Jude is a three-year-old burro with a left front prosthetic foot. His stump terminates at the cannon-bone.

He self-amputated his left front foot when he was less than one-year old in an attempt to get free from barbed wire hobbles. In the next few years his right shoulder slid forward and his spin twisted as he tried to carry his weight in an abnormal manner. Surgery was done to remove the damaged residual bone and prepare the site for a prosthetic. He wore a brace for a while to try and protect the site from damage while healing and to keep from further developing contractures.

His next step was to start walking with a peg-leg. Since it had been three years, he did not have the strength to hold himself up properly and to move his leg forward with weight on it. But, after only a month, he was negotiating very well. His shoulders were even, his spine straight and he had grown almost two inches. Now, he was ready for his definitive prosthetic.

He (like Thor) is currently in a customized Springlite foot and 'motors' around the barnyard at will, rolling, lounging and chasing the dogs. You can observe this learning process from pegleg to the first few steps on his new Springlite on Jude's video.

We will be returning to build Jude a new leg this spring and will have more videos then!