Ongoing hoof issues for Alaska Moose at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo prompt surgery

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Tuesday, Alaska Moose Atka is undergoing surgery to remove a progressively problematic toe. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's veterinary and animal care teams are partnering with Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for the treatment.

According to the CMZoo, the two-year-old moose has experienced ongoing issues with his front left hoof and toe. Atka came to the zoo at just eight weeks old in July 2020 after he was orphaned in the wild of Alaska at around six days old.

Shortly after arriving in Colorado Springs, his team discovered an abscess that's been growing in his front left toe and had become infected and needed treatment. Zoo officials said infections of this type in a young moose in the wild could be fatal. The medical treatment he received was successful.

CMZoo said the abscess managed to create a hole, which is body naturally filled with scar tissue. That changed the structure of his toe permanently - which gave Atka a unique gait that caused limping. Tests showed the limping wasn't always painful, and that the pain would come and go.

In February 2023, however, his team noticed he was limping significantly and more consistently. X-rays revealed significant bone degradation compared to a November 2022 scan.

After careful consideration, the CMZoo said its teams decided together that a toe amputation was Atka's best chance moving forward. In the meantime, he's received medication for pain.

“We know that animals can sometimes repair themselves better than we can, so we tend not to intervene too aggressively if we do not need to,” said Dr. Eric Klaphake, head veterinarian at CMZoo in a press release. “Our former moose, Tahoma, had a hoof issue that his body remedied naturally with the assistance of voluntary trained hoof trims, but Atka is experiencing progressive bone damage, which Tahoma did not. After monitoring and helping him with pain management, we’ve reached the point at which medical treatment and hoof care cannot stop further bone loss and the pain associated with it, and surgical correction is the best next step.”

According to the CMZoo, putting Atka under anesthesia is risky - especially due to him being classified as a ruminant, meaning he has a multi-chambered stomach. Still, zoo officials said the surgery team has performed similar and more complicated procedures successfully in the past.

CMZoo said its veterinary team and CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital have a long history of saving animals together. The team was cautiously optimistic the procedure will put Atka on the path to a long and healthy life.

Zoo officials said the surgery won't likely completely correct his gait issues. His team is prepared for the aftercare of his surgery.

The CMZoo will share updates on Atka periodically during his recovery. He will not be available to guests in his yard as often while he recovers.

For more information on Atka, click here.