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1 September 2000 DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF A FRACTURED THIRD PHALANX IN A MASAI GIRAFFE (GIRAFFE CAMELOPARDALIS TIPPELSKIRCHI)
Stephanie B. James, Kriss Koss, James Harper, Janet Martin
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Abstract

A 10-yr-old male Masai giraffe (Giraffe camelopardalis tippelskirchi) presented with acute right forelimb lameness. Radiographs revealed a fracture of the medial claw of the distal phalanx penetrating into the distal interphalangeal joint. The giraffe was sedated while it was standing in a chute, and a wooden “hoof block” was applied to the lateral claw of the same limb. The animal was no longer lame 3 days after the procedure. Subsequent treatments included vitamin E, phenylbutazone, and glycosaminoglycans. For 7 wk it was maintained in a small holding yard on packed sand during the day and on deep sand during the night. The hoof block slowly wore down, and at 7 wk, it was placed back on concrete in the evening. At 8 wk, the block had completely worn off and the animal was no longer lame, but radiographs indicated minimal fracture healing. Radiographs performed at 7 mo indicated that there was still a radiolucent zone at the fracture line but calcification was evident at the margins of the fracture.

Stephanie B. James, Kriss Koss, James Harper, and Janet Martin "DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF A FRACTURED THIRD PHALANX IN A MASAI GIRAFFE (GIRAFFE CAMELOPARDALIS TIPPELSKIRCHI)," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 31(3), 400-403, (1 September 2000). https://doi.org/10.1638/1042-7260(2000)031[0400:DATOAF]2.0.CO;2
Received: 14 December 1999; Published: 1 September 2000
KEYWORDS
azaperone
Detomidine
fracture
giraffe
hoof block
phalanx
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