Clever Vet Used LEGO To Make A Wheelchair For A Weakened Tortoise
Meet Blade, one of the luckiest tortoises ever. He got the priceless gift of a custom-made LEGO wheelchair, which a vet in Germany attached to his belly to help him move around.
The little guy’s limbs were weakened by a growth disorder, so he couldn’t hold his own weight up anymore. After Blade’s human friend Iris Peste noticed that her tortoise was having a great deal of trouble moving around and holding himself up, she brought him to a vet, Dr. Carsten Plischke. The idea of harnessing LEGO bricks and two sets of wheels, borrowed from the doctor’s son’s collection, came from not having any other options on the market.
“ For people there are walkers, rollators or prostheses but for animals there are no companies that produce something like that, ” explained Dr. Plischke. “ The size variation of animals means they can’t establish uniform products. So you have to come up with creative solutions; every animal needs its own treatment. ”
Fortunately, the LEGO attachment will not be permanent, as the tortoise is expected to get better and eventually use his legs at their full strength.
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