Hoof disorders: Trimming and economics Flashcards
Name 5+ non-infectious hoof disorders.
Broadly CHDL (claw horn disruption lesions). Which all of the below are:
- Sole hemorrhage
- Sole ulcer
- White line disease
- White line abscess
- Vertical horn fissure
- Horizontal fissure
- Axial wall fissure
- Corkscrew claw
- Scissor claws
- Asymmetrical claws
- Thin sole
- Double sole
- Toe necrosis
- Laminitis
Name 4 infectious hoof disorders.
- Heel horn erosion
- Interdigital dermatitis
- Interdigital phlegmon
- Digital dermatitis
Sorkkavälin sidekudoksen liikakasvu
“tyloma”, an overgrowth of the horn or thickening of the hoof tissue that can occur in the hoof wall.
Pathogenesis
* Irritation
* Interdigital phlegmon
* Hereditary?
Treatment
* Removal
* Surgical operation
* Electric cautery
Normal horn in the claw consists of
- Keratinized cells
- Connected with disulfide-junction → mechanical support.
- Cement between cells (glycoproteins and fat) → stabilizes the mechanical support,
makes the area water resistant.
The Pedal bone is connected to the hoof with
Collagen fibers between bone and basal membrane.
Sole haemorrhage
- Haemorrhages in the sole area
Pathogenesis
* Excess pressure to the sole
Risk factors
* Too long a hoof
* Too thin or too thick a hoof
* Standing too much
Sole ulcer = Soft tissues inside the sole are damaged and normal horn cannot be
produced. Classification: Mild, moderate, severe.
Pathogenesis
* Excess pressure
* Sinking of the pedal bone, Problems with blood circulation
* Thinning of the digital cushion
(Calving + loss of body condition score)
Risk factors
* Too long hooves
* Too thin or too thick hooves
* Standing
* Hard floor
White line disease. Classification: Mild, moderate, large.
A tear in the white line, usually zone 3.
Due to structural weakness/strong mechanical trauma abaxial wall horn
separates from the sole.
Risk factors
* Slipping
* Uneven surfaces
* Overstocking
* Bad quality of the hoof horn
White line hemorrhage →
White line fissure →
White line abscess
Horizontal fissure
* “Subcinial laminitis”
Vertical fissure (sand crack)
* Vertical fissure on the dorsal wall
* Mostly in beef cattle
Classification
* Mild – short and superficial
* Moderate – long and superficial
* Severe – long and deep
(Can cause lameness and can get infected.)
Axial wall fissure
* Lesion or injury involving the development of a fissure in the axial groove or axial wall of the hoof.
Pathogenesis
* Injury?
* Genetic?
Treatment
* Trimming more often
* Shoe
* NSAID
Corkscrew claw
Pathogenesis
* Usually outer claw twists and rotates →
rotation of the pedal bone
* Hereditary?
* Heifers eating and pushing with their front legs → mechanical trauma
Treatment
* Trimming often (every 3 months at least)
* Don’t cut them pretty (careful trimming)
Scissor claws
* The tips point over each other
* Typically in heifers
Pathogenesis
* Overgrowth
Treatment
* Trimming
Thin sole
Pathogenesis
* Excessive wear
* Over trimming
Treatment
* Special thin shoes
* NSAIDs
* Soft bedding
Toe necrosis
Pathogenesis
* Excessive abrasive damage to the hoof, especially the toe tip.
* Feet may become infected when the white line is damaged which opens the claw up to bacteria, dirt and manure.
* Animals moderately to severely lame.
Treatment
* Trimming
* NSAIDs
* Shoe → for longer period of time
Asymmetrical claws
Treatment: trimming
Double sole
- If a sole ulcer / white line abscess has not been opened up, but the lesions has healed → double layers of sole when trimming (air in between).
