This is the tale of a Russian cat by the name of Dymka, which derives from the word for fog in her native language of Russian. Dymka was a victim of the severe cold that swept through Russia, and as a result, she was unable to use either of her arms or legs. She was able to walk once again, thank goodness, because to the improvements that have been made in medical science and technology as well as the availability of compassionate vets.
The story goes that a motorist in Novokuznetsk, which is located in Siberia, came upon this cat while out driving on one of the city’s icy highways. The kind-hearted individual who was concerned about the welfare of this unfortunate animal brought her to the Novosibirsk clinic, which is located in the city that shares its name. After being exposed to the harsh Siberian cold for an extended period of time, it was discovered that Dymka had suffered frostbite on both of her limbs, as well as on her story and her ears. This was found at the location in question.
To get Dymka back on her feet, the trained professionals got to work.
Because of the condition that caused the cat to end up at the vet’s office, both of the animal’s front and hind legs had to be amputated. However, the professionals of the clinic where Dymka was received got down to work along with the researchers of the TPU (Tomsk Polytechnic College) to build a titanium prosthetic for the 4-year-old feline that would enable her to return to leading a normal life. This was accomplished.
It was because of this that, after utilizing cutting-edge technology, such as CT scans of Dymka’s paws, and using calcium phosphate in conjunction with the 3D-printed titanium implants (which were combined with the cat’s leg bones), they were able to successfully place the first implants in her front legs, and later on, they did it in her back legs as well.
After more than six months of receiving this essential therapy, it is now clear how Dymka was able to restore virtually entire mobility with her titanium legs. This improvement has been seen for some time now. The veterinary hospital that treated the cat’s condition uploaded a video of the animal to YouTube, in which the feline can be seen stretching, walking, and playing as if she had never lost her arm or legs, with her titanium legs having the appearance of being flexible and having a background that is textured black.
It is important to highlight that up to this point, Dymka is the only other cat in the world to have had the therapy that is being described here. After suffering the loss of all four of her limbs, the cat called Ryzhik (red) had this procedure in 2016 to regain her mobility after having undergone amputations.
In the cities of Siberia, many domestic cats and other animals suffer from frostbite as a result of the very cold temperatures and snowfalls that occur throughout the winter. Frostbite is caused when the skin and internal tissues, often those in the extremities, are frozen by the intense cold of winter. In certain circumstances, this results in the death of the affected tissues, which then necessitates their amputation in order to save the patient’s life.
If you have pets and you live in an area where the winters become exceptionally cold, you should make every effort to ensure that they are not put in circumstances that might endanger their lives, such as the one described below.