Two startups help animals regain their lost mobility
Two small Greek companies are helping provide solutions for animals with serious mobility issues. The more technologically advanced of the two, bio3dvet, designs and produces artificial limbs, some on 3D printers.
A collaboration between engineers and veterinarians, it was founded in 2018 by Haris Kolios in the northwestern city of Ioannina. Its first major case involved a kitten with three amputated legs, gunshot injuries and infected wounds. Three years later it runs around the house of its adoptive family on its titanium limbs and “paws” made of a printed slip-proof material
A more artisanal solution for paralyzed animals is offered by Plus2feet, which makes wheeled carriages for animals who have lost use of their back legs or have severe spinal injuries. Vasilis Tzigouras, a former plumber, fits 350 such devices each year on animals ranging from kittens to a bear living in a sanctuary.
