Digital Fabrication in Veterinary Science

Digital fabrication and 3D printing have allowed veterinary science to advance and develop solutions to previously unsolvable problems. Many of these developments occurred in cases where reconstruction was necessary for the animal. Examples being in cases of the animals enduring a traumatic injury, like gunshot wounds or car accidents. But it can also be used to correct problems in cases where the animal was born with a defect or developed one as they grew. The use of these techniques in veterinary sciences is a fairly recent development, with the first case in North America occurring in 2018¹. As these technologies catch up with human medicine, it will allow for better solutions in the treatment of animals.

Uses and Benefits

Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology and 3D printing are used in various areas of veterinary practice, from teaching vet students, educating clients, preparing for surgeries and more⁷. When it comes to surgeries CAD technology is used in a variety of ways, the most influential being that it gives the surgeons a way to visualize and practice their surgeries and their techniques before ever performing on the patient. This gives them familiarity and insight into what they are doing before the day of the surgery. In addition, when combined with 3D printing it can be used to give the surgeon the opportunity to hold, touch, and examine a physical model of the intended surgery spot, such as bones, soft tissue, or organs². By giving the physicians the ability to do these things, it makes operations and procedures that were once seen as difficult, dangerous, or impossible, an option. Not only that but it given the digital accuracy of the models and measurements they can plan such procedures down to where to make each cut. Some of the benefits of this include, reducing time spent under anesthesia, which is more dangerous for animals than people, improves the outcomes of the surgery with patients recovering faster, and decreases infection rates².

Some patients require more than just accurate measurements in their procedures. Some require entirely new body parts, castings, or bodily inserts in their treatment. The use of CAD and 3D printing in these situations allows the doctors to, like in the case of Patches the Dachshund, replace the 70% of her skull with a titanium cap, thus saving her from a death sentence. Patches lost this portion of her skull due to a large tumor that grew directly through the bone. The veterinary surgical oncologist, or doctor that specializes in cancer treatment, Dr. Michelle Oblak used the results of a CT scan to digitally remove the tumor so that a digital model of the titanium cap could be made to the greatest accuracy¹. It was because of these technologies that she was able to successfully perform the surgery and save Patches’s life. These same techniques are also used to make difficult casts to put over injuries animals may have in order to protect them while they heal, such as a facial wound or jaw injury. Another real life example of this technology in use is in the case of Derby the dog. Derby was a dog in 2014 who was born with a congenital deformity in their front legs, causing them to have no paws and small forearms. 3D Systems, a 3D printing company, made a set of prosthesis for Derby which allowed them to be able to walk and run without problems⁴. Not only are these kinds of devices good for the animals, but they are also cheaper and faster to make than traditional prosthesis. Research is even being done to use 3D printing of live cells to replace lost or damaged tissue⁶. By furthering this technology doctors will be able to create even better and more intricate prosthesis and thus be able to help all kinds of problems in animals.

The final usage of this technology is in the teaching of veterinary students. CAD and 3D printing allow for the creation of tools and models of the animals so that the original body parts do not deteriorate from continued use³. It also gives the students the ability to test out prototypes they make in terms of tolerance, form, fit and function³. These expand the possibilities the students have in their education even giving them the chance to make their own models of animals and solutions to problems.

The Future

There are still drawbacks to using digital fabrication in veterinary science and most of them are said to be due to the processes themselves⁸. Such as the time it takes to print a 3D model, especially when it can be as large as a skull or leg of a dog. There is also very little room for error in surgical situations because one wrong move could mean a prosthesis will not fit¹. Though the prices are around $100-300 now overtime the prices may drop due to demand and the effect of these things becoming a commodity⁵. These technologies have already solved many medical issues in veterinary science that were once thought to be impossible, case in point Elsa the Great Dane who needed the joint connection between her radius and ulna fixed. The doctor’s used 3D printed models to practice different ways of dealing with her deformity, something that would have once only been possible through extreme trial and error. Now, however, it only required time, care, and practice. One day there is a possibility of replacing entire bones, organs and the like for animals who need them, all because of the use of digital fabrication.

Student Work

Uses and Benefits

The Future

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