When life gets rough, some of the surest pick-me-ups are animal videos. Watching cats compressed into small boxes or bowls, dogs dancing or any kind of baby animal doing pretty much anything are sure to put a smile on your face. Even more heartwarming are videos of injured animals literally given a leg up.
Derrick Campana is an animal orthotist and prosthetist who creates braces and artificial limbs to help dogs, cats, pigs, goats, llamas and even elephants and gazelles walk. Now his life-changing work will be highlighted on “The Wizard of Paws,” a new show on BYUtv.
More than 25,000 animals have been able to walk again thanks to Campana’s skills and dedication. Clients can visit the office of his practice, Animal Ortho Care, in Virginia, or they can have their local veterinarian request a kit from the company to have a brace or prosthetic made remotely.
The new show highlights how Campana makes and fits prosthetics for individual animals, and of course, how their lives are changed for the better.
Campana was trained in fitting orthotics and prosthetics for people, according to an article on PetMD.com. Veterinarians would sometimes visit his workplace, and he decided to help a chocolate lab needing a prosthetic limb. From there, his pet client base grew quickly.
Cats and dogs are the most common recipients of his care. Hudson the Railroad Puppy is one example. According to People magazine, “Hudson was found nailed down by his leg to railroad tracks, missing a paw.” He fought and survived the ordeal, and the man who adopted him, Richard Nash, consulted Campana, who started work on a prosthetic paw to allow the pup to live life to the fullest.
“Because of Hudson’s earlier injuries, he needed a prosthetic that could replace his missing paw and bear enough weight not to negatively affect his other back leg,” the People article says. “After several prototypes, Campana found the perfect fit, and has been crafting new paws for Hudson as he grows ever since.”
While dogs may be frequent patients, other animals move around better because of Campana’s creations. One woman who rescues goats has found joy in watching her goats with severe birth defects or injuries “run around with the healthy and whole goats, playing and head-butting just like everyone else,” according to a Forbes story.
Campana and his company build bright prosthetic legs for Leanne Lauricella’s “robo goats,” as she calls them, or go even further to meet their needs: One little goat has a wheelchair cart.
Much of his work is based in his practice, but sometimes Campana travels to faraway locations to treat more exotic animals.
“He’s worked with elephants in Thailand and even flew to Spain to treat a ram,” according to PetMD. “Campana considers seeing new parts of the world as a huge job perk, but he says the most rewarding part of his career will always be seeing animals walk again for the first time and watching their owners break down and cry.”
You can now watch the first episode of “Wizard of Paws” on BYUtv.org. Tune in to the heartwarming show weekly either online or on tv.