Welfare and Cattle Lameness Flashcards
What is the most important welfare issue for the dairy industry?
Lameness
What is meant by cattle being sentient creatures?
Can feel pain and suffering
How does cattle being prey animals link to pain?
Stoical and less likely to show signs of pain
Define pain
Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience caused by actual or potential tissue damage
Describe the pain pathway from the site of pain
Damage to tissues -> release of inflammatory mediators
-> Nociceptors -> spinal cord and spinal pathways
Where does conscious pain perception occur?
Thalamus
Where do behavioural modifications due to pain occur?
Limbic system
Where do NSAIDs act in the pain pathway?
Block inflammatory mediators reaching nociceptors
Where do local anaesthetics act in the pain pathway?
Block nociceptors
How can you tell a cow is in pain?
- Minimising pain: Reduce activity, lying down, reduced load, posture
- Heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature increase
- Food intake decreased, body weight decreased, impaired rumen function
- Mental status (dull depressed little interest in surroundings, grooming)
- Vocalisation
- Facial expression
How is mobility affected in lame cows?
- Arching of Spine
- Hanging 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
What are the effects of lameness on health and productivity?
Lame cows are usually expected to remain in the herd, produce milk and get in calf!
Milk yield falls
Thinner because of impacts on nutrition
Impacts fertility
Increased risk of culling
Why does lameness impact a cows nutrition?
- Dry Matter Intake Falls
- Pain/ Reluctance to walk to feeding areas
- Increased lying times
- Reduced time spent eating
- Reduced number of meals per day
- Thin cows are more likely to become lame: Thickness of the digital cushion, increase metabolic load
How does lameness impact fertility?
- Delayed cyclicity
- Oestrus behaviour decreased
- Calving to 1st service increased
- Calving to conception increased
- Number serves per conception increased
List the 5 freedoms
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from injury and disease
Freedom to express natural behaviour
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from fear and distress
How does lameness tie in with the 5 freedoms and decreased welfare?
- Reduced feed intake
- Expected to continue living in the herd
- Housed concrete
- Standing times around milking, feeding
- Cubicles inadequate
- Walk on farm tracks
- Pain chronic and continuous
- Social status changes bullying, competition for feed and cubicles
- Element of fear/distress associated with the diseased state
List some animal based welfare measures that can be used to measure the welfare impact of lameness
Mobility Scoring- regularly
Dairy co mobility scoring
Swellings
Lesions
Body Condition Score
Cleanliness scoring
List some resource based welfare measures that can be used to measure the welfare impact of lameness
- Record lameness and treatment farmer vet foot trimmer
- Housing Assessment:
- Cow Comfort
- Cubicles
- Hygiene Score
- Floor surface
- Tracks - Nutrition
Under the animal welfare act 2006, duty of care on the owner of the animal to ensure the needs of the animal are met covers which aspects of welfare?
- For a suitable environment (place to live)
- For a suitable diet
- To exhibit normal behaviour patterns
- To be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable)
- To be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease
Under the welfare of farmed animals regulations 2007 list the welfare linked regulations
- Owner’s are responsible for the welfare of their animals
- Access and familiar with Welfare Codes
- Inspected at least once daily to check well-being
- Any animals appear ill or injured cared for appropriately without delay
- If do not respond veterinary care must be obtained asap
- Medicines record for 3 years
Describe the legislation linked to transport of lame animals
Not fit for transport if “unable to move independently without pain or to walk unassisted. Injured or present physiological weakness or pathological processes”
Lame animal cannot be transported
Lameness is often a multifactorial disease, so how can it be prevented?
Genetics
Housing
Nutrition
Hygiene
Infectious Foot Disease
Foot trimming
What are the 4 roles of vets in lameness prevention?
Awareness
Improve treatment and prevention
Education
Research
What are the 4 principles of lameness treatment?
Early Identification
Correct Diagnosis
Correct Treatment
Pain Management
