Elephant Foot Care and Management in Captivity:
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(Compiled & shared by-DR RAJESH KUMAR SINGH, JAMSHEDPUR, JHARKHAND, INDIA, 9431309542, rajeshsinghvet@gmail.com)
Today i visited Dalma wildlife sanctuary to treat an elephant in captivity who is having foot problems.
Foot health is a serious issue for elephants living in captivity. Inactivity, poor husbandry practices and too much time spent standing and walking on unnaturally hard surfaces such as pavement, hard packed dirt and concrete can cause thin, uneven and bruised foot pads and cracked nails, leading to infection and osteomyelitis. These diseases have become epidemic among elephants living in captive environments.
Proper foot care for captive-held elephants starts with giving them access to appropriate non-contaminated substrate, such as grass, natural soils and varied vegetation, which serve to condition feet, cuticles and nails as they go about their normal foraging and migratory activites.
Even in some of the best captive situations, however, elephants fail to walk the tens of miles they would walk daily in the wild. As a result, their foot pads and nails become overgrown and must be trimmed by a professional versed in elephant foot care, to make up for the lack of wear.
In most cases, captive-held elephants, especially those held in chains, develop unnatural movement patterns known as stereotypical behaviors, which is a coping mechanism they use when they are stressed. In additional to the psychological damage caused by stereotypical behavior, the elephant’s pads and nails wear unevenly, causing irreversible damage to the nail bed, resulting in lameness.
Foot disorders are common in both wild and captive elephants. There are even reports of death of captive elephants due to foot problems. Asian elephants seem to have more foot problems compared to African elephants. The major causes of foot problems are chronically wet and dirty conditions of the standing places. The other causes include use of concrete flooring, specific diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease, penetrating injuries, falling of heavy logs on the foot, prolonged work etc. Following are certain foot disorders commonly encountered in elephants.
(1) Cracked sole: —-
Elephants exposed to wet condition and poor sanitation is more prone to this condition. Cracks often penetrate into the foot and expose deep tissues to dirt and infection. The clinical signs include lameness, pain, exudation, erosion and ulceration of the edges of the crack, exuberant granulation and development of a hole in the bottom of the foot. Treatment measures include debridement of cracks, antiseptic irrigation, parenteral and topical use of antibiotic preparations, bandaging of the foot, stabling of elephants in saw dust places and application of leather/fibre glass boots.
(2) Overworn sole:
Elephants that stand constantly in moist condition can over wear the soles of their feet if they are forced to walk on rough surface. The affected elephant will have tender sole and will be reluctant to move on. Treatment includes adequate rest, foot bath with 1% formalin, application of tar ointment etc.
(3) Overgrown sole:
This condition occurs as a result of inadequate or uneven wear of the sole or improper trimming of the sole. Irregular shape of the foot, layered appearance of the sole, lameness, pruritis, presence of fissures are the clinical signs observed. Secondary infection and abscessation are the other complications. Corrective trimming of the sole and topical application of antiseptic preparations are the treatments adopted.
(4) Cracked heel:
Common in elephants exposed to wet condition and poor sanitation. The cracks are seen at the junction of skin and sole at the posterior of the foot. The treatment recommended is as that of cracked sole.
(5) Overgrown nails:
This condition occurs due to inadequate or improper wear of nails. The nails will extend beyond the foot and will have a deformed shape with roughened and layered appearance. Treated by corrective trimming of the nails and topical application of antiseptic preparations.
(6) Split nails:
Inadequate wear or trimming, combined with moist condition results to split nails. Usually the splits will be vertical. Deeper splits may expose the sensitive laminae to infection and the underlying tissues get necrosed. The condition can be better treated by corrective trimming the nails and topical application of antiseptic preparations.
(7) Ingrown nails:
Inadequate or improper wear leads to ingrown nails. Lameness, pain, inflammation and exuberant granulation are the clinical signs. Trimming of the nails, excision of exuberant granulation and topical application of antiseptic/antibiotic preparations are the treatment measures recommended.
(8) Overgrown cuticle:
Overgrowth of cuticle usually seen concurrently with overgrowth of sole or overgrowth of nail. The overgrown cuticle appears as a roughened, split area of skin proximal to the nail. Regular application of vegetable oil or mineral oil gradually softens the cuticle and the elephant itself rub off the excess cuticle.
