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Nakio the 'Bionic Dog' Becomes First to Receive Prosthetics for All Four Paws

By Makini Brice | Update Date: Apr 29, 2013 09:36 AM EDT

Nakio the dog had a rough start to life before he was adopted by a veterinary assistant. However, Nakio has received a new beginning when he received prosthetics on all four paws, becoming the first dog to do so.

Nakio was just a young pup when he was found in an abandoned foreclosed home in Nebraska. His mother had already died and, when animal shelter workers found him, he was lying in a puddle of ice-cold water. The experience caused him to develop frostbite and, as a result, veterinarians needed to cut off all four of his paws and the tip of his tail.

He was eight weeks old when Christie Pace adopted him. Though many new owners would have considered him to be a challenge, at best, he was just the dog that she was looking for. "I have a soft spot for rescue animals in general. I was looking for something different, unique. I wanted to make more of a difference than a regular dog. I knew I could help him out," she said to ABC.

According to the New York Daily News, Nakio was able to move himself around as a young pup by sliding around on his stomach. As he grew older and heavier, though, that feat became more and more difficult. Eventually, it became too difficult for him to move around on hard surfaces, so his owners would need to carry him around or wheel him in a wagon.

Christie Pace discovered a solution when she met someone whose dog had a brace from the company OrthoPets. Though the chance encounter led to a solution for Nakio's mobility problem, the solution was not simple either. The experience caused Pace to start a fundraiser for Nakio's prosthetics; as ITV reports, prosthetics can cost up to $3,000 a paw. Nakio also needed surgery on his left rear paw. He received prosthetics on his hind legs first. After adapting so well to that pair, the company decided to furnish the front pair for free.

"When we saw how good he was doing with his back leg prosthetics and how he was struggling to use his front legs it was very simple to say, 'we gotta keep with him.' He could do much better with all four prosthetics on," Martin Kaufmanm, the owner of OrthoPets, said.

Since then, Nakio has been doing great with his new paws. You can look at the Facebook page for updates on him.

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