Blade is a tiny Greek tortoise with a metabolic bone disease. His owner Iris Pleste noticed that he wasn’t very active, so she took him to German veterinarian Dr. Carsten Plischke. That’s when they found that Blade’s disease was causing him to lose muscle, leaving him too weak to lift his shell and walk. Thinking of his son’s toys, Dr. Plischke had a spark of inspiration. He realized he could turn Blade’s shell into a skate using LEGOs. He used 6 pieces total, including 4 treaded tires. Fortunately, this was a cheap and easy fix for Blade. Solutions like these aren’t usually so simple for other animals. >”For people there are walkers, rollators or prostheses but for animals there are no companies that produce something like that,” Dr Plischke said. “The size variation of animals means they can’t establish uniform products. So you have to come up with creative solutions; every animal needs its own treatment.” **-Dr. Plischke**
