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Multiparous dairy cows between 10 to 30 d in milk (DIM) were enrolled in a clinical trial to evaluate the effects of rubber flooring on the development of claw lesions, locomotion scores, clinical lameness, and rates of hoof growth and wear. Two groups of cows were housed in identical free-stall facilities, except that 1 pen (rubber, n = 84) had rubber alley mats covering the entire concrete floor of the pen, whereas cows in the second pen were exposed to concrete flooring (concrete, n = 82) without rubber alley mats. All cows were evaluated 3 times between 10 and 30, 74 and 94, and 110 and 130 DIM for 1) the presence of claw lesions on their rear feet, 2) the occurrence of clinical lameness based on a locomotion score, and 3) rates of claw growth and wear as observed on the dorsal wall of the right lateral claw. No differences between flooring groups at the time of enrollment were detected for lactation number, mean DIM at first examination, body condition score, and proportion of cows with claw lesions at the first examination. Odds of developing claw lesions between examinations were not different for cows exposed to the rubber surface compared with those exposed to concrete. Cows on concrete, however, had greater odds of developing or exacerbating existing heel erosion than cows on rubber flooring. Regardless of the flooring surface, the lateral claw was more likely to develop lesions than the medial claw. Odds of becoming lame by the third examination and the proportion of cows requiring therapeutic hoof trimming because of lameness were greater for concrete-exposed cows than those on rubber. Cows on rubber flooring had decreased claw growth and wear between the first and last examination compared with cows on concrete. Regardless of flooring surface, second-lactation cows had greater wear rates than those in third or greater parities. Results of our study suggest that a soft flooring surface, such as interlocking rubber, is beneficial for hoof health.

Because low-carbohydrate diets are effective strategies to improve insulin resistance, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, the purpose of reporting these clinical cases was to reveal the meaningful changes observed in 90 days of low-carbohydrate (LC) ketogenic dietary intervention in female type 2 diabetics aged 18-45. Eleven women (BMI 36.3 kg/m2) who were recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes based on HbA1c over 6.5% (8.9%) volunteered to participate in an intensive dietary intervention to limit dietary carbohydrates to under 30 grams daily for 90 days. The main outcome was to determine the degree of change in HbA1c, while secondary outcomes included body weight, blood pressure, and blood lipids. The volunteers lost significant weight (85.7±3.2 kg to 76.7±2.8 kg) and lowered systolic (134.0±1.6 to 123.3±1.1 mmHg) and diastolic (89.9±1.3 to 82.6±1.0 mmHg) blood pressure. HbA1c dropped to 5.6%. Most blood lipids were significantly altered, including HDL cholesterol (43.1±4.4 to 52.3±3.3 mg/dl), triglycerides (177.0±19.8 to 92.1±8.7 mg/dl), and the TG : HDL ratio (4.7±0.8 to 1.9±0.2). LDL cholesterol was not significantly different. AST and ALT, plasma markers of liver health, were reported for eight patients and revealed no significant changes. These findings indicate that a short-term intervention emphasizing protein and fat at the expense of dietary carbohydrate functionally reversed the diabetes diagnosis, as defined by HbA1c. Furthermore, the intervention lowered body weight and blood pressure, while eliciting favorable changes in blood lipids.

Clinical responses to lincomycin and oxytetracycline did not differ. Agreement was good between gross visual and histologic assessments of DD lesions before treatment; agreement 1 month after treatment was variable. Histologic evaluation could not distinguish incomplete healing from lesion recurrence.

Lameness and hoof health affect dairy cows as an animal welfare issue, in decreased milk production, and in premature culling. Selection schemes for dairy cattle focus on sire contribution to milk production, with little consideration of the cow's physical structure or disease probability. On 3 commercial California dairies, 6 phenotypic binary hoof traits that contribute to lameness were recorded: white line disease, sole ulcer, other claw horn lesions, foot rot (interdigital phlegmon), foot warts (digital dermatitis), and other lesions. Monthly lactation records were collected from December 2006 to April 2009 with weekly observations of hoof lesions for lame and dry cows. In addition to hoof lesion information, data on cows (n=5,043) included parentage, birth date, freshening date, lactation number, and date of lameness diagnosis. The prevalence of hoof lesions ranged from a low of 2.2% (foot rot) to a high of 17.1% (foot warts). The farm environment increased the odds ratio depending upon the lesion. Lameness was more common in early lactation and as lactation number increased. Using a threshold model, heritabilities and repeatabilities were estimated for each binary trait. The heritability for risk varied by lesion, with the higher estimates being 0.40 (95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.67) for digital dermatitis and 0.30 (95% confidence interval: 0.08-0.63) for sole ulcer. Including terms to account for cow productivity on either a 305-d mature-equivalent basis or a per-lactation basis had minimal effect on the heritability estimates, suggesting that selection for hoof health is not correlated with response to selection for greater milk production and that improvement could be made for both traits. The genetic component lends support for further genetic studies to identify loci contributing to some of the lesion phenotypes such as foot warts or sole ulcers, 2 of the top 3 causes of lameness in dairy cattle.

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Interest in the use of rubber flooring in freestall barns has increased, but little is known about which design features of these surfaces are important for cattle. In 2 experiments, we evaluated how the type and compressibility of the flooring surface in front of the feed bunk influenced the behavioral response to 4 h of forced standing after morning milking. Two flooring types were compared: rubber and concrete. Rubber was tested at 3 levels of compressibility: 2, 4, and 35 times as compressible as concrete. Four hours of forced standing was evaluated because it mimicked conditions that can occur on dairies, particularly when waiting for artificial insemination or veterinary treatment. The effects of cow weight and hoof surface area, gait score, and hoof health on the response to treatment were evaluated. Restless behavior, as measured by number of steps, almost doubled over the 4h of forced standing, regardless of flooring material. Cows lay down, on average, within 5 min after access to the lying area was provided. These results indicate that the 4 h of forced standing was uncomfortable. No differences in restless behavior were observed in association with the type or compressibility of the flooring surface in front of the feed bunk. Cow size, hoof health, or gait score did not consistently explain the response to the flooring treatments or stepping rate, although these populations of animals were generally healthy. It is unclear if comfort did not differ between the flooring options tested during 4 h of forced standing or if alterative methodology, such as measuring more subtle shifts in weight, is required to assess design features of rubber flooring.