A bearded dragon that had been so badly neglected she was left paralysed has been able to crawl across her tank for the first ti
A bearded dragon that had been so badly neglected she was left paralysed has crawled across her tank for the first time - thanks to a custom-made WHEELCHAIR. Life is no longer a drag for resilient dragon Millie, who was unable to use her back legs after contracting a debilitating metabolic bone disease, caused by a lack of vitamin D.The disease stripped poor Millie's bones of much-needed calcium and made her back so brittle it fractured when a previous owner tried to pick her up.Millie was then listed on a pets for sale Facebook group as being "free to a good home" as her owner could not properly take care of her.She was taken in by reptile lover Amy Dobson, 20, a volunteer adopter for an animal sanctuary, who was left "heartbroken" at the condition Millie was in.Her spine was twisted and, as a result, she is around four inches shorter than the usual length of a bearded dragon.She could not move her back legs so was forced to try to drag herself along the floor and also had breathing difficulties due to being hunched over all the time.But thanks to a specially-made wheelchair, created by an engineering apprentice, Millie is on a roll and has a whole new lease of life.The tiny wheelchair is made of aluminium and upholstered with soft fabric for Millie's comfort with two Velcro straps which keep Millie secure.It supports her body weight and allows her to move along the floor with ease using just her front legs.It also helps Millie keep her chest off the floor, which Amy says has improved her breathing problems.Restaurant worker Amy, from Whitehaven, Cumbria, said: "The difference in Millie now is unbelievable.
The wheelchair has been life-changing for her."It was really emotional to see her use the wheelchair for the first time because I had seen how much pain she was in when she tried to move using her own legs."She has a lump in her back from where it has fractured and tried to repair itself and she can't contract the muscles in her back legs."When we first got her, the best she could do was shuffle and move front legs very slowly."She gave up even trying to move in the end because she knew she couldn't."But now she is so much more confident, she knows when she tries to move, I'll put her in her wheelchair and she can get about."Amy began caring for Millie in November 2018 after Forever Friends Animal Sanctuary, where she volunteers, responded to the heartbreaking social media post.They were so concerned about the condition Millie was in they booked her into the vets to be put to sleep.But, as they were waiting for their appointment, Amy noticed Millie was fascinated by people moving around the room and would make eye contact with her, which gave her hope she could pull through.Amy added: "She is very small for a dragon.
She's around 14 inches long, bearded dragons are usually 20 inches long,"Her spine is twisted, we think because she hadn't moved for so long.
She was in a really bad way when we got her."Thankfully she was sent away from the vets with pain killers and a very strong calcium supplement.
It was a miracle that this sweet girl might just have a life ahead of her."Millie continued to recover at home with Amy and her parents Karen and Craig, but her lack of mobility was holding her back.In August last year the wheels were put in motion for Millie's new mobility aid when Amy's dad poke to an engineer pal who said he would see what he could do.An apprentice at training provider Energus made the wheelchair as part of her coursework - and Amy was made up with the results.She added: "It took Millie a while to get the hang of it at first, but she has come on leaps and bounds."She is building so much muscle up in her front legs because she is moving them a lot more."Because she was so hunched over before, it affected her breathing."But now she is able to keep her chest up a lot which will help prevent issues such as respiratory infections and food getting stuck in her beard."She can eat full-sized foods for the first time instead of me having to put her food into a blender."ENDS
A bearded dragon that had been so badly neglected she was left paralysed has crawled across her tank for the first time - thanks to a custom-made WHEELCHAIR.
Life is no longer a drag for resilient dragon Millie, who was unable to use her back legs after contracting a debilitating metabolic bone disease, caused by a lack of vitamin D.The disease stripped poor Millie's bones of much-needed calcium and made her back so brittle it fractured when a previous owner tried to pick her up.Millie was then listed on a pets for sale Facebook group as being "free to a good home" as her owner could not properly take care of her.She was taken in by reptile lover Amy Dobson, 20, a volunteer adopter for an animal sanctuary, who was left "heartbroken" at the condition Millie was in.Her spine was twisted and, as a result, she is around four inches shorter than the usual length of a bearded dragon.She could not move her back legs so was forced to try to drag herself along the floor and also had breathing difficulties due to being hunched over all the time.But thanks to a specially-made wheelchair, created by an engineering apprentice, Millie is on a roll and has a whole new lease of life.The tiny wheelchair is made of aluminium and upholstered with soft fabric for Millie's comfort with two Velcro straps which keep Millie secure.It supports her body weight and allows her to move along the floor with ease using just her front legs.It also helps Millie keep her chest off the floor, which Amy says has improved her breathing problems.Restaurant worker Amy, from Whitehaven, Cumbria, said: "The difference in Millie now is unbelievable.
The wheelchair has been life-changing for her."It was really emotional to see her use the wheelchair for the first time because I had seen how much pain she was in when she tried to move using her own legs."She has a lump in her back from where it has fractured and tried to repair itself and she can't contract the muscles in her back legs."When we first got her, the best she could do was shuffle and move front legs very slowly."She gave up even trying to move in the end because she knew she couldn't."But now she is so much more confident, she knows when she tries to move, I'll put her in her wheelchair and she can get about."Amy began caring for Millie in November 2018 after Forever Friends Animal Sanctuary, where she volunteers, responded to the heartbreaking social media post.They were so concerned about the condition Millie was in they booked her into the vets to be put to sleep.But, as they were waiting for their appointment, Amy noticed Millie was fascinated by people moving around the room and would make eye contact with her, which gave her hope she could pull through.Amy added: "She is very small for a dragon.
She's around 14 inches long, bearded dragons are usually 20 inches long,"Her spine is twisted, we think because she hadn't moved for so long.
She was in a really bad way when we got her."Thankfully she was sent away from the vets with pain killers and a very strong calcium supplement.
It was a miracle that this sweet girl might just have a life ahead of her."Millie continued to recover at home with Amy and her parents Karen and Craig, but her lack of mobility was holding her back.In August last year the wheels were put in motion for Millie's new mobility aid when Amy's dad poke to an engineer pal who said he would see what he could do.An apprentice at training provider Energus made the wheelchair as part of her coursework - and Amy was made up with the results.She added: "It took Millie a while to get the hang of it at first, but she has come on leaps and bounds."She is building so much muscle up in her front legs because she is moving them a lot more."Because she was so hunched over before, it affected her breathing."But now she is able to keep her chest up a lot which will help prevent issues such as respiratory infections and food getting stuck in her beard."She can eat full-sized foods for the first time instead of me having to put her food into a blender."ENDS
