Young Cow Receives Prosthetic Foot

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Feb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --  Dudley is one of the two million amputees in the United States.[1] The majority of those amputees are human. Farm animals are more rarely treated with prosthetics. With the help of The Gentle Barn (www.gentlebarn.org), one fortunate cow, named Dudley, will be fitted with a prosthetic foot after suffering for ten months with a severed foot. His prosthetic was crafted by a man who has something in common with Dudley.

"Ronnie Graves lost his leg in an accident at a fertilizer plant forty years ago," says Ellie Laks, Founder of The Gentle Barn, "Since then, he has devoted his life to building prosthetics for animals like Dudley."

Ronnie will fit Dudley for his newly made prosthetic foot at The University of Tennessee's Veterinary Medical Center in Knoxville where Dudley has been recovering from his amputation surgery for almost a month now.

"Dudley is nearing the one month anniversary of the surgery in which we amputated his damaged foot. He has done reasonably well in his temporary prosthesis, but we anticipate that his recovery will accelerate even more once he has been fitted with his new, custom-built, prosthetic foot," explains Dr. Anderson DVM, MS, DACVS, Head of Large Animal Clinical Services.

"The Gentle Barn specializes in rescuing abused and neglected animals that no one else will take in" says Jay Weiner, co-founder of The Gentle Barn, "and through generous donations from donors around the world, we are able to provide them a second chance at life that they are very rarely given."

Soon, when Dudley is fully recovered, co-founders Ellie Laks and Jay Weiner, will drive him to The Gentle Barn where he will join The Gentle Barn Peace Enhancement Program working with special needs children and adults, who live with similar physical differences. With his upbeat attitude, he's sure to teach others that in the face of adversity and disability, one can still thrive.

For an immediate contact and updated information about this rescue, please contact Jay Weiner at [email protected].

To schedule an interview with Ellie Laks or Jay Weiner, please contact Kevin Oaks at [email protected] or (805) 963-1751.

[1] http://www.amputee-coalition.org/limb-loss-resource-center/resources-by-topic/limb-loss-statistics/limb-loss-statistics/

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150227/178295

SOURCE The Gentle Barn

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http://www.gentlebarn.org