Photos: High-Tech Pet Prosthetics in the Wild

By Newsweek Staff On 11/25/15 at 9:08 AM EST

Injured animals live freely with the help of carbon fiber and 3D-printed limbs.

12_04_PetProsthetics_SS_01 — Photos: High-Tech Pet Prosthetics in the Wild OrthoPets

In recent years, a few entrepreneurial prosthetic craftsmen and women have decided to ply their trade on behalf of new clients: cats, dogs and other four-legged animals. These innovators are preserving or restoring disabled animals' full range of movement and way of life by outfitting pets with carbon fiber, fiberglass and 3D-printed limbs.

A few of the leaders in the field are Colorado-based OrthoPets, the industry giant; Animal Orthocare, a smaller outfit situated in Chantilly, Virginia; K-9 Orthotics and Prosthetics in Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia; and Pet Artificial Limbs and Supports in Houston.

Custom braces are also being developed to help a pet who suffered a traumatic injury recover faster and more completely than ever before.

Now, veterinarians across the U.S. can order the high-tech prosthetics for injured dogs, cats—and even the odd alpaca.

The small but growing field of animal orthotics and prosthetics was pioneered in the first years of this century largely by Martin and Amy Kaufmann, founders of Colorado-based OrthoPets; Jeff Collins of K-9 Orthotics and Prosthetics in Nova Scotia; and Derrick Campana of Animal Ortho Care in Virginia. OrthoPets