Small Dog, New Tricks: How This Vet Is Straightening Pups’ Legs With 3D-Printed Parts

Lucca, a sandy-colored, 1-year-old shih tzu, is undeniably cute — thanks in part to the tiny legs he trots about on. But one of those legs was also a source of potentially lifelong discomfort for the pup. Lucca grew up with a deformed lower leg, a condition often found in smaller dogs, including shih tzus and dachshunds: Two bones in his front right leg developed at different rates. When one stopped growing prematurely, it acted like a bow string, causing the other to twist and bend.