Frostbite can result in permanent damage, and in animals, that sometimes means euthanasia.
One marmalade cat escaped from this unfortunate end when he got frostbite on all four of his feet one severely cold night in Tomsk, Siberia. Ryzhik, which is Russian for Redhead or Ginger, was homeless when he spent a night outside in -40 degrees Celsius (which is the same as -40 Fahrenheit, just FYI), last January.
Photo Credit: Needpix.com
He was taken in by a good Samaritan, but for his feet, it was too late. He was already developing gangrene, or total tissue death due to loss of blood supply, which left him in extreme pain.
Veterinarians had to amputate his legs, and it looked as if all was lost for Ryzhik.
But his new owner refused to give up on him. He was taken to a prosthetic clinic in Novosibirsk. There, doctors fitted him with four bionic titanium limbs.
Animals typically have a difficult time getting used to prosthetics. So, Ryzhik’s new limbs were specially created to prevent him from pulling them off.
His surgeons used computer tomography and 3D modeling and got them as close to perfect as possible so Ryzhik would find them comfortable.
Lead surgeon, Sergey Gorshko, attached the new limbs directly to Ryzhik’s own bones in a way where new tissue would grow and attach to them. Gorshko’s clinic is pioneering ways to attach prosthetics to suffering animals and help them regain their mobility.
Ryzhik may not be the fastest cat around, but he is walking and seems to be happy in his new, warm home.
Protect your pets from prolonged walking in snow and frozen areas. But if you do detect frost-nip, dab their feet with a warm towel and seek help immediately if you see any tissue damage.
