Lameness: Welfare and Lameness Flashcards
Why is pain with lameness in cattle important to bear in mind?
- Cattle are sentient- pain and suffering
- Lameness causes pain
- Pain is often chronic/prolonged
- Cattle are prey animals and stoical- usually worse
What is pain?
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience caused by actual or potential tissue damage
Briefly what are the pain pathways?
- 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
Where on the pain pathways do NSAIDs and local anaesthetic act?
Locals on nocioceotors- blocks Na+ channels
NSAIDs- mainly on inflammatory mediators, some action centrally
How can we tell if a cow is in pain?
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
What are the clinical signs of lameness in cattle?
- 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
How does lameness effect health and productivity?
- Milk yield falls
- Historically lame cows thinner
- DMI falls- increased lying
- Fertility- delayed cyclinc, oestrus behaviour, no of service
- Increased risk of culling
How does lameness apply to the 5 freedoms?
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
How can welfare science measure the welfare impact of lameness?
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
What welfare and legislation is important?
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
What can be done for lameness?
Prevention
* Housing
* Genetics
* Nutrition
* Hygiene
* Infectious foot disease
* Trimming
* Education
* Awareness
* Research
Treatment
* Early ID
* Correct diagnosis
* Correct treatment
* Pain managment
How is early identification achieved?
Lameness Scoring:
* Highlights extent of lameness
* Identify early
* Monitory and intervention
* Estimated prevalence and severity of lameness
How can individual lame cows be treated?
- Foot trimming- ducth five step
- Foot blocks
- NSAIDs
- Foot baths
- ABs
How can pain be reduced with managment?
Reduce load
* reduce standing times at milking
* Reduce walking times
* Consider culling
To what extent of lameness in the national dairy herd?
- 35% dairy cows in the UK are lame
- Worsening
How can treatment in the UK be improved?
Pain managment
NSAIDs
Optimum
Trim, Block, 3 day course
How can lameness be prevented with environment/housing?
- 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
How should a peri-parturient cow ba managed to prevent lameness?
- 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
