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New Leg For Lamb To Stand On

GRASS VALLEY (CBS13) — A lamb with no leg is no longer feeling like the black sheep, thanks to one kind-hearted human.

When dogs and cats lose a limb they can handle walking on all threes but lambs are a little taller and veterinarians say they need a leg to stand on.

It's a first for Animal Place, a sanctuary in Grass Valley, and the first for the prosthetics doctor at Grass Valley Hangar who donated the leg of lamb.

"She was gonna die without any kind of treatment," Animal Place animal care manager Jamie London said.

A neighbor saw Carmen hobbling on a broken leg for two weeks. Her previous owners were using her as a weed eater..

"Her mother was afraid of her so she wasn't getting fed," London said.

Carmen was hungry, hurt and nearing death. A neighbor convinced Carmen's owner to give her up to Animal Place.

"Someone saw this baby lamb suffering immensely and they didn't just turn away," Animal Place's Marji Beach said. "They turned compassion into action."

Her broken leg was in such bad shape, vets had no choice but to amputate.

"It was too far gone," London said. "The infection had eaten the bone."

She'll wear the prosthetic a few hours a day to get her used to it.

"The sheep are intimidated by this weird metal device on her so we'll give them time to adjust to it as Carmen does," Beach said.

They remove it before bed time. And on all threes, Carmen can still follow her herd into the barn.

As Carmen grows, the leg will need to grow with her, but the doctor who made it says he's willing to help with that.

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