Disabled Puppy Gets New Custom Wheels

A tiny Chihuahua puppy suffering from a disability is getting a new lease on life after he was fitted with a new custom set of wheels.

The Downtown Veterinarian in Indianapolis took in Turbo Roo, who was born without front limbs, despite the opinion of others that the pup be put down. They wanted to get him a mobility cart to help him get around, but since none exist that are small enough to fit Turbo's petite size, they decided to get creative.

The Dodo reports that the veterinary team crafted a cart out of toy parts. Their ingenuity and dedication to helping this little dog touched the hearts of many, and soon word began to spread of Turbo's story. Donations started to pour in from people all over the country who also wanted to help.

One of those people was Mark Deadrick, owner of the company 3dyn, which fabricates parts for the aerospace industry.

"We have capabilities to make just about anything, but we lean toward things that we find interesting," Deadrick told news station KERO. "Usually that's something that either flies, has wheels and goes fast. Turbo Roo meets that requirement (sans the fast part I suppose) and I thought I'd spend a small amount of time coming up with an interim solution."

It wasn't long before Deadrick, an engineer in San Diego, immensely improved upon Turbo's toy-like cart.

"I just did some thumbnail measurements from photos and spend about 20 minutes designing a cart, hit print on one of our 3D printers and let it run for 4 hours," he said.

The Chihuahua has overcome several obstacles after a birth defect stunted the growth of his front legs. At one month old, an Indianapolis couple turned him over to The Downtown Veterinarian when they realized Turbo was in danger of starving to death - the other pups in the litter wouldn't let him eat.

But vet technician Ashley Looper, who is now taking care of Turbo, reports that he is doing well and thriving in his new set of wheels.