Lameness Flashcards
Lameness can be split into infectious etiology or non-infectious etiology. What are the 3 main infectious etiologies for lameness caused by a foot lesion?
- digital dermatitis
- foot rot
- heel erosion
Lameness can be split into infectious etiology or non-infectious etiology. What are the main non-infectious etiologies for lameness caused by a foot lesion? (there are 6)
- interdigital hyperplasia (corns)
- sole or toe ulcers
- white line disease
- thin soles
- cork screw claw
- wall cracks and fissures
What condition does a cow most likely have if there is painful, bilaterally focal swelling above the coronary band?
foot rot
if unilateral, then it would more likely be a deeper infection
What are you trying to accomplish with your distance examination?
(4 main things)
- BCS (to see if this is a severe or chronic issue causing their BCS to be neg affected)
- Determine if the problem is upper leg vs lower leg
- Look at conformation of limbs and claws
- overall general health of the animal
How do you tie up a foot in the chute for effective examination?
use a clove-hitch with a lariat quick release to make a pulley system. this will reduce kicking ability and stabilize the foot for examination.
You could also use standing sedation (xylazine) but this can make them off-balance since you are going to be pulling up one of her feet.
What limb/foot do you start your examination on first – lame or healthy?
lame
Describe the examination of the foot:
- Clean foot thoroughly
- Examine the soft tissues
- Remove excess toe length.
- Examine sole and remove sole starting at toe first
- Balance claws and pare out axial walls
- place block on if needed after trimming both claws
what agent is involved in foot rot?
fusobacterium necroforum (a gram negative anaerobe)
What drugs are approved for treatment of foot rot?
- ceftiofur (no milk WD)
- oxytet (WD of 4 days)
- Tylan
- Norfenicol
- tulithromycin
- excenel (for lactating dairy cows)
- excede
how long does it take after initiating antibiotic treatment for foot rot to improve?
3-5 days
What upper leg injury is most common in cattle that causes lameness?
stifle injury
(ACL tear, meniscal damage, MCL or LCL tears)
A cow is walking on their back toe with the heel elevated off the ground, what type of injury does she most likely have?
ACL injury.
How do you treat for upper leg lameness?
NSAIDs, stall rest
usually mild cases will heal if they have confinement. But, in general, healing takes a long time (months).
How do stifle injuries commonly occur? (4 reasonS)
- slipping on concrete in facilities
- breeding injury
- mountainous terrain or holes in pasture
- poor leg conformation
What luxation or subluxation is the most common to cause traumatic upper leg lameness in cattle, especially dairy cattle?
coxofemoral (Craniodorsal= most common)
Why are dairy cows at higher risk for luxations and subluxations than beef cattle?
they have LESS muscle and their housing/facility conditions
A dairy cow is down and when she tries to get up, she does not bear weight on her hind limb. You recognize that this is most likely a coxofemoral luxation/subluxation. What is the best diagnostic tool?
ultrasound
T/F: calves with fractures heal well with thomas-schoeder splints or casts and stall rest
true
what are the nerves at risk for damage in the pelvic limbs?
sciatic
obturator
tibial
peroneal
femoral
(usually from calving-related injuries, trauma, injection sites, or developmental injuries)
what nerve is at risk for damage in the thoracic limbs?
radial
(usually from chute injuries)
what is the treatment for neuropathies in cattle?
steroids followed by NSAIDs; provide good footing or even place hobbles.
what is the classic presentation of a standing cow with sciatic nerve damage?
dropped hocks, knuckled.
What is the difference between peroneal nerve damage and tibial nerve damage?
with peroneal, it is typical to see unilateral knuckling.
with tibial, its typically bilateral dropped hocks.
What nerve passes over the lateral femoral condyles?
peroneal
