It takes a certain type of person to stop and do whatever it takes to save the life of a duck, but that is what happened for Quack Quack. This little duck was attacked by a dog and was left with a severely injured left foot. Following surgery and healing it was discovered that Quack Quack could no longer stretch out his left foot and it had some degree of varus. The deformity in his foot meant that Quack Quack would put all his weight on his right foot and was unable to walk comfortably. This led veterinarians at the National Taiwan University Animal Hospital to reach out to cyberspace for help. Their call was answered by Lung X Lung design, a company based in Taipei who agreed to help out the injured duck.

www.3ders.org

The team started by painstakingly creating a 3D model of the duck’s foot using 3D Systems’ Cubify Sense 3D scanner. The model then allowed them to use the scanner to print a brace for the injured foot using NinjaFlex material. The brace also included a little shoe that would help protect the foot and keep the brace in place. The innovative brace was a success and it was not long before the little duck was once again on the move. This has been very encouraging for veterinarians working with disabled animals, but unfortunately the process was very time consuming and expensive. All told it took two months and over $3,000 to create the brace and shoe for Quack Quack. The hope in Taiwan and around the world is that as 3D printing becomes more affordable, more animals like Quack Quack can get a second chance.

Main Image Credit: HuffingtonPost.com