Joe Biden twists ankle while playing with one of his dogs

Joe Biden's dogs Champ and Major

President-elect Joe Biden has twisted his ankle while playing with his dog, Major,  in Delaware on Sunday.

In a brief statement, the 78-year-old vice president’s office said he had slipped and was being taken to an orthopedist out of an "abundance of caution."

Mr Biden has two dogs, both Alsatians, Champ and Major, and according to reports Jill Biden has hinted she would like to bring a cat to the White House.

Champ is the older of the two dogs, having been bought from a breeder as a puppy shortly after the 2008 election.

Major was fostered by the Bidens in March 2018 from the Delaware Humane Society — the American equivalent of the RSPCA. The family adopted him eight months later.

Mr Biden has had a long association with the breed. “I’ve had German shepherds from the time I was a kid. And I’ve actually trained them and shown them in the past, my past life,” Mr Biden told  ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in December 2008.

Donald Trump is one of the few American presidents not to have had a pet while at the White House.

It was something seized upon by Mr Biden during the election campaign.

Some Americans celebrate #NationalCatDay, some celebrate #NationalDogDay — President Trump celebrates neither. It says a lot.

It’s time we put a pet back in the White House. pic.twitter.com/6za6FUocfh

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 29, 2019