Boone’s Buddies: Design of a Prosthetic Rear Limb Set for Dogs With Severe Amputations

Abstract This paper documents the design and implementation of a set of rear-limb prostheses for a dog, performed as a senior capstone design project by a team of students in the Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering programs at Gannon University. A particular target dog was selected to receive the design benefit. The unique features of this design arise from the severe nature of the dog’s amputations — the extent of injury requiring amputation resulted in very little residual limb, making secure attachment difficult. In addition, project goals included the ability to allow mobility on uneven surfaces, enhanced ability for the dog to raise and right himself, hygienic issues and ease of attachment/detachment. Benchmark studies found many competitor products on the market, but each fell short in meeting this particular dog’s needs in some way.