Lameness: Non-infectious Causes Flashcards
What are the three main causes of non-infectious lameness?
- Sole haemorrhages
- Sole ulcers
- White line lesions
Most lameness cause is foot lesions
What is sole haemorrhages/bruising?
- Contusion of the corium
- Pressure from the pedal bone
- External pressure (stones) especially when the soles are thin
What is the issue with this digit?
Double sole formation
Disruption from foot lesion
- What is the more severe manifestation of sole brusing?
- How is it worse?
- Sole ulcers
- Disrupted sole horn production, exposure of the corium
What is the pathogenesis of CHDL
= Haem, ulcers, white line lesions
CHDL = claw horn disruption lesions
Excessive movement of the 3rd phalanx within the claw capsule is the primary cause of sole ulcers and white line disease
Digital cushion and corium above the sole
What influences:
1. Excessive movement of 3rd phalanx
2. Dimensions and composition of digital cushion
3. Horn overgrowth
3 factors above cause CHDL
- Hormonal changes around parturition
Management and facilities- lying/standing time, concrete floors, stall surface, feed bunk space, over stocking, milking, access to stalls, distance from milking parlour - BCS, stage of lactation, milk production, age
- Confinement, concrete floors, wet floors
Relaxin and oestrogen increase laxity of third phalanx- parturition?
What are the treatment options for sole haemorrhage and ulcers?
- Functional trimming (5 step method)
- Block unaffected claw
- NSAIDs
Loves a Q on it
- What are different forms of white line lesions?
- What exacerbates it?
- What is it associated with?
- White line disease/abscess
- Separation, stones/manure
- Associated with shearing forces on feet, claw overload, contusions of the corium- abscess formation
Where the sole meets hoof wall
How is white line disease treated?
- Functional trimming
- Remove detached horn
- Block unaffected claw
- NSAIDs
- ABs?- mostly don’t need it
- What is the objective of corrective trimming?
- What are the techniques?
- Change the microenvironment from anaerobic to aerobic
- Remove all loose, undermined and necrotic horn
Avoid damage to peripheral corium tissues
Adjust weight bearing- lower horn over lesion, apply foot block to elevate injured claw
- What should corrective trimming include for adjustment of weight bearing?
- What are the objectives of block use?
- Lower area of lesion, balance weight bearing surfaces over both claws in a ‘reverse L’
- Reduce pain by elevating injured claw, prevent repeated trauma, promote uninterupted healing
What are the benefits of bandages/wraps?
There are several studies that suggest no therapeutic benefit from the use of bandages- can be detrimental
- Become quickly heavily contaminates
- often too tight
- Rarely if ever removed
What topical treatments are used?
Are they any good?
Tetracycline or copper sulfate:
* Granulation tissue- more likely to be observed
* Re-epithelisation more likely in untreated
Sulfanilamide
* Delayed healing was observed in cows
What are the risk factors of lameness?
- Cow ‘comfort’
- Stocking density
- Feed barrier space
- Milking frequency
- Floor surface
- Handling
- Foot shape/claw overgrowth
- Overtrimming
- Calving
- BCS
- Age
- Nutrition
- Genetics
What different measurements need to be considered when designing cubicles?
- Cow comfort is extremely important in modern diary farms
- Lying/standing on concrete can be a game changer
What is the best bedding choice?
What else is good?
Deep sand bedding is the best choice
Mats/matresses are ok