When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in  August 2005, it dis-

rupted the lives of not just human beings, but those of a variety of animals as well.  Many pets, livestock, and other domesticated animals were left with no one to tend to them after their caretakers were killed, displaced from their homes (or otherwise separated from their animals), or left without the means to care for their charges.   Some Gulf Coast area residents who came through the storm relatively intact (or were outside its range) began adopting animals that had been abandoned or separated from their owners, such as Kaye Harris, the owner of a pony farm in St. Rose, Louisiana.  Through the efforts of an animal rescue group, Ms. Harris adopted an appaloosa pony (dubbed "Molly") found wandering in a pasture in St. Charles Parish and added the horse to the ponies and other abandoned animals she was keeping on her farm.

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Unfortunately, a few months later a pit bull terrier (one of the other abandoned animals Ms. Harris had adopted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina) attacked Molly, ripping off her jaw, open a gash in her belly, and inflicting bad bites to all four of her legs.  Horses that suffer serious leg injuries often have to be euthanized, and that initially looked to be Molly's fate, especially after one of her bitten legs became infected.  However, rather than giving up, Ms. Harris turned to a close friend (and horse veterinarian), Dr. Allison D. Barca.

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Fitting a horse with a prosthetic leg was something that had rarely been tried and almost always resulted in expensive failure, but Ms. Harris and Dr. Barca pled Molly's case to doctors at Louisiana State University's (LSU) veterinary hospital.   The doctors at LSU initially declined Molly's case.  But after observing Molly for a couple of days, Dr. Rustin M. Moore, the director of the veterinary school's equine health studies program and a veterinary surgeon, noticed that the horse would shift her weight and rest her good leg, and he became convinced that she would be a good candidate for a prosthesis.  They eventually amputated her right foreleg just below the knee and successfully fitted her with a prosthesis.

Photo from WildHorseRescue.org

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"She's very intelligent, and she knows how to take care of herself," Dr. Moore said.
 

The doctors contacted a local company, Bayou Orthotic and Prosthetic

Center, to see if it could build a limb for Molly. The company had never made a limb for an animal, but Dwayne Mara, who builds artificial limbs for the company, agreed to try.   Dr. Moore consulted with the handful of veterinarians who had tried the operation, asking about technique and about complications.  Mr. Mara watched ponies walk to see how their joints bent as they moved. He studied horse anatomy. He calculated how much weight the limb would need to support.

.....Photo from WildHorseRescue.org
 

In January, during a holiday break at the university, Dr. Moore and a team of surgeons amputated Molly's leg and fitted her with a hollow cast with a pole that she could use to balance. They knew almost immediately after the operation that it had been a success.
 

"She went out and she went right to putting her weight on it," Ms. Harris said, "and I just cried because I knew it was going to work." 
 

The operation cost $5,000, and the prosthesis company did not charge for the artificial leg, Ms. Harris said.
 

After the operation, Molly was taken to the prosthesis center. Children with medical conditions like spina bifida who were being fitted with orthotics flocked to her, amazed at the horse who was getting a metal leg.
 

This is Molly's most recent prosthesis.  The photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it.  Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind.

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A book about Molly is available now. Written by By Pam Kaster, published  in April 2008, "Molly the Pony - a True Story" is a laminated hard cover book perfect for children.  Molly's story has a message of courage and hope.  Great for people facing amputation challenges, or just a good lesson in life for everyone.  For more information, or to order this book, click 'HERE'.