Tiny puppy with rare disease saved by adorable invention
Chattanooga, Tennessee - A Chihuahua puppy named Niblett weighs just over a kilogram and suffers from hydrocephalus. Every little incident is therefore life-threatening for the pooch, but luckily he can rely on many hard-working helpers!
The Humane Educational Society (HES) was desperate to help the four-legged friend, and the animal rights activists reported on Facebook that a special solution was being developed.
Fortunately, HES animal welfare officer Dr. Samantha Blair had connections to Dr. Harris, the director of the chemical engineering program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC).
After a few phone calls, it was clear that the scientists wanted to help.
It also quickly became clear how Niblett could be protected: a mini-helmet was needed!
"Dr. Elliott said, 'Yes, we can do this,' which was amazing – because without this helmet, this dog won’t be able to live. I mean, this is necessary for him to be able to grow up and to continue to have a good life," Dr. Blair recalled in a statement from UTC of her conversation with Dr. Elliott, a professor in the university's School of Engineering and Computer Science.
"As soon as I saw his cute little face, I said, 'We’ve got to help,'" the professor said.
He grabbed a recent graduate who was particularly knowledgeable about 3D printing, and off they went!
Chihuahua puppy has a better chance of survival with his special head protection
After several measurements and trials, the researchers met with Niblett to give the 10-week-old puppy his head protection.
"It was pretty cool to see him walking around with it and knowing that it looks like at least one of our solutions is going to help him on his journey," said Dr. Elliott happily.
Dr. Samantha Blair from HES was also thrilled: "Sometimes in this line of work, you don’t always get happy endings, so it’s so nice to see everyone come together to help out an animal."
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/Facebook/Humane Educational Society