TORONTO -- One year ago Alaska the guinea pig couldn't move under her own power but today she might be the only rodent in Canada with a custom ride.

A post-birth uterus infection left Alaska clinging to life, with one of her front legs requiring amputation. Further complications limited the use of her two back legs and veterinary bills exceeded $5,000. Her prospects still appeared bleak.

"I was afraid she wouldn't have a good quality of life. I was afraid she wouldn't move and I thought I’d failed her as a pet owner,” Toronto woman Shirelle Goodman told CTV News Toronto. 

While a lot of people might have given up, Goodman doubled down on her resolve to improve Alaska's mobility.

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"I started researching 3D printing."

With Alaska under her arm, Goodman visited her local branch of the Toronto Public Library. 

"She walked in here with a guinea pig missing its front leg," recalled Domenic Giordano, digital design technician with the library. "She's an animal lover and I’m an animal lover, so I wanted to do whatever I could to help."

After a few prototypes that didn’t fully accommodate Alaska's condition, Giordano perfected what he calls "a chariot". Goodman calls it a wheelchair. Semantics aside, the 3D printer was able to do what medicine couldn’t, give Alaska the ability to move again. 

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The combination chair and harness allows her to move, unimpeded on her one front leg, while adhesive straps keep her back legs from collapsing. 

"I asked the vet about getting a wheelchair but the closest the vet could find was for a 4lb dog. Alaska weighs 700 grams. Thanks to the library she should have a healthy lifespan. She’s moving. She’s a guinea pig for guinea pigs."