Staff Report
Lucky, a Humboldt penguin at the Santa Barbara Zoo who made national headlines for wearing a specially designed shoe, has undergone surgery to remove the foot on his affected right leg.
His prognosis is good, according to zoo Director of Animal Care and Health Dr. Julie Barnes, who assisted on the surgery conducted Oct. 19 by Dr. Stephen Klause, a veterinary orthopedic specialist from the Los Angeles Zoo.
Photo by Tony Luna
Lucky is shown wearing one of his high-tech shoes designed by Teva, which allowed him to walk and swim, and be a part of the Santa Barbara Zoo’s penguin colony.
“Although this is a fairly straightforward surgery and used for cats and dogs with a similar condition, there are some other considerations for performing this in a bird,” Barnes said. “We feel he has a good prognosis and this procedure will give him the best quality of life. Our goals are to lessen Lucky’s pain, retain his mobility, and have him rejoin the zoo’s Humboldt penguin colony.”
Lucky’s need for surgery stems from the deterioration of a malformed ankle joint, which caused his right foot to point up at an angle, rather than lay flat. This caused Lucky to walk on the point of his ankle, rather than on his foot. The abnormality was discovered as soon as Lucky left the nest in 2010 and walked with a shuffling gait. He was unable to walk properly and began to develop life-threatening infections from pressure and chafing.
In 2011, local shoe company Teva designed a high-tech shoe for the penguin, and since then has further refined and provided custom shoes for Lucky, free of charge. The footwear has been effective for the past eight years, allowing him to be an active member of the zoo’s penguin colony. In 2017, he sired a chick with his mate Nica.
But Lucky’s ankle joint was undergoing a continual deterioration, as expected with this type of deformity. The joint was collapsing and becoming inflamed, causing swelling and pressure. Excess bone (or calcification) had formed in the joint, causing painful bone-on-bone contact.
“Lucky’s condition had reached a critical stage as it was difficult to manage his pain effectively,” adds Dr. Barnes.
Lucky was allowed to recover in the Animal Hospital for several weeks, accompanied by his mate Nica, with the focus on healing from surgery. Once he is fully healed, efforts will begin with Teva to develop a new shoe.
For more information, go to www.sbzoo.org.
