Baby goat learns to walk on custom prosthetic legs

DENVER, March 18 (UPI) -- A baby goat is able to walk on four legs thanks to the care of a Colorado woman who developed a custom pair of prosthetic legs.

Rory Clow adopted the baby goat from a meat ranch after it suffered frostbite in its back legs due to paralysis from malnutrition. A second battle with frostbite caused the goat, which Clow named Izzy, to have his back legs amputated from the shin down.

"His name, Izzy, or 'Is he' was coined from the constant questions, 'Is he going to live through the night?' 'Is he going to walk?' 'Is he going to be able to keep up with his mother to nurse?'" Clow wrote on a GoFundMe page dedicated to getting Izzy permanent adult-sized prosthetics.

Clow constructed a set of makeshift prosthetics for Izzy made from PVC pipes, cotton and other household items.

Izzy has since learned to walk up to 600 feet on the new prosthetics although Clow stated she is eager to find a sturdier alternative to the PVC-based legs.

"I am so excited for the next step of making a brace that will stay on better; it still scares me every time one of his 'legs' (fake prosthetics) falls off as it immediately reminds me of when that happened with the real leg," she wrote in an update. "So I'm anxious for him to heal up and to engineer a temporary that stays put!"

Clow has raised $2,065 of her goal of $3,500 since launching the crowdfunding campaign in February. The funds will pay for Izzy's medical bills and future prosthetics with any additional funds being used to assist other debilitated ranch and farm animals.