Lower Limb Lameness Flashcards
What is a sign that this holding yard is too small?
Cows have their heads up
Do digital dermatitis lesions always present the same way?
No, several types of lesions:
- circumscribed, erosive
- proliferative, wart-like
- non-healing lesions that invade hoof wall and 3rd phalanx
How would you treat interdigital necrobacillosis (‘footrot’)?
Closely explore the split between the claws with your finger to check for foreign objects.
Parenteral antibiotics for 3 days - procaine penicillin or ceftiofur
What are the clinical signs of thin sole?
- sore, shuffling gait
- lameness in all four feet (usually)
- frequently lie down
- sole often bruised and will ‘give’ to thumb pressure
List risk factors for white line disease:
- Excessive walking on hard surfaces
- Excess twisting and turning of cows in the milking yard (torsional forces)
- Wet and dirty underfoot conditions that soften the horn
- Claw deformities
- Laminitis
How would you treat white line disease?
- Pare out the cracks between the wall and the sole (make sure sand/graqvel cannot pack into)
- Apply a cowslip/block to the unaffected claw to relieve pain
- No need for antibiotics unless extensive
You see a bull with interdigital fibroma: do you pass it in a BSE?
No
Are front or hindclaws more commonly affected by vertical fissures?
Front claws
List risk factors for sole ulcer:
- Hind lateral claw
- Heavy, high-yielding dairy cows
- Confined conditions - lots of time on concrete
- Sub-clinical laminitis
- Claw overgrowth - altered weight distribution
How long does it take for horn produced at the coronary band to come into wear?
15 months
What is subclinical laminitis usually associated with?
SARA - subacute rumen acidosis
What bacteria causes footrot?
Fusobacterium necrophorum (in conjunction with Bacteroides melaninogenicus)
What are the 4 main categories of lameness risk factors?
- Cow comfort
- maintenance of tracks
- paitence of herdsperson
- holding and milking yards
- Nutrition
- carbohydrates
- fibre
- protein
- deficiencies
- Cow factors
- age
- genetics
- stage of lactation
- Environment
- wet weather
- hot weather
Are interdigital fibromas more common in dairy or beef breeds?
Beef
What does it indicate when a lot of cows in the herd have their heads up while walking?
Too much pressure on them
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of procaine penicillin and ceftiofur:
Penicillin: cheap! but 72hrs WHP
Ceftiofur: expensive but NO WHP!
*need to be able to work out for the farmer at what level of production ceftiofur becomes more economical
What does this appear to be a case of?
Interdigital dermatitis
What do you notice in this image? What is a likely cause?
The left claw is very swollen - this is most likely caused by a septic arthritis
How would you treat interdigital dermatitis?
Topical oxytetracycline aerosol or copper sulphate
List the risk factors for sandcracks (verticle fissure of the claw wall):
- Dry brittle horn
- Damage / trauma to the coronary band
- Zn and Cu deficiencies
- Sudden excessive pressure
What are risk factors for development of thin sole?
- walking long distances
- time spent on concrete
- new concrete (abrasive)
- moist conditions
- poor health of the digital cushion
What is asceptic traumatic pododermatitis?
Bruised sole
How can you treat thin sole?
Rest the animal and make sure they spend as little time on concrete as possible
What changes are associated with chronic laminitis?
Characteristic deformation of the claw - elongated and concave dorsal border with flattened and broadened sole. ‘Hardship’ lines will be present in the claw wall.
What are some complications of footrot?
Septic arthritic of the DIP joint, septic bursitis, abscessation of the heel, tenosynovitis of the digital flexor tendon
What are common mistakes made when applying a cowslip / block?
- Not drying the claw well enough
- Not having a flat surface
- Squeezing it on too tight (glue is stronger when thicker)
- Placing the block too far forward (should not extend past tip of the claw)
- Allowing cow to stand on it too soon
- Applying the blok to the unsound claw
How would you treat a case of acute laminitis?
NSAIDs and antihistamines
What is the most common location of white line disease?
Along the abaxial white line of the lateral hind claw, 2/3 of the way back from the toe, immediately distal to the bulb of the heel