Lameness In Dairy Cattle

John G Cook BVSc DCHP MRCVS

Lameness

• National Incidence 25% (4-55%)

• Little change since late 1970’s-present day

• 88% foot, 12% leg

• 86% hind feet, 12% forefoot

• 85% outer claw

• Latest surveys suggest 27%

• Majority occur approx 8wks post-calving

Lameness Costs

• Lost yield estimated at between 1-20% depending on severity. Lame cows don’t walk to feed.

• Labour-treatment and husbandry• Welfare costs-Stress, bullying• Milk discard in addition to lost yield-antibiotics

costs • Fertility-average 14 days (0-40) extra to conceive

Lameness Costs Cont.

• at approx £2-3/day

• Weight loss-feed intake reduces before lameness is noticed

• Culling and replacement costs-£700

Structure of the Foot

• Periople

• Wall

• Sole

• Heel

• Corium

• Horn/hoof formation

• Walk on last joint of third and fourth finger

Foot Structure

Lateral Foot

Weight Bearing

Hoof Growth

• Normal rate of growth (5mm per month)

• Normal length of wall (60-80mm)

• Angle of wall 45-50 degrees

• Length of time taken for horn to come into wear

• Wall harder than sole-papillae density

• White line and laminae

Horn Growth

Normal Weight-bearing Surfaces

• Wall

• Heel

• Axial third of wall adjacent to inter-digital space-important

• Small portion (10-20mm) of sole adjacent to white line

• Major part of sole is non-weight bearing

Normal Foot

Hoof Overgrowth

• Occurs mainly at the toe• Toe harder than heel, grows more rapidly• Balance between rate of growth and rate of

wear• Toe overgrowth results in backward

rotation of pedal bone with pinching of the corium at the typical ulcer site

• Genetics-high heritability

Toe Overgrowth

Overgrowth

Hoof Trimming

• Objective to restore the balance of the foot restoring normal weight bearing

• Inner claw first• First cut-most impt cut toe back to correct

length• Two-pare down sole at toe restoring

continuity of white line-keep checking thickness

Cut 1 and 2

Cut 1

Cut 2

Hoof Trimming

• Cut 3-remove ledges of solar overgrowth ‘dishing’ the sole to produce a concave surface relieving the sole of weight bearing and increasing space between digits

• Cut 4-remove additional horn from outer claw (inner in front foot) so claws are equal size

Cut 3

Cut3

Cut 4

Completed Trim

When To Trim

• When lame

• Discomfort when walking

• Inspection of hind feet all cows at drying off

• 6-8 weeks post calving

Calving

• Hoof growth temporarily ceases-weaknesses, coriosis-hardship lines

• Rate of wear increases (feed,milk etc) not matched by rate of growth

• Relaxation of ligaments• Change in diet-acidosis• Worse for heifer-high incidence of

lameness at first oestrus

Cow Comfort

• Key to lameness control

• Cubicle size, numbers, bedding type, straw yards

• Escape routes-space/cow-cow/heifer groups

• Walking surfaces

• Trough space

• Welly test

Diet

• Avoid sudden change at calving

• Avoid acidosis

• Ensure adequate fibre

• No more than 4kg concentrates per feed

• Cow stops ruminating at calving

Seasonal Effects

• Hoof growth slower in autumn/winter than spring.summer.

• Maximum wear and stress in housed cows in autumn/winter

• Maximum wear at time of minimum ability to repair

• Autumn calving heifer at highest risk

Locomotion Scoring

• Method of categorising the gait of a herd numerically

• Easy to do

• Raises awareness of lameness on farm

• Encouraging recognition and treatment mild lameness as well as severe

• Target setting-biannual

Scoring System

• 1 Normal no change in gait

• 2 Detectable change in gait

• 3 Obvious lameness

• 4 Lameness severely restricting mobility

• 5 Any lamer couldn’t stand up

• FEW FIVES!!

Farm Table• Farm Lower Mean Upper SD• 1 1 1.69 2 .86• 2 1 1.91 2 .86• 3 1 2.08 3 .82• 4 1 1.36 2 .62• 5 1 1.86 3 .83• 6 1 1.40 2 .72• 7 1 1.39 2 .67• 8 1 1.30 1 .60

Digital Dermatitis

• Superficial epidermatitis

• Very painful

• Responds rapidly to treatment

• Spirochaetes, Treponema spp. Cf Lepto

• Geographical differences

• Hygiene problem, dietary related

• Dry cows harbour quiescent infection

Dig Derm Cont

• Calving-immunosuppression allows quiescent infections to proliferate and radiate outwards producing typical lesion at heel.

• Cost estimated around 400 litres per cow.

Dry Cow Dig. Derm.

Digital Dermatitis

Biotin

• 20mg per head per day in feed

• Vitamin H normally produced in rumen

• Inter-cellular matrix-cement

• Significant reduction in white line disease

• Takes time to show benefits-rate of hoof growth

Digital Dermatitis

Control

• Efficient frequent slurry removal including stale areas automatic/tractor scrapers don’t reach water troughs, walkways etc.

• Regular foot disinfection, wide variety of products-antibiotics, organic acids, formalin, CuSO4 etc

• Herd will be infected but not affected