Best foot forward: Jenny Brown with her pet goat Albie show off their prosthetic legs at her animal sanctuary in New York stateWhen Albie the three-legged goat needed a prosthetic leg, owner Jenny Brown knew exactly who to turn to.
Having lost her own limb at the age of ten to cancer she contacted the doctor who had made her prosthetic leg and begged him to help.
Now Albie is skipping around the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary in New York state where he lives with Mrs Brown and her husband Doug Abel, 43
Albie arrived at the sanctuary in August 2007 when he was found wandering in a park after escaping from a local slaughterhouse.
But injuries inflicted when he was trussed up with wire in the abattoir infected his leg and vets had to amputate.
Albie: The goat escaped from an abattoirMrs Brown said: ‘ When he was brought to us, Albie was in a terrible state. His mouth was covered in sores and his leg and hoof were badly infected.
‘He was weak and scared to death. We just couldn’t believe that this brave little goat had managed to escape like this.’
After the operation, Albie tried to hop around the field on three legs, but kept having to rest as it was too much of a strain.
Mrs Brown said: 'Albie hobbled, but goats don’t have the same balance that dogs have, as they are walking around on the tip of a high heeled hoof.
'He got so tired easily and would have to lie down every few minutes.'
She then asked her surgeon to build a prosthetic leg even though he had never made one for a farm animal before.
Pet: Jenny lost her limb to cancer when she was 10, while Albie had to have his amputated after it got infected‘The doctor just looked at me in surprise but rose to the challenge and said he was willing to give it a try,' said Mrs Brown.
'We did some research. There had been only one goat ever before in the U.S. that had got a prosthetic limb.
'I knew exactly how frustrated he [Albie] felt with a leg missing - as I had gone through it all myself. I was determined to help him.'
'We take it off at night for him to sleep - just like I do - and then in the day he has it on all the time. He’s skipping around on his prosthetic leg and he couldn’t be happier.’
Mrs Brown opened her animal sanctuary in October 2004, and now has over 150 rescued farm animals, including piglets, former battery hens, goats, cows and turkeys living there.
source: dailymail
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