Lameness in cattle Flashcards
Discuss the issue of cattle lameness in the UK?
In top 3 problems facing UK dairy industry
- Welfare
- Health
- Cost
22 –70 cases / 100 cows / year
An important but less common disease in suckler cows Poor recording = hard to estimate
1 in 3 lame at any one time is not good enough
What is striking about farmers approach to lameness?
What is the cost to a farmer of some of the causes of lameness?
What must farmers understand to make them pay attention to their lameness problems?
Cost of Lameness
It’s the other costs which are the main contributors to financial issues. Should communicate the financial implications of the loss of production
How does lameness effect milk yield?
Reduction in Milk Yield across lactation
Earlier in lactation and the more severe the lameness = more milk they loose
Lameness is a disease of?
High production
How do cows show lameness pain?
- Altered gait
- Hyperalgesia* (A decrease in pain threshold)
Welfare implications of lameness?
Many consider lameness the most significant welfare issue currently affecting UK dairy cows
- Number affected
- 25% of population
- ~500,000 animals in the UK at one time
- Level of discomfort
- Duration of episodes
- 27 ± 19d* (around a month)
Label the bovine hoof anatomy?
Label this?
Look at these labels?
Describe the pedal bone?
Pedal bone
- Centrally within hoof
- Strong connective tissue attachment to the dorsal wall
- Flexor tendon attached to caudal edge, with navicular bone between tendon and P2
Describe the sole corium?
Sole corium
- Fills space between pedal bone and hoof capsule
- Blood vessels, nerves and other support structures
- Digital cushion –pad of fat and elastic tissue. Dissipates force and transfers load to the wall during foot strike and limb loading.
- Stratum germinativum –produces sole horn
What are the ideal measurements and angles of the bovine hoof?
How do bovine limbs bear forces?
Normal weight bearing
- Wall, white line, heels and abaxial parts of the sole
During Walking
- Force generated by hind limbs (fore limbs act as “posts”)
- Up to 80% of load borne by lateral claw (the metatarsal bone is longer is that digit) particularly during heel strike and limb loading
Standing
weight more evenly distributed between claws
60% fore feet
40% hind feet
Discuss the bovine toe?
The Toe
- Wall is produced more rapidly at the toe and the heel can be undermined by slurry heel in winter.
- If stood in wet ground too. Front of toe curves up and shifts all the weight.
- This leads to further overgrowth of toe (none weight bearing) and weight shifted further back (toe angle <45 o)