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Regular foot care in zoo elephants:
a practical guidance

Written by Christian & Linda  Schiffmann

Definition

Regular foot care means the functional trimming of an elephants distal limb in order to avoid overgrowth of the corresponding structures (nail, pad, cuticle).

 

Aims

Avoid overgrowth and prevent subsequent alterations. Keep the foot structures in physiological shape in order to ensure the foots physiological function (in particular physiological weight bearing and distribution).

Long nails, distorted nails, abnormal wear of the pad and neglected cuticles of different elephant feet.

Figure 1. Conditions to be avoided through regular foot care:

a) overgrown nails;

b) overgrown pad;

c) narrow interdigital space;

d) overgrown and frayed cuticles

Preconditions & tools

Conditions and tools required: comfortable position for elephant and keeper/vet (Fig. 2), adequate light conditions, tools (Fig. 3), time and staff (at least two persons).

Figure 2. Proper positioning of the front (a) and rear foot (b) under the conditions of protected contact.

Figure 2. Proper positioning of the front (a) and rear foot (b) under the conditions of protected contact.

Note: The custom-made constructions (in figure 2a) out of steel, in 2b) out of steel & wood) are facilitating a position enabling access to every aspect of the foot.

Figure 3. Appropriate tools for regular foot care: a) rasp, b) hoof knives in various shape, c) swiss hoof knife, d) side cutter pliers

Figure 3. Appropriate tools for regular foot care: a) rasp, b) hoof knives in various shape, c) swiss hoof knife, d) side cutter pliers

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Note: This compilation is only exemplary and should not be considered complete. A multitude of further tools can be helpful in foot care.

Foot trim

There are four steps of trimming in accordance with the four critical structures of the elephant foot:

  • the nail

  • the pad

  • the interdigital space

  • the cuticle

 

The sequence of these steps is not mandatory, although a systematic approach is strongly recommended.

Step 1

Shorten the solar nails, rasp the surface of the horn wall and bring the nail in its specific shape.

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What you go for (solar part):

Figure 4. The solar aspect of the nail shortened as far as possible

Figure 4. The solar aspect of the nail shortened as far as possible:

1. To avoid weight bearing in standing position.

2. The color and consistence of the solar horn are indicative of the appropriate depth.

The deeper you go, the paler & softer the nail tissue becomes. Stop at a level where the solar horn is still firm upon palpation and no bleeding occurs. By trimming carefully, you will recognize the small vessels shining through the solar horn before bleeding occurs. (figure 4a: P4 in right rear of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs; figure 4b: right front foot of a female Asian elephant, 41yrs).

What you go for (cranial part):

Figure 5. The superficial layer of the entire horn wall removed in order to detect discolorations indicative of underlying issues and to avoid attachment of the cuticle. Keep the nail in its physiological shape by rasping/cutting the lateral/medial aspect accordingly (see also Step 3 on the interdigital space). (P4 in right front foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs)

Figure 5. The superficial layer of the entire horn wall removed in order to detect discolorations indicative of underlying issues and to avoid attachment of the cuticle. Keep the nail in its physiological shape by rasping/cutting the lateral/medial aspect accordingly (see also Step 3 on the interdigital space). (P4 in right front foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs)

 

Tools: rasp, hoof knife, Swiss hoof knife, (angle grinder)

Step 2

Check the pad and reduce thickness if required (and if feasible with respect to the nails).

         

What you go for:

Figure 6. Trimmed pad with a pattern of sulci present (a). The latter have been cleaned to ensure there is no debris or undetermined tissue remaining. In a well-worn pad, only few sulci may be prominent (b). (Figure 6a: right rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs; figure 4b: left rear foot of a male Asian elephant, 36yrs)

Figure 6. Trimmed pad with a pattern of sulci present (a). The latter have been cleaned to ensure there is no debris or undetermined tissue remaining. In a well-worn pad, only few sulci may be prominent (b). (Figure 6a: right rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs; figure 4b: left rear foot of a male Asian elephant, 36yrs)

 

Tools: Swiss hoof knife, hoof knife, (angle grinder)

Step 3

Clean and widen the interdigital spaces (both the solar and the cranial aspect)

 

What you go for:

Figure 7. A wide, clean and dry interdigital space in both the solar (a) and cranial (b) aspect. (Figure 7a: P3/P4 of the right rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 41yrs; figure 7b: P3/P4 of the left rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 37yrs.)

Figure 7. A wide, clean and dry interdigital space in both the solar (a) and cranial (b) aspect.

(Figure 7a: P3/P4 of the right rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 41yrs; figure 7b: P3/P4 of the left rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 37yrs.)

 

Tools: hoof knife, rasp

Step 4

Shorten the cuticle and remove debris and dirt from the nail bed.

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What you go for:

Figure 8. Evenly trimmed cuticle and clean nail bed area. (P3 of the right front foot in a female Asian elephant, 41yrs.)

