Postmortem computed tomography and histopathology of distal limb lesions in giraffe ( Giraffa spp.) under managed care

26 Jun 20264 min read0 viewsJournal Feed

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by Liza Dadone, Steve Foxworth, Matthew S. Johnston, Sushan Han, Priya Bapodra-Villaverde, Erika Crook, Jill Erzar, John Griffioen, Kimberly L. Rainwater, Shirley LLizo, Joseph A.
Smith, Kami Alvarado, Logan Wood, Heather Schwartz, Trevor T. Zachariah, Seng Wai Yap Foot structure and function are essential to the health and mobility of giraffe ( Giraffa spp.), yet comprehensive evaluations of distal limb pathology remain limited. This retrospective necropsy-based study used postmortem computed tomography (CT) of frozen distal limbs with targeted histopathology to characterize osseous and soft-tissue changes in a historical cohort of giraffe under managed care.
Seventy-three distal limbs from 21 giraffe housed at 12 North American zoos (necropsies performed between 2004–2023) were evaluated. Lesions were graded on a scale of 0–3, and localized to either the medial or lateral digits. Findings were summarized at both the animal level (presence in ≥1 digit) and digit level.
CT frequently identified multiple distal limb lesions within this necropsy cohort, including pedal osteitis, joint osteophytes, navicular apparatus changes, subchondral bone cyst-like lesions, laminar abnormalities, and flexor tendon mineralization.