A dog who lost both her front legs in a terrible accident with a lawnmower has a new lease on life thanks to advanced 3D printing technology.

Specialists at the Universidad del Valle de Mexico's Veterinary Hospital in Mexico City fitted the country's first articulated prosthetic leg on Romina the whippet.

The prosthetic leg is unique because it allows the dog to preserve its natural anatomy, allowing the joints to move similarly to how natural limbs do.

After the 2013 accident in Brazil, Romina's right leg was amputated and her left leg was rebuilt using titanium plates. The plates joined the limb but Romina lost all movement in her leg.

Romina's owners reached out for help, which they found in Dr Beremiz Sanchez, who operated on the dog to remove the plate and screws from her first prosthesis.

He then turned to the UVM to help him design a 3D prosthesis.

The team worked on a six-month project to create the prototype, select the appropriate materials and design the prosthetic limb system for Romina.

"When I put it on [the prosthesis] I see she feels happy with it, in spite of the fact she is learning to work with it," Silvia Valdez, the mother of Romina's owner, said.

"But I don't see that it bothers her. She is trying to walk. She even supports herself more on the prosthesis and rests the other leg, so I'm happy about that. She's starting to balance her weight on the other side."

Specialists work to give Romina the whippet a new lease on life. ( Supplied: Universidad del Valle de Mexico's Veterinary Hospital )

The dog, who is six years old, will now go through an adaptation process at the Veterinary Hospital's rehabilitation and physiotherapy clinic.

Fernanda Ortiz, who leads the department of rehabilitation, said Romina needed to learn to use the device.

"When she flexes her elbow, the whole prosthesis flexes and so she has to learn to make this movement in order to learn how to use it," he said.

"Obviously, we're unable to tell her 'flex and walk normally with your elbow', because she doesn't understand. So it's very important for us — through exercises and indications — to show her how to do it."

Specialists developed two prototypes of prosthesis; the first is made of polycarbonate, and the second of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS).

The 3D-printed prosthetic allows Romina's joints to move similarly to how natural limbs do. ( Supplied: Universidad del Valle de Mexico's Veterinary Hospital )

Santiago Garcia, UVM's great species coordinator and a specialist in prosthetics, said being able to print out the model in 3D made the process of changes easier.

"When we have the 3D model of the patient's limb, we are able to adjust the size of the piece to the patient, in terms of millimetres," he said.

"It's a prosthesis which is designed especially for this patient. Secondly, and this is very important, it allows us to adjust it quickly.

"If I re-print a piece and I detect it has, for example, 2 millimetres in size I have to repair, it's much easier for me to print it in a 3D printer than to redesign it, the emptying, the mould and the whole traditional process."

Once Romina gets used to her new limb, the final prosthesis will be designed in aluminium, which will be covered with skin-like material.

Doctors at the Veterinary Hospital said they would soon be able to design prosthesis for other species, such as turtles or crocodiles.

Romina must now learn to walk on her new legs. ( Supplied: Universidad del Valle de Mexico's Veterinary Hospital )

Reuters