TurboRoo on his 3D-printed cart. Image via The Downtown Veterinarian's Facebook page
A Chihuahua puppy born without front legs and left at a veterinarian’s office is now whizzing about by himself, thanks to a 3D-printed cart.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, last month, a breeder dropped off the then-four-week-old puppy at The Downtown Veterinarian. Staff at the clinic tried to create a cart for the puppy, named TurboRoo, but it just wasn’t quite right.
That’s when Mark Deadrick, the president of 3D-printing company 3dyn, stepped in, designing and creating a cart using a Makerbot Replicator 3D printer.
Deadrick, who is also a mechanical engineer that has worked on creating spacecraft parts, attached skateboard wheels to the front of the cart, CNet reported.
On The Downtown Veterinarian’s Facebook page, staff said Deadrick is already working on another version of the cart, which will require modifications as TurboRoo grows to his full size.
TurboRoo has found a new home, too, with vet tech Ashley Looper. She has organised a fundraising campaign on YouCaring.com to help pay for TurboRoo’s wheels.
So far, people have contributed more than US$3,600, surpassing the initial goal of US$600, with 142 days left in the campaign.
