outside the human finger. He believes it could act as a model for human amputees in the future and provide hope for people without feet or hands, such as soldiers returning from Iraq and victims of the July 7 London bombings. But despite the possible ramifications, Mr Fitzpatrick said fundamentally his job had been about providing a comfortable and pain-free future for Storm. The final bandage came off this week and with the patient excitedly using his limb in the pool on Wednesday, the prognosis looked good. PICTURED: The bandages are off for Storm, pictured with owner Derek Taylor and his son Alex.
