Cattle Lameness Flashcards
What are 3 signs of lameness in cattle?
How can you highlight a lameness?
- Hanging or nodding head as cow is walking
- Shortened stride length, paddling/shuffling feet
- Arching of spine
Walking up and down a slope
What are hock and carpal hygromas caused by?
What are they associated with?
Excessive pressure on joints
Inadequate bedding, poor cubicle design
What are 3 advantages of lameness scoring?
- Highlights extent of problem to farmer
- Identify lame cows early
- Monitoring and interventions
What are the 3 constituents for optimum cure rates in claw horn lesions?
- Trim
- Block
- 3 days of NSAIDs
How can you assess cow comfort?
What is the best choice of bed and bedding for cow comfort?
Number of cows using cubicles correctly
Mattresses (gel/water filled, or foam)
Deep sand bedding
What does straw bedding increase the risk of?
Strep uberis
What is the advantage of grooving?
Improves grip
In which limbs do contracted tendons occur?
Name 2 causes of contracted tendons
ALWAYS front limb
- Position in-utero
- Manganese
What is a differential for gastrocnemius rupture?
Tibial nerve paralysis
Check skin sensation
What is the treatment for patellar fixation?
Cut medial patellar ligament in BOTH legs (other leg will follow)
What is spastic paralysis?
What is the clinical sign?
Hereditary condition causing overfiring of tibial nerve = constant muscle tension
Stiff straight hindlimbs
What can be caused by lifting the hock too high?
i.e. higher than level of freezebrand
Rupture of peroneus tertius
What 3 Vitamin deficiencies can cause osteodystrophy?
How do they present differently in young, growing animals vs. older?
Copper, Phosphorous, Calcium
Which vitamin deficiency causes White Muscle disease?
What age does it occur most often in?
What is the trigger?
What would you see on blood results?
Vitamin E and Selenium
1 year olds
Increasing activity
Increase in AST and CK
What animals does hip dysplasia most often occur in?
How does it present?
Young male bulls (3 months - 2 years)
Bilateral, one leg worse affected
In which joints does osteochondrosis most often occur in cattle?
Femoro-patellar
Atlanto-occipital
Which two diseases can cause reduced libido and reluctance to mount in bulls?
Hip dysplasia
Osteochondrosis
What are 3 treatments for degenerative joint disease?
DIP joint in calves 1. Block sound claw 2. Amputate digit Fetlock joint 3. Arthrodesis
What is the treatment for hip dislocation?
When does it need to be carried out?
Why?
Closed reduction
< 12 hours after injury
Massive blood clot + fibrosis forms, preventing reduction
How do you distinguish between an abscess and a haematoma?
FNA
Aseptic technique!
What is a common cause of metacarpal/tarsal fractures?
Assisted calving with excessive traction
Especially calving chains
When is the splinting of fractures contraindicated?
If fracture is above the elbow/stifle
What is the treatment for humeral/femoral fractures?
Box rest
When should external co-aption be used?
Only up to the hock
What is a hanging limb pin cast?
What animals can it be used in?
Should the cast include the foot?
Transcortical pins above fracture
Yearlings/young animals
Cast MUST include foot
What is a Thomas-extension splint?
What fractures is it indicated for?
Tailor-made crutch
Tibial/ulnar fractures in calves
How should you remove a cast/pins from a fracture repair?
GRADUALLY
Risk of fractures in other parts of bone from disuse atrophy (thin cortices of bone)
How would you surgically treat septic arthritis?
Stifle: GA
Below: IVRA
Lavage, arthrotomy
What is discospondylitis?
How may it present?
Septic arthritis in intervertebral joints
Recumbent and non-weight bearing, may look neurological
What is the primary cause of sole ulcers and white line disease?
What are 2 factors that influence this change?
Excessive movement of the 3rd phalanx within the claw capsule
- Hormonal changes around parturition (increased laxity)
- Management & facilities
The digital cushion protects the corium from trauma caused by P3. What factors affect the size and composition of the digital cushion?
BCS
Stage of lactation
Milk production
Parity (age)
What can BCS loss cause in the foot?
What can this lead to?
Thinning of the digital cushion
Poor shock absorption, claw lesions and lameness
What happens to the claw suspensory apparatus at calving?
Weakening
What nutritional factors affect lameness?
Acidosis
High concentrate intakes
SARA
What causes interdigital phlegmon (foul in the foot)?
What is the treatment?
Fusobacterium necrophorum
Debride necrotic tissue and systemic antibiotics
What is thought to cause interdigital dermatitis?
What can this lead to?
What is the treatment?
Dichelobacter nodosus
Heel Horn Erosion
Trimming and topical antibiotics
Which is the preferred method of digital amputation?
Method 1
Disarticulation of the proximal interphalangeal joint
Which method, arthrodesis or digital amputation, is associated with:
1. Lower levels of lameness post-op?
Higher proportion of cows remaining in herd?
- Less lameness - digital amputation
2. More in herd - arthrodesis
What is an indication for amputation/arthrodesis?
Deep digital sepsis
What can sole ulcers cause?
Ascending infection
Osteomyelitis of P3
Increased risk of fractures (PTS)
What can interdigital hyperplasia increase the risk of?
Digital dermatitis
What can while line lesions form?
Abscesses
