Lameness remains a substantial challenge within the UK dairy industry despite significant investment and research in this area. The early detection and prompt effective treatment (EDPET) of new cases of lameness is vital in breaking the chronicity cycle associated with the condition yet remains an under-utilised approach. There needs to be a shift in focus away from using mobility scoring solely as an auditing tool. Mobility scoring should instead be used to empower producers to recognise early cases of lameness to maximise the long-term welfare of the animal and profitability of the unit.

In August 2016 a digital dermatitis (DD) control programme, incorporating ‘blitz’ treatment, was initiated on a commercial herd of approximately 150 Holsten Friesian cows on a farm in South Wales. The herd had been endemically infected with DD for several years with repeated outbreaks, despite the targeted treatment of individually affected cows and regular footbathing of the milking herd. An initial assessment identified that 38% of the herd had at least one hind foot with a DD lesion (active, healing, dormant or recurring). The majority of lesions found were active, supporting the farmer's report of a current outbreak. A control programme was implemented with reviews undertaken to monitor progress over a 14-month period.

Uterine disease is a common cause of infertility and thus economic loss in dairy herds, yet in many herds the true incidence of disease is unknown. Accurate monitoring, identification and recording are essential to highlight when the incidence of uterine disease is too high and intervention is required. While prevention is always preferable to cure, when cases of uterine disease do occur it is important that they are treated and managed correctly to reduce any further impact on subsequent performance. This clinical forum will review the different presentations of uterine disease and seek the opinions of an expert panel on their approach to its management, monitoring and investigation.

Background:The extent to which preventive hoof trimming is implemented on Great Britain's (GB) dairy farms is unknown. The aims of this study were to determine common practices and capture producers' input on key areas that require further research. Methods: An online survey was conducted over a 4-week period from March to April 2017. Results: A total of 338 valid survey responses were received. The majority of farmers undertook preventive hoof trimming (82.4%), and this was significantly positively associated with increased herd yield (p < 0.001). Drying off was the most common time trimming was undertaken, with 72.2% of farmers who implemented preventive trimming doing so at this point in the management cycle. Of those undertaking preventive trimming, 46.4% solely used an external hoof trimmer, 31.7% solely used farm staff and the remainder (21.9%) used a combination of operators. Four over-arching themes were identified within the key research questions; when to trim, why we should trim, how to trim and who to trim. The most frequent questions related to optimal trimming timing, frequency and method. Conclusion: This study highlighted that preventive hoof trimming is a widespread practice on GB dairy farms, undertaken by both external hoof trimmers and farm staff. Despite this, farmers still want to know when they should undertake preventive hoof trimming and which technique they should use.

Foreword Lameness in dairy cattle is a high prevalence condition with significant negative impact on the welfare and economics of the dairy herd. Most lameness is attributable to four main conditions: sole bruising (also referred to as sole haemorrhage), sole ulcer, white line disease and digital dermatitis. Understanding of the pathogenesis of major claw horn diseases has undergone a transformation in the last 20 years, with a shift from a primary nutritional aetiology to a biomechanical one. This has led to significant research into factors relating to claw biomechanics and interventions targeting the inflammatory process. Even for infectious conditions, the benefit of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to cow welfare and recovery cannot be underrated. In this roundtable discussion, the panel explore the clinical relevance of the findings of research exploring biomechanics and managing inflammation.