Lameness: Welfare and Lameness Flashcards

1
Q

Why is pain with lameness in cattle important to bear in mind?

A
  • Cattle are sentient- pain and suffering
  • Lameness causes pain
  • Pain is often chronic/prolonged
  • Cattle are prey animals and stoical- usually worse
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2
Q

What is pain?

A

An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience caused by actual or potential tissue damage

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3
Q

Briefly what are the pain pathways?

A
  • Site of injury- damage to tissue
  • Release inflammatory mediators
  • To nocioceptors to the spinal cord and spinal pathways
  • Spinal pathways cause the withdraw reflex, cardiovascular changes and impulses to the brain
  • The brain alters respiratory rate, GI function, conscious pain perception and behavioural modifications
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4
Q

Where on the pain pathways do NSAIDs and local anaesthetic act?

A

Locals on nocioceotors- blocks Na+ channels
NSAIDs- mainly on inflammatory mediators, some action centrally

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5
Q

How can we tell if a cow is in pain?

A

Minimise Pain (walking about):
* Reduced activity
* Lying down
* Posture

Clinical signs:
* Heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature
* Food intake, BW, impaired rumen function
* Mental status

Communicate pain:
* Cow’s stoical nature
* Vocalisation
* Facial expression

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6
Q

What are the clinical signs of lameness in cattle?

A
  • Arching of spine
  • Hangning or nodding head as she walks
  • Shortened stride length
  • Adduct/abduct hind limbs
  • Paddling and shuffling of feet
  • Unwilling to walk
  • Reduction in weight bearing of affected limbs
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7
Q

How does lameness effect health and productivity?

A
  • Milk yield falls
  • Historically lame cows thinner
  • DMI falls- increased lying
  • Fertility- delayed cyclinc, oestrus behaviour, no of service
  • Increased risk of culling
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8
Q

How does lameness apply to the 5 freedoms?

A

Freedom from hunger and thirst
* Reduced feed intakes

Freedom from discomfort
* Housed on concrete, standing time

Freedom from pain injury and disease
* Pain chronic and continuous

Freedom to express normal behaviour
* Social status changes bullying, competition for feed and cubicles

Freedom from fear/distress
* Element of feat assocaited

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9
Q

How can welfare science measure the welfare impact of lameness?

A

Animal based welfare measures
* Lameness scoring- regularly
* Swellings
* Lesions
* BCS
* Cleanliness scoring

Record based
* Records lameness and treatment farmer foot vet trimmer
* Housing assessment- comfort, cubicles, hygiene, floor
* Nutrition

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10
Q

What welfare and legislation is important?

A

Animal welfare act 2006
* For a suitable environment
* For a suitable diet
* To exhibit normal behaviour patterns
* To be housed with, or apart from, other animals
* To be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease

Welfare farmed animal regulations 2007
* Owners responsible for welfare
* Access and familiar welfare codes
* Inspected at least one daily
* Any ill or injured cared for appropriately without delay
* If do not respond vet care ASAP
* Medicines record 3 years

Transport
* Not fit if unable to move without pain or unassisted

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11
Q

What can be done for lameness?

A

Prevention
* Housing
* Genetics
* Nutrition
* Hygiene
* Infectious foot disease
* Trimming
* Education
* Awareness
* Research

Treatment
* Early ID
* Correct diagnosis
* Correct treatment
* Pain managment

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12
Q

How is early identification achieved?

A

Lameness Scoring:
* Highlights extent of lameness
* Identify early
* Monitory and intervention
* Estimated prevalence and severity of lameness

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13
Q

How can individual lame cows be treated?

A
  • Foot trimming- ducth five step
  • Foot blocks
  • NSAIDs
  • Foot baths
  • ABs
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14
Q

How can pain be reduced with managment?

A

Reduce load
* reduce standing times at milking
* Reduce walking times
* Consider culling

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15
Q

To what extent of lameness in the national dairy herd?

A
  • 35% dairy cows in the UK are lame
  • Worsening
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16
Q

How can treatment in the UK be improved?

A

Pain managment
NSAIDs

Optimum
Trim, Block, 3 day course

17
Q

How can lameness be prevented with environment/housing?

A
  • Lying times- stocking, cubical size, number, milking routine, feed systems- cow comfort quotient
  • Choice of beds- deep sand
  • Foot hygiene
  • Trauma
  • Hygiene- bacterial load, wetness (scraping out, bedding plus lime)
  • Walking surfaces- abrasive, slipping, hygiene
18
Q

How should a peri-parturient cow ba managed to prevent lameness?

A
  • Ensure housing comfortable pre and post
  • Avoid overstocking
  • Good transition diet
  • Foot trimming

Heifer managment
* If lame in first lactation, more likely to be lame next lactation
* Introduce to housing and social groups pre-calving
* Cubicle training, introduction to concrete
* Sufficient space
* Seperate group post calving