American president-elect Joe Biden has fractured his right foot after slipping while playing with his dog Major, reports The Guardian.
The injury was discovered in a scan on Sunday and will likely require him to wear a boot for several weeks, his doctor said.
Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware, on Sunday afternoon, his office said.
“Initial x-rays did not show any obvious fracture,” but medical staff ordered a more detailed CT scan, his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, said in a statement. The subsequent scan found tiny fractures of two small bones in the middle of his right foot, O’Connor said.
“It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks,” O’Conner said.
Fractures are a concern generally as people age, but Biden’s appears to be a relatively mild one based on his doctor’s statement and the planned treatment. At 78 he will be the oldest president when he’s inaugurated in January; he often dismissed questions about his age during the campaign.
Reporters covering the president-elect were not afforded the opportunity to see Biden enter the doctor’s office Sunday, despite multiple requests. Leaving the doctor’s office to head to an imaging center for his CT scan, Biden was visibly limping, though he walked without a crutch or other aid.
Biden will be the oldest person to assume the American presidency when he is sworn in next year and his health is likely to be watched closely by allies and opponents alike.
Biden and his wife, Jill, adopted Major in 2018, having acquired their first dog, Champ, after the 2008 election. The Bidens have said they will be bringing their dogs to the White House and also plan to get a cat.
Biden has frequently dismissed questions about his age on the campaign trail. He released a doctor’s report in December that disclosed he takes statin tablets to keep his cholesterol at healthy levels, but his doctor described him as “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency”.