Cattle Lameness Flashcards
What is the impact of lameness of milk production?
High yielding cows are at a greater risk of lameness - genetic
Lameness reduces milk yield
How does lameness reduce fertility?
Non cyclicity
Ovarian cysts
Lower oestrus intensity
Prolonged calving intervals
What impact does lameness have on nutrition?
Reduced time eating
Reduced DMI
Low BCS - exacerbates due to thin digital cushion
What effects does lameness have on culling?
Increase culling - particularly of high yielding cows
Cost of replacements
Mobility score 0
Even weight bearing and rhythm on all 4 feet
Flat back
Long strides
No action required beyond routine preventative foot trimming
Mobility score 1
Step uneven or strides shortened
Affected leg not immediately identifiable
Routine preventative foot trimming
Further observation
Mobility score 2
Uneven weight bearing on a limb that is immediately identifiable
Shortened stride
Arched back
Lift foot to examine and treat
Mobility score 3
Unable to walk as fast as a brisk human pace
Can’t keep up with the herd
Signs of mobility score 2
Urgent - lift foot and treat
Keep on straw yard, do not make her move far
In severe cases culling may be the only solution
How should you treat grade 1 white line disease?
= simple black mark at white line
Remove the disrupted horn until a clean surface can be seen
How can you treat grade 2 white line disease?
= Localised abscess extending from the black mark
Allow drainage
Block unaffected claw
How can you treat grade 3 white line disease?
= abscess tracking up and back from the white line, extending to the coronary band
Remove overlying wall
Block unaffected claw
Anti-inflammatories
How should you treat sole haemorrhage / bruising?
Functional trimming
Block unaffected claw of severe
How can you treat a sole ulcer?
= most common foot lesion
Functional trimming
Block the unaffected claw
Anti-inflammatories eg: ketoprofen as v painful
Remove small amounts of sole around protruding tissue
How should you treat digital dermatitis?
Clean and dry feet well
Apply topical oxytetracycline spray
Trim foot
Repeat for 3 days
How should you treat foul in the foot (interdigital dermatitis)?
Clean lesions very well
Systemic antibiotics
Anti-inflammatories
What are the causative gents of digital dermatitis?
Treponemes
What lesions does digital dermatitis create?
Painful, reddened and proliferation areas at the heel bulb
Occasionally coronary band lesions
How can you grade digital dermatitis lesions?
M1 - early lesion, ulcerative
M2 - ulcer larger than 2cm, painful
M3 - scab formation after topical treatment - healing, non-ulcerative
M4 - dyskeratosis and proliferation - chronic lesion
M4.1 - chronic lesions with active ulcerated areas
How can you prevent digital dermatitis?
Copper sulphate / formalin footbaths
What is the colloquial term for interdigital necrobacillosis?
Foul in the foot
What is the causative agent of interdigital necrobacillosis?
Fusobacterium necrophorum
How does interdigital necrobacillosis present?
Acute onset
Swelling above the claws
Chunks of necrotic tissue in the interdigital cleft
Very painful
How should you treat interdigital necrobacillosis?
Restrain
Check for foreign body
Remove necrotic tissue
Systemic antibiotics for 3 days - broad spectrum
Eg: amoxicillin, oxytetracycline, tilmicosin
Should respond rapidly
What is the causative agent of interdigital dermatitis?
Dichelobacter nodosus
What lesions does dichelobacter nodosus cause?
Mild interdigital skin inflammation
Can spread across the heels to cause heel horn erosion
Foot trimming
Oxytetracycline spray and footbathing
What is heel horn erosion? And how can it be treated / prevented?
Progressive destruction of the heel horn
Foot trimming
Topical antibiotics
What causes sole bruising / sole ulcers?
Pressure from the pedal bone / stones on tracks
Haemorrhage = bruise
Disrupts normal sole horn production & exposure of corium = sole ulcer
What causes white line lesions?
Shearing forces
Claw overload
Contusions of the corium
What causes deep digital sepsis?
Untreated interdigital necrobacillosis
Complicated sole ulcers
Untreated white line lesions
Puncture wounds
What treatment options are there for digital sepsis?