Figure 8. Evenly trimmed cuticle and clean nail bed area. (P3 of the right front foot in a female Asian elephant, 41yrs.)

 

Tools: hoof knife, side cutter pliers

Step 5

Check all structures while the elephant is standing and walking. In particular make sure that the nail wall is not weight bearing while standing and the unrolling during the walking phase is smooth. In case you are not happy with the result, go back to Step 1-4 depending on your observation.

Figure 9. After completion of a foot trim, take the time to check thoroughly every structure while the elephant is standing and walking. Be particularly focused on the weight distribution. (left rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs.)

Figure 9. After completion of a foot trim, take the time to check thoroughly every structure while the elephant is standing and walking. Be particularly focused on the weight distribution. (left rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs.)

Step 6

Accurate documentation of each individual elephant´s foot condition is strongly recommended. Doing so will enable reevaluation and confirmation of progress also in case of alterations with extended treatment periods. Species-specific example documentation forms have been provided by Benz (2005). Additionally a more objective approach to score and monitor foot health has been reported more recently (Ertl et al. 2020). In addition, we recommend the photographic documentation of each nail and the pad as part of the routine health monitoring (example given in Fig. 10).

Figure 10. Comparative documentation by photographs of each individual nail and the pad after a regular foot care session. (left rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs.)

Figure 10. Comparative documentation by photographs of each individual nail and the pad after a regular foot care session. (left rear foot of a female Asian elephant, 39yrs.)

Practical notes:

-Always keep your tools clean and sharpened.

-When trimming the nails, consider the specific shape of each nail and the corresponding differences between front and rear foot. 

-Trim the lateral edges of the nails carefully to avoid bleeding.

-In case of bleeding: keep calm and ensure disinfection with a wound disinfectant (e.g. chlorhexidine or povidone iodide).

-Keep in mind that foot trimming might not always be fun for the elephant. Therefore, do your very best to make the procedure as comfortable as possible for the elephant and make use of positive reinforcement training (Fig. 11).

Figure 11. Foot care tools ready for use. Note: A variety of rewards can be very helpful in a training approach based on positive reinforcement.

Figure 11. Foot care tools ready for use.

Note: A variety of rewards can be very helpful in a training approach based on positive reinforcement.

Additional recommendations to continuously ensure foot health in zoo elephants:

-Do twice daily thorough pressure washing of the distal limb covering the four critical structures (nail, pad, interdigital space, cuticle) in order to reduce the negative impact of urine contamination. Elephant urine is a keratolytic substance and may cause significant alterations particularly in the pad. This negative impact can be heavily reduced through a consistent pressure washing routine. In addition, this routine ensures daily monitoring of an elephants foot conditions.

-Conduct daily inspection of all foot structures (ideally after pressure washing)

-Encourage wearing of the foot structures through natural behaviors: walking on abrasive sufraces, digging, processing of browse/branches (Fig. 12).

-Avoid extended standing on hard substrates (e.g. feeding places, night quarters).

-Provide soft substrates for lying rest of adequate duration.

Figure 12. Digging in a sandy substrate enables a very natural wear & peeling of the horn wall, the interdigital space and the cuticles.

Figure 12. Digging in a sandy substrate enables a very natural wear & peeling of the horn wall, the interdigital space and the cuticles.

NB

We mention the angle grinder here only in parenthesis because we strongly recommend to use this tool very cautiously. Due to the high power of the angle grinder, only experienced persons will be able to use this tool in accordance to the individual foot. In addition it has been speculated whether the occurring heat may have a negative impact on the tissues (Wendler et al. 2021). Based on the aforementioned reasons, we recommend the use of an angle grinder exceptionally for experts experienced in foot care. Nonetheless, if applied correctly, this tool can be practical and efficient. In particular it can significantly shorten trimming time which is critical in geriatric elephants suffering from degenerative joint disease or in individuals with limited attention span to maintain a trimming position for an extended duration. The same would be valid for elephants in early training status, but with foot conditions requiring immediate treatment. To reduce heat development through the grinder, an adjustable rotation speed and a serrated washer with appropriate grain size (“40” corresponding to a metric size of the grains of around 0.62mm) are of utmost importance.

References

  • Benz A (2005). The elephant´s hoof: Macroscopic and microscopic morphology of defined locations under consideration of pathological changes. Veterinär-Anatomisches Institut der Vetsuisse-Fakultät. Zürich, Switzerland, Universität Zürich. Inaugural-Dissertation.          

  • Ertl N, Wendler P, Sós E, Flügger M, Schneeweis F, Schiffmann C, Hatt JM, Clauss M (2020) Theory of medical scoring systems and a practical method to evaluate Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) foot health in European zoos. Animal Welfare 29:163-176.        

  • Wendler P, Ertl N, Flügger M, Sós E, Clauss M, Hatt JM (2021) Foot care in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in European zoos. Der Zoologische Garten 89:103-119.

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