(9) Penetrating injuries:
Penetrating injuries are caused by sharp pointed objects like thorns, nails, needles, restraining instruments etc.The treatment includes exploration and removal of the foreign body, if present, irrigation of wound with antiseptic lotion like providone iodine solution, administration of tetanus toxoid (50-100 L.F Unit/animal, IM), heavy dose of parenteral antibiotics etc.
(10) Crush injuries:
Usually occurs in elephants used for timber hauling due to the falling of heavy logs. Cold water irrigation, ice packing followed by application of Magsulph – Glycerine paste, administration of Acetyl Salicylic Acid tablets (Aspirin) (20- 40 tab B.I.D./animal), tetanus toxoid, parentral antibiotics, etc.
(11) Laminitis:
Prolonged work, chilling of exhausted animals or over- feeding are the causes for laminitis. It has also been reported as a complication of foot and mouth disease. Severe lameness, inability to stand, high fever, hotness around the foot pads on palpation are
the clinical signs. Treatment includes slinging of the elephant, administration of antihistaminics, analgesics, and antiinflammatory agents along with systemic antibiotics.
(12) Abcessation of the foot:
Occurs in elephant as a sequale to foot injury and poor foot care. Fever, lameness, pain or warmth on palpation and swelling of the entire foot above the nails are the clinical signs. The treatment includes maturing of the abscess by the application of iodine ointment, surgical drainage, repeated flushing of the cavity with antiseptic solution, packing of the cavity with triple sulph powder (A mixture of copper sulphate, zinc sulphate and ferrous sulphate in equal parts) for one week to facilitate separation of pyogenic membrane, dressing of the cavity with Bismuth Iodoform Paraffin Paste (BIPP) or Healing Dust (JJ & DeChane) and administration of parenteral antibiotics.
(13) Pododermatitis:
The pastern, heel and sole regions will show rough flake like hypertrophic lesions. May be due to fungal infection. Thorough cleaning of the region with 1% copper sulphate solution followed by painting of the area with Gentian Violet solution or Castlani’s paint may give a cure to this condition. Prolonged treatment is required. Castlani’s paint is prepared as follows: First dissolve 8 g of Resorcinol in 4 gram of Phenol liquid. To this add 8 ml of Methylated spirit and 4 ml of Acetone. Allow to remain for one hour. Then add 0.8 gram of boric acid and make up the total volume to 100 ml with distilled water. 0.4 gram Magenta is also added to it as a colouring material. Magenta can be substituted with Basic Fuchsin.
(14) Foot rot:
The sole region shows necrotic changes with foul smelling discharge.
In the forefoot, the lesion will be vegetative type and in hind foot will be ulcerative type. Scrubbing and cleaning of the foot, foot bath with 1% formalin, daily dressing with triple sulph powder/Healing Dust followed by application of tar ointment and administration of parentral antibiotics are the remedial measures employed.
Control measures
1. Daily work and care of foot.
2. Daily washing routines to maintain perfect skin and foot conditions.
3. Maintenance of good healthy body conditions.
4. Frequent examination and curing of foot to remove the foreign objects.
5. Regular rasping of toe nails and proper trimming of soles. The entire sole must be removed twice a year.
6. The mahouts may be educated about the importance of foot care.
7. Avoid prolonged work, sudden chilling of exhausted animals, over-feeding etc. to prevent laminitis.
8. The elephants should be kept in dry place with good sanitation.
9. During musth period it is necessary to tether in a specific place for a prolonged period. Hence selection of an elevated area is preferred to provide drainage for excreta to maintain hygienic condition of foot.
Foot trimming tools:
The standard tools used for foot care include a large knife to remove pad and trim nails, a small blade to trim out infected areas and a rasp to finish the nails.
Ideally, foot pads and nails should be trimmed monthly to remove necrotic tissue that can harbor bacteria. Overgrowth of the nails should be removed to prevent the nail from cracking, splitting and becoming infected.
Foot care is usually administered while the elephant lies on the ground or stands with the foot propped on a fence, wall or other raised surface.