Amputation
Euthanasia
Arthrodesis
How should you treat retro-articular abscesses?
Surgery - Drain and flush
Give antibiotics
Amputation
What are the causes of acute laminitis in the cow?
Grain overload – Sara – endotoxins damage lamellar corium
How can you treat contracted tendons in calves?
Splinting for 2-4 weeks
Tendonectomy of most affected tendon if this does not work
Can treat carpal flexion with splinting if due to contracted tendons, otherwise poor px
What must you note about transporting an animal when lame?
IT’S ILLEGAL DONT DO IT
How do contracted tendons present and how should you treat them?
Flexion of fetlock +/- carpus
Unable to rise - consider FPT
Aet: cramped in utero, manganese deficiency, hereditary
Tx: splinting for 2-4 weeks
\+/- SDFT tenotomyHow does Gastrocnemius muscle rupture present and how can you treat it?
Rotational forces, attempting to mount, repeated attempts to rise with hypocalcaemia
Overextended upper limb, lowered hock, knuckling fetlock
Use skin sensation to differentiate from tibial nerve paralysis
Box rest + NSAIDS
How does cranial cruciate ligament injury present in animals?
Bulls
Mounting the cow - ruptures ligament
Acute onset weight bearing lameness
Stifle effusion
Dx: radiography
Tx: box rest, NSAIDs
How does upwards fixation of the patella present?
Limb locked in extension and stifle can’t be flexed
Young steers
Tx: section medial patellar ligament
How does cellulitis present?
Ascending infection secondary to foot lesion eg sole ulcer
Treat foot lesion
Aggressive antibiotics
Anti-inflammatories
How does rupture of the peroneus tertius present?
Cow has gone down in the foot trimming crush
Now the hock can be hyperextended whilst the stile is flexed
Tx: box rest NSAIDs
How does osteochondritis present?
Bulls - usually in males
Stifle effusion and lameness
Tx: box rest and NSAIDs
Poor px when OA develops - PTS
How does vitamin e and selenium deficiency present?
Animals coming up to 1yo
At turn out or during rapid growth
Muscle stiffness, sudden death if myocardium involved
Tx: vitamin e and selenium paraenteral
How does hip dysplasia present?
3m-2y Hereford, Angus, Aberdeen, Charolais Stifle points out, hock points in Lameness Crepitus
How does a hip dislocation present?
Cow gone down in foot crush
Around oestrus or parturition (relaxin)
Anterior phase reduced
Cranio-dorsal direction - ambulatory
Caudo-ventral direction - non-ambulatory
Crepitus and swelling over greater trochanter
Tx- closed reduction - must perform within 12h
extend leg, push stifle down and hock up
How does septic arthritis present?
Traumatic - single joint in adults, spread from foot lesion
Calves - haematogenous - umbilical infection etc
Truepurella pyogenes common causative agent
Swelling of the carpus, hocks and stifle
Lameness
Dx pus in joint - synovial tap
Tx: flush, prolonged antibiotics, NSAIDs
How do hygromas present?
Hock lesions due to poor housing Clear fluid inside Diagnose using a reproductive scanner Lance and pressure bandage IMPROVE HOUSING
How frequently should you change a cast in a calf to allow for growth?
Every 10-14 days
What is a major risk factor for claw horn disruption lesions?
Increased lying or standing times on concrete floor
Things to consider in cubicle design:
What they are made of
Size - require 1m of lunge space
Stocking density
Shape of cubicle
Bedding - Sand and a mattress best for comfort and mastitis control
Cubicle use - any standing half in half out?
How does stocking density predispose to lameness?
Increased standing time
Shearing forces on the foot when running away from dominant cows - white line lesions
What are the acceptable stoking densities?
10 m2 per cow in straw yards Minimum 1 cubicle per cow Recommended - 5% extra cubicles than cows - 20% extra cubicles than cows in the freshly calved group
How does a lack of feed barrier space lead to lameness?
Low BCS - thin digital pad
Competition - shearing forces and white line lesions
What space allowances should be made at the feed barrier?
76cm yokes - 1 per cow
70cm per cow if not using yokes
1m per cow for transition cows
What factors increase standing times?
