Sneakers give an arthritic giraffe a new bounce to her step (plus an extra 1/2 inch)

 

 

In our ongoing effort to better manage arthritis in zoo giraffe, Steve & his farrier team just custom designed giraffe sneakers! This will provide cushioning to the front feet of an older giraffe with marked arthritis. 

Yesterday we put these rubber sneakers on Twiga. Twiga (and her keepers) are training rock stars, so she let us put the shoes on her hooves without any sedation. To do this, the keepers cued Twiga to place her hoof on a specially designed hoof block, then Steve did a routine hoof trim to the foot (as he does each month). Once the foot was clean and ready, the shoe was placed on her sole with a quick-drying glue. As soon as we glued the first pair on her left front she completely unweighted her right and stood as willing as any animal when they know you are trying to help!! Today she is walking comfortably around her yard and is looking tall: she has an extra 1/2" of height on her front feet. 

PS We''ll keep you posted as dates get set for our trip to study wild giraffe feet. Thanks again for all your enthusiasm & support!