Meet Vincent, The Cat Who Received a Custom Pair of Extruded Titanium Peg Legs

Due to a congenital defect, Vincent was born without rear tibias and likely would have died had he not been rescued and surrendered to an Iowa animal shelter. Once adopted, he caught the attention of Dr. Mary Sarah Bergh, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Iowa State University's Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center. She worked with 3D printing firm Biomedtrix to create a custom pair of extruded titanium peg legs for the feline, enabling him to walk for the first time.

"I think this does open the door for us to be able to help other animals that have similar problems," Bergh said in a statement. "And even what we've learned just through Vincent's one case, we've actually refined the technique and the implants, so the next cases we do moving forward will be even more successful."

Unlike conventional prosthetics, these legs are surgically embedded into his upper leg bones so that as he grows, they fuse themselves to the prosthetics. So while he walks like a pirate, Vincent is technically a cyborg.

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Heartwarming Story: 3-Year-Old Sapphyre Johnson, Born Without Fingers and Feet: Gets a Therapy Puppy Missing One Front Paw - They Are Inseparable

Sapphyre Johnson was born a healthy child in Greenville, South Carolina, except for missing some essential features, her feet, fingers and toes.

Since she was 3-months-old, Sapphyre, now 3, has been a patient at Shriner's Hospital for Children, where her mother, Ashley Johnson, said she's had multiple surgeries to be fitted for prosthetic feet. But for her last visit, Johnson told ABC News, Sapphyre got to leave the hospital with much more than new prosthetics.

"It was two weeks ago when were told that an owner had contacted the hospital about a puppy who was missing one front paw," said Johnson. "She wanted him to grow up with a child who had similar circumstances."

After showing Sapphyre a photo of the puppy, Johnson said her toddler fell in love.

"Sapphyre immediately noticed that he was missing a paw," she said. "She said, 'He has a foot like mine.'"

The dog's breeder, Karen Riddle, said that the 9-week-old White German Shepherd was born in a litter of nine puppies and was the only one missing a paw.

For that very reason, Riddle said she decided to name him Lt. Dan, after the character from the popular film "Forrest Gump" who lost both his legs.

"The movie is a heartwarming, loving story, so I said, 'You're just like Lt. Dan. It just suited his personality."

Because of Lt. Dan's calm demeanor, Riddle coordinated with Shriner's to hand him off to Sapphyre as a therapy dog. Sapphyre and Lt. Dan went home together Monday.

"It was awesome yesterday," Riddle said. "We said, 'Sapphyre show him your feet' and, oh boy, she threw off her prosthetics and her socks and said, 'Look!' Then Lt. Dan put his paw up at the exact same time."

Although they've only been pals for 24 hours, Johnson said Sapphyre and Lt. Dan make the perfect pair.

"He follows her every step she takes, everywhere she goes," said Johnson. "It's like they’ve known each other forever.

"We always want Sapphyre to know that being different is not bad," she added. "People, even pets, no one is exactly the same. That would be boring. I think it’s good for her to see that."

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Spencer, A 2-Year-Old Paralyzed Bulldog Takes his Very First Steps Thanks to Prosthetic Legs

Spencer is a 2-year-old Bulldog, who has been paralyzed in his back legs since he was a puppy. His veterinarian suspects he became paralyzed either from being dropped or from abuse. His guardian, Linda Heinz, found him on her doorstep and took him in. The curious dog has never gotten a chance to walk around like a regular dog.

Linda said he's always been at her feet pleading to be lifted up and carried around to explore the world. Westcoast Brace and Limb took on the challenge to help Spencer walk for the first time. They equipped him with custom braces outfitted with green Crocks for "feet". He took to the prosthetics instantly and ran up and down the hallways at the clinic until he tired himself out.

Soon after, he got to enjoy his first walk on his own with his buddy Porkchop the blind pig. Linda says Spencer is "the happiest creature you'll ever meet. He wakes up happy. He never has a bad moment."

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