Heel horn erosion
Erosions in the heel
* V-shaped
* Pocket formation
Cause
* Dichelobacter nodosus
* Other bacteria
* Severity varies
Treatment and prevention
* Regular hoof trimming
* Opening the pockets
* Local treatment
* Hoof baths
Interdigital dermatitis
* Superficial infection of the interdigital skin
Cause
* Dichelobacter nodosus
* Related to heel horn erosion
* Predisposes to other infectious diseases
* Mild symptoms
Treatment and prevention
* Regular hoof trimming
* Local treatment with Repiderma, Intra Hooffit gel, salisylic acid, tetracycline spray
- Hoof baths, barn hygiene
Interdigital phlegmon (footrot)
- Subacute or acute, necrotic infection of inner layers of interdigital skin. Foul odor.
Pathogenesis
* Fusobacterium necrophorum from rumen
* Metabolizes lactic acid, damages rumen
* High amount of concentrates → low pH → sheddng of F. necrophorum
Treatment:
AB, NSAIDs, wrap it
In addition to interdigital phlegmon, Fusobacteria can also cause…
- Lung and liver abscesses
- Calf diphtheria
Digital dermatitis / DD / Mortellaro disease
Acute/active lesion → looks like a raw, red, oval ulcer on the back of the heel.
* Lameness in acute phase
Pathogens: Treponemas spirochetes + many others
Digital dermatitis / Mortellaro disease M0
Digital dermatitis / Mortellaro disease M1
Digital dermatitis / Mortellaro disease M2
Digital dermatitis / Mortellaro disease M3
Digital dermatitis / Mortellaro disease
M4 proliferative, M4 hyperkeratotic
Digital dermatitis / Mortellaro disease M4.1
Hoof problems → costs?
- Sole ulcer - £518.73 = 585€
- White line disease - £300.05 = 340€
- DD- £75.57 = 85€
Approximately 365€ / cow / year.
- 1% direct costs
- 82% indirect costs (drop in the milk yield, fertility problems)
Detecting lameness.
How do they stand
How do they move
Arched back
Describe Functional hoof trimming
”Dutch method”
* Maintaining normal function of the hoof
* Prevention
* 5 steps
Who?
* All cows twice a year
* Ideal timing: 2 months before calving + 120 days after calving (so at drying off)
* Special needs cows
* Don’t forget heifers!
5 steps/Principles of functional hoof trimming
- trim dorsal wall of inner claw to certain length
- trim outer claw to match that good dorsal wall length
- modeling: scallop out the axial sole
- relieve pressure from damaged areas
- remove loose horn
What does Functional hoof trimming accomplish?
Optimizes weight distribution -> prevents hoof horn disruption and other lameness issues.
Mistakes
* Cut too short
Mistakes
* Thin sole
Mistakes
* Inner edge has been trimmed off
* Heel has been trimmed off
Mistakes
* Outer edge has been trimmed off
How to detect hoof disorders?
Steps.
Look between the digits.
Compare claw sizes and feel for warmth.
Detect pain by squeezing.
Describe hoof baths.
- Prevention, not cure
- Protocol is individual
Hoof bath size
* Length 3-3,6m → 2 steps/leg
* Width 50-60cm, no possibility to step out
* Depth minimum of 12 cm (better n.25cm)
- Max 150 (300 cows…) through same hoof bath.
Describe Hoof bandages.
- Purpose to keep the local treatment on longer (not to protect from the environment).
- Gauze
- Elastic bandage (1 roll)
- Vetflex (0,5 roll)
- Snugness: 2 finger need to fit between skin and wrap
- Take bandage off after three days (hoof knife / special knife).
Bikini wrap technique
* Gauze + Vetflex between the digits and around hoof twice
* Comes off by itself
Shall I put a shoe on the cow?
- Is the healthy side higher?
- If in doubt → put a shoe on!
Wood or plastic?
* Wooden cheaper, but wears off
* Plastic more durable, but slippery
How to put a shoe on a claw?
