In an unusual gesture of kindness towards animals, a Tirupur-based woman who was upset after one of her cows had broken a leg, had arranged for replacing the broken leg of the cow with a specially designed prosthetic limb at the cost of several thousand rupees. Veterinary experts state that this is the first surgery of its kind in India.
Five months ago, Nirmala Jagadeesan (53) who owns around 50 cows and runs a milk producing unit in Tiruppur, noticed that one of her cows was unwell and took it to the nearest veterinary hospital for treatment. “When we tried to bring the cow down from the vehicle, it broke one of its hind legs. Veterinary doctors at the hospital advised us to take it to the Government Veterinary Hospital and College in Namakkal for further treatment and we followed the advice,” Nirmala said.
While Nirmala wanted to fix the injured leg of the animal, veterinary experts at the Namakkal College said that nothing could be done about it and sent the cow back to the farm.
“It was around that time that local veterinarian Dr. K. Ramachandran had suggested that we go for a prosthetic limb and suggested a manufacturer of such limbs based out of Nagpur,” Ms. Jagadeesan said.
Within a few days, a team of engineers from the firm reached Tiruppur and took measurements for manufacturing an artificial limb for the cow. “It is the first time such a prosthetic was made for replacing the leg of an animal,” Dr. Ramachandran says.
On May 5, a team of veterinary surgeons amputated the injured leg of the cow and replaced it with a prosthetic. “The surgery was successful and the cow got back on its feet within an hour of the surgery,” the veterinary doctor says.
More than two weeks after the procedure, the animal is reported to be healthy and mobile once again.
