Lame - Bovine lameness intro Flashcards
Why is bovine lameness important to think about?
Welfare - health
Productivity - yeilds
Cost - economic impact
What are some behaviour changes from lameness in cows?
Increased lying times
Reduced feed intake
Suppression of oestrus expression
Unwilling for milking
What are some direct costs that come from bovine lameness?
Treatment cost
Vet time
Farmer time
Milk discard
Milk yield
What are some indirect costs that come from bovine lameness?
Increased risk of culling
Effects on fertility
Risk of further lameness cases
Risk of secondary disease
How much does a moderate lameness case cost?
£330
What is the prevalence of lameness in cows in the UK?
1 in 3 cows - bad
But there is a big range in farms for this - some a lot worse than others
Where does lameness occur?
Always the foot - not really hip, knee etc.
Mostly outer claw of hind foot
And inner claw of forefoot
What is the coronary band?
Junction between the skin and the horn
Produces the wall horn
How quickly does cow hoof grow?
5mm/month - quite slow healing process
What is the periople?
Junction between the skin and horn at the coronary band - forms a waxy coat to the hoof
What is the sole? What is it formed from?
Bottom of hoof which is formed from the papillae
What is the white line?
The join between the wall and the sole - point of weakness
Soft sponge horn
(Doesnt need any treatment mostly)
What is the pedal bone?
P3 - distal phalanx
Inside the hoof - mainly attached to the dorsal wall
Where does the flexor tendon attach to?
The palmar/plantar edge of the pedal bone
Where is the navicular bone found?
Between the flexor tendon and P2
What is the corium?
Stratum germinativum - produces horn
Very important sensitive feature full of blood vessels and nerves
Where is the corium found?
Fills the space between sole and P3
What can damage the corium?
Weight bearing on the heel of the foot due to concrete - weight through heel can pinch the corium and P3 together and damage it
What is the digital cushion? What are its functions?
Pad of fat and elastic tissue that acts as a shock absorber and pumps blood from the foot
In what types of cows is the digital cushion less effective?
Cows with less fat such as
Heifers
Old cows
Thin cows
What is the laminae?
The junction between the wall and P3
Interdigitates with interlacing fingers
Suspends P3 within the hoof capsule
What can affect the laminae in cows?
Hormonal changes around calving - relaxes ligaments etc.
What is the normal length of the anterior wall of a cows hoof?
80mm
What determines hoof conformation?
A balance between growth and wear
When growth is more than wear then overgrowth occurs, predisposing to lameness
What is growth rate affected by?
Loading - increased loading increases growth
Claw - inside or outside claw
Nutrition
Age/breed
Where does a cow hoof’s wall grow from?
From the coronary band down to the toe
Where does the cow hoof’s sole grow from?
From the sole corium - grows downwards and forwards
What cow factors affect horn wear?
Horn quality
Hoof conformation
Limb conformation
Udder size and structure
What external factors affect horn wear?
Underfoot conditions - how abrasive the surface is, the depth of the slurry
Management factors - walking distances, foot trimming, housing programme
What affects horn quality?
Lameness
Damage to corium or coronary band
Underfoot conditions
Foot bathing - hardens the hoof
Systemic illness
Nutrition
Breed/age
How can you change nutrition to improve horn quality?
Feed biotin
Feed less concentrates
Where should cows be weight bearing on their hooves?
On the wall of the foot and the heel
Should not be walking on the sole of the foot
Which claw carries more weight in the forelimbs? Which carries more in the hindlimbs?
Inside claw - forelimbs
Outside claw - hindlimbs
What causes toe overgrowth?
In housed cattle the wall is worn more rapidly at the heel
This shifts their weight back causing overgrowth at the heel
What can overgrowth at the toe cause?
Overgrowth of the middle of the sole
Pinching of the corium causing pain and sole bruising
