Non-healing hoof lesions in dairy cows

Claw horn lesions are the most common cause of lameness in dairy cows and the development of lesions is related to the days in lactation. The lameness caused by this lesions is influenced by different factors (Offer et al., 2000). The objective of this experiment was to study the relationship of severity of lameness and severity of scoring for hoof horn lesions.

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Prevalence and interrelationships of hoof lesions and lameness in Swedish dairy cows

Preventive Veterinary Medicine ◽

10.1016/s0167-5877(02)00018-1 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 247-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 122

Author(s):

Thomas Manske ◽

Jan Hultgren ◽

Christer Bergsten

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Swedish Dairy ◽

Hoof Lesions

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Preventive Hoof Trimming and Animal-Based Welfare Measures Influence the Time to First Lameness Event and Hoof Lesion Prevalence in Dairy Cows

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.631844 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammed B. Sadiq ◽

Siti Z. Ramanoon ◽

Wan Mastura M. Shaik Mossadeq ◽

Rozaihan Mansor ◽

Sharifah S. Syed-Hussain

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Body Condition ◽

Preventive Strategy ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Good Body Condition ◽

Hoof Lesions ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Welfare Measures ◽

The Impact

Background: The objectives of this study were to, (1) investigate the impact of the Dutch five-step hoof trimming (HT) technique on time to lameness and hoof lesion prevalence in grazing (GR) and non-grazing (NGR) dairy cows, and (2) determine the association between potential benefits of HT and animal-based welfare measures during lactation. A total of 520 non-lame cows without hoof lesions from 5 dairy farms (GR = 2, NGR = 3) were enrolled at early (within 30 days in milk; DIM) and late lactation (above 200 DIM), and randomly allocated to either trimmed (HGR or HNGR) or control groups (CON-GR and CON-NGR). Locomotion scores, body condition, hock condition, leg hygiene, and hoof health were assessed at monthly intervals until the following 270 days in milk. The data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, multivariable Cox, and logistic regression models. The overall incidence rate of lameness was 36.2 cases/100 cows/month, with corresponding rates of 27.4, 31.9, 48.4, and 45.8 cases/100 cows/month in HGR, HNGR, CON-GR, and CON-NGR, respectively. Time to first lameness event was significantly higher in HGR (mean ± S.E; 8.12 ± 0.15) compared to CON-GR (7.36 ± 0.26), and in HNGR (8.05 ± 0.16) compared to CON-NGR (7.39 ± 0.23). The prevalence of hoof lesions in the enrolled cows was 36.9%, with a higher occurrence in CON-GR (48.8%) than HGR (23.2%), and in CON-NGR (52.6%) compared to HNGR (32.2%). The majority of hoof lesions were non-infectious in grazing (HGR vs. CON-GR; 21.3 vs. 33.3%) and non-grazing herds (HNGR vs. CON-NGR; 25.0 vs. 40.4%). The risk of lameness was higher in underconditioned cows (Hazard ratio; HR = 3.1, 95% CI 1.2–7.4), presence of hoof lesion (HR = 33.1, 95% CI 17.6–62.5), and there was variation between farms. Aside HT, lower parity (OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.8), normal hock condition (OR = 0.06; 95% 0.01–0.29), and absence of overgrown hoof (OR = 0.4; 95% 0.2–0.7) were protective against non-infectious hoof lesions. Functional HT is beneficial as a lameness preventive strategy during lactation; however, ensuring older cows are in good body condition and free from hock injuries are equally important.

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Measures of weight distribution of dairy cows to detect lameness and the presence of hoof lesions

Journal of Dairy Science ◽

10.3168/jds.2009-2385 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 93 (3) ◽

pp. 954-960 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

M. Pastell ◽

L. Hänninen ◽

A.M. de Passillé ◽

J. Rushen

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Weight Distribution ◽

Hoof Lesions

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A new technique for use in the study of lameness in dairy cows

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) ◽

10.1017/s0308229600022285 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 1992 ◽

pp. 117-117

Author(s):

D N Logue ◽

Jill E Offer ◽

Susan A Kempson ◽

J A Bax

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Dairy Cow ◽

Background Information ◽

Financial Loss ◽

Lesion Development ◽

Physiological Factors ◽

Stage Of Lactation ◽

Hoof Lesions ◽

Time Of Year ◽

A New Technique

Lameness in dairy cattle is a major cause of suffering and financial loss with an estimated cost to the dairy sector of £44 million in 1989 (Booth 1989). Surveys have shown that the most common forms of lameness in the dairy cow originate from lesions of the hoof. A variety of predisposing factors including stage of lactation, time of year, housing and nutritional management, and age of the cow and its genetics have been implicated. Although it is evident that solear haemorrhages which are often observed after calving generally precede the appearance of lesions which cause lameness, (Greenough & Vermunt 1991) there is still relatively little known of the patho-physiological factors which underly hoof lesion development. Greenough & Vermunt examined the feet of heifers in a herd with severe lameness problems and noted considerable solear haemorrhage up to four months before first calving. They associated this with mixing the heifers with dry cows as soon as they were diagnosed pregnant. However similar lesions have been seen in heifers in other problem herds where no such mixing took place (Bazeley & Pinsent 1984, Bradley, Shannon & Neilsen 1989). There is little knowledge of the development of hoof lesions in herds with little or no lameness, although this vital background information is essential to understanding the aetiology of these lesions and the development of lameness.

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The effect of hoof lesion severity on stride characteristics of early lactation Holstein dairy cows measured using locomotion scoring and computerised motion analysis

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200020834 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2007 ◽

pp. 180-180

Author(s):

N. Blackie ◽

E.C.L. Bleach ◽

J.R. Amory ◽

C.R. Nicholls ◽

J.R Scaife

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Stride Length ◽

Scoring Systems ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Early Lactation ◽

Hoof Lesions ◽

Kinematic Studies ◽

Sole Ulcers ◽

Locomotion Score ◽

Holstein Dairy Cows

Kinematic assessment of gait has been widely used in sports and equine science, this method gives objective and accurate information on the movement of the subject. Most locomotion scoring systems incorporate stride length however this is subjective and is difficult to compare observers. Kinematic studies have shown that cows with sole ulcers have a shorter stride length than those showing no hoof lesions (Flower et al, 2005). Telezhenko and Bergsten (2005) found a similar effect with moderately lame cows having a shorter stride length measured objectively from footprints than non lame cows. Increased locomotion score can also affect the tracking distance of the animal (Telezhenko and Bergsten, 2005). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of increasing locomotion score on stride length and tracking distance of Holstein dairy cows in early lactation.

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