Milking 3 times a day Long waiting in the collecting yard Overcrowding in the collecting yard Bad cow flow Sharp corners
Advice to reduce standing times:
Split cows into smaller management groups
What floor surfaces can predispose to lameness?
Concrete - necessary - ensure grooves are maintained Broken concrete Wet slippery floor - scrape at least twice a day Wet muddy tracks Sharp stones on tracks
Recommendation - rubber in the collecting yard
How can animal handling lead to lameness?
Aggressive animal handling = shearing forces running away
What regular maintenance can you ensure to reduce the incidence of lameness?
Foot trimming
What body condition score should you maintain cows at to reduce the risk of lameness?
Over 2.5 - thin digital cushion if less than this
How can calving predispose to lameness?
Relaxin - weakens the suspensory apparatus of the claw
= susceptible to white line disease
What are transition cows at a higher risk of lameness?
Reduced DMI
Fat mobilisation
Calving
Diet changes
How can you monitor lameness in a herd?
Mobility scoring every 2 weeks
Foot lesion recording
Hock lesion scoring - 20 cows from each group
Body condition scoring at start of dry period, peak lactation and service
What are the key points to lameness control?
Risk factors and improve conditions Early treatment of clinical cases Routine functional foot trimming Footbathing Genetic selection
When should routine foot trimming be performed?
At drying off
60 days before the 1st calving
At 60-100 days in milk
As soon as they go lame
How should a farmer operate foot bathing?
Copper sulphate
Formalin
Ensure the cows feet are clean first - water footbath first
On the normal route to the parlour
Change solution frequently
Adequate contact time
What are the targets for good dry cow management?
10-12m2 lying area per cow 75-100cm feed space per cow 80-100 cows per cubicles Aim for BCS 3 at drying off Never allow below 2.5
What group management strategies can you use to control lameness?
Group 1st lactation cows separately Reduce standing times Group lame cows separately Milk twice a day Rubber matting in the collection yard Heat stress management - good nutrition, reduce SARA
What are the risk factors for lameness?
Rough walking surfaces Poor cubicle comfort High stocking density Long standing times Milking frequency - 3 times a day Bad Animal handling Shearing forces Parity Foot shape Claw horn quality Low BCS and digital cushion thickness Calving Environmental hygiene Infection pressure / biosecurity Nutrition High milk yields Heat stress Genetics
What are the indications for toe amputation?
Deep digital sepsis Septic arthritis of the DIPJ Retro-articular abscess Non-healing wall lesions Toe necrosis Complications - sole ulcers - white line abscesses - foul in the foot - penetrating injuries
How can you perform a toe amputation by disarticulating the PIPJ?
Wash and disinfect
Perform IVRA
Amputate 2-3 cm above the coronary band using embryotomy wires
Excoriate the cartilage once the digit is cut off
Check the flexor tendon
Dress the wound following amputation
- Allevyn
- pack the wound
- wrap in cohesive bandage
- ensure that the bandage is not damp - predisposes to Digi
What is the average prevalence of lameness in the UK dairy herd?
30-35%
Name some animal based welfare measures.
Lameness scoring Swellings Lesions BCS Cleanliness scores
Names some resource based welfare measures.
Lameness and treatment records Foot trimming Nutrition assessment Housing assessment - cow comfort - cubicle assessment - hygiene assessment - floor assessment - tracks
How much substrate should you put down?
3kg of sawdust, straw or shavings per cubicle per day
What factors contribute to hygiene?
Cubicle length Frequency scraping out Passageway width 3-4.5m Bedding plus lime Ventilation and drainage Foot bathing
What are the risk factors for sole ulcers?
Overloading the lateral claw
Increased standing times
Poor cubicle comfort
Low BCS = thin digital cushion
How can you prevent sole ulcers?
Routine foot trimming
60 day dry period and good nutrition in this time
Good comfortable cubicles
What are the risk factors for white line disease?
Walking on stony tracks
Sheer forces
Bullying - causes sudden turning
How can you prevent digital dermatitis?
Good hygiene
Keep the environment clean
Closed herd
Regular foot trimming
