((PKG)) ANIMAL BRACES AND PROSTHETICS
((Banner: Bionic Pets))
((Reporter/Camera: Deborah Block))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Sterling, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
I am hand-sculpting each one of these devices from scratch
using plaster and building with plastics and foams and it's,
it's an art every step of the way.
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
Veterinary orthotics and prosthetics aren’t an exact
science. It’s really more of an art. I was working in the
human prosthetic industry for a couple of years and one day,
a veterinarian brought her dog named Charles to my human
facility. And luckily my boss quit that day and a veterinarian
was sitting with her dog, a black lab named Charles, for
about three hours and I said, you know, I've never helped
the dog before. And I gave it a try and it worked. And I had
such fulfillment and gratitude from not only the veterinarian
but the dog, that I realized this is the fulfillment I always want
from each patient. And I started animal orthocare back in
2005.
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
We do a lot more braces than prosthetics. It's a lot more
common for an animal to injure an ACL like we do. So, an
ACL is just like what we have in our knee and they, it's called
a CCL for dogs. They tweak their knee. It's a ligament
rupture. So, we put a knee brace on the leg to stabilize it
and then eventually the ligament will scar over and they don't
need surgery at all. So, we're actually saving people lots of
money. Surgeries cost between three and five thousand
dollars. A lot of times, vets won't tell you that we can
stabilize with a knee brace and you can avoid surgery
altogether. So, we're saving you a few thousand dollars with
this device here. That's the gold mine.
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
Have to do it a certain way. Since there's only about 10 of
us in the world that do veterinary orthotics and prosthetics
full time, not a lot of people are in close proximity to these
facilities. So, we do allow caretakers to cast their own pet
when necessary or we send casting kits to veterinarians
around the globe to cast the patient and ship that cast to
us.
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
We were able to make one of the first leg braces for a camel
in the world. So, I helped a couple of elephants in Thailand
about four years ago, who lost their legs from
landmines. And from there, I just kind of overnight became
the Elephant Man. And so, whenever an elephant, no matter
where it is around the world, has an injury, I seem to get
called upon.
((Courtesy: Derrick Camana))
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
So, I helped a couple of elephants in Thailand about four
years ago, who lost their legs from landmines. And from
there, I just kind of overnight became the Elephant Man.
And so, whenever an elephant, no matter where it is around
the world, has an injury, I seem to get called upon. So Jabu,
the African elephant from Botswana, he actually fell into a
termite hole and he twisted his wrist really bad. So, I was
able to make a brace to stabilize the leg so he wouldn't get
attacked and so he could get around because, you know, if
an elephant can’t get around, then he can’t live.
Every day I get kind of a new request and a new challenge
and I like that. But how did I get there? I don't really know. I
think people just kind of saw something and then they
realized that I could do it and they reached out.
((Courtesy: Derrick Camana))
((NATS))
((Customer))
I just want him to live the last few years of his life, you know,
the best he can.
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
It still gives me, you know, goose bumps where you fit a dog
and he is starting to regain his mobility.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Derrick Camana))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
That joy you see, that smile, that sparkle, that wagging of
their tail. I get such a joy out of helping animals.
((NATS))
((Banner: Bionic Pets))
((Reporter/Camera: Deborah Block))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Sterling, Virginia))
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
I am hand-sculpting each one of these devices from scratch
using plaster and building with plastics and foams and it's,
it's an art every step of the way.
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
Veterinary orthotics and prosthetics aren’t an exact
science. It’s really more of an art. I was working in the
human prosthetic industry for a couple of years and one day,
a veterinarian brought her dog named Charles to my human
facility. And luckily my boss quit that day and a veterinarian
was sitting with her dog, a black lab named Charles, for
about three hours and I said, you know, I've never helped
the dog before. And I gave it a try and it worked. And I had
such fulfillment and gratitude from not only the veterinarian
but the dog, that I realized this is the fulfillment I always want
from each patient. And I started animal orthocare back in
2005.
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
We do a lot more braces than prosthetics. It's a lot more
common for an animal to injure an ACL like we do. So, an
ACL is just like what we have in our knee and they, it's called
a CCL for dogs. They tweak their knee. It's a ligament
rupture. So, we put a knee brace on the leg to stabilize it
and then eventually the ligament will scar over and they don't
need surgery at all. So, we're actually saving people lots of
money. Surgeries cost between three and five thousand
dollars. A lot of times, vets won't tell you that we can
stabilize with a knee brace and you can avoid surgery
altogether. So, we're saving you a few thousand dollars with
this device here. That's the gold mine.
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
Have to do it a certain way. Since there's only about 10 of
us in the world that do veterinary orthotics and prosthetics
full time, not a lot of people are in close proximity to these
facilities. So, we do allow caretakers to cast their own pet
when necessary or we send casting kits to veterinarians
around the globe to cast the patient and ship that cast to
us.
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
We were able to make one of the first leg braces for a camel
in the world. So, I helped a couple of elephants in Thailand
about four years ago, who lost their legs from
landmines. And from there, I just kind of overnight became
the Elephant Man. And so, whenever an elephant, no matter
where it is around the world, has an injury, I seem to get
called upon.
((Courtesy: Derrick Camana))
((NATS))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
So, I helped a couple of elephants in Thailand about four
years ago, who lost their legs from landmines. And from
there, I just kind of overnight became the Elephant Man.
And so, whenever an elephant, no matter where it is around
the world, has an injury, I seem to get called upon. So Jabu,
the African elephant from Botswana, he actually fell into a
termite hole and he twisted his wrist really bad. So, I was
able to make a brace to stabilize the leg so he wouldn't get
attacked and so he could get around because, you know, if
an elephant can’t get around, then he can’t live.
Every day I get kind of a new request and a new challenge
and I like that. But how did I get there? I don't really know. I
think people just kind of saw something and then they
realized that I could do it and they reached out.
((Courtesy: Derrick Camana))
((NATS))
((Customer))
I just want him to live the last few years of his life, you know,
the best he can.
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
It still gives me, you know, goose bumps where you fit a dog
and he is starting to regain his mobility.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Derrick Camana))
((Derrick Camana, Founder, Bionic Pets))
That joy you see, that smile, that sparkle, that wagging of
their tail. I get such a joy out of helping animals.
((NATS))
