Effects of Increased Vigilance for Locomotion Disorders on Lameness and Production in Dairy Cows

Gundelach, Yasmin; Schulz, Timo; Feldmann, M.; Hoedemaker, Martina

doi:10.3390/ani3030951

Cited by 14 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(29 reference statements)

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“…In a follow-up study carried out over 3 consecutive years in 4 UK dairies, early therapeutic trimming improved locomotion score (LS) during years 2 and 3 but not in year 1 (Groenevelt et al, 2014). On a 144-cow dairy farm in Germany, early lameness treatment did not lead to a firm conclusion on an LS decrease during a 41-wk period (Gundelach et al, 2013). Two recent studies compared 4 treatments for lameness (Thomas et al, 2015(Thomas et al, , 2016, including therapeutic trimming alone or therapeutic trimming combined with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), a foot block, or both.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In a recent review, Huxley (2013) suggested that 2 approaches were necessary to reduce lameness prevalence on dairies: (1) early identification and prompt treatment of clinical cases, and (2) implementation of farm-specific strategies to prevent lameness. Several studies have investigated the effects of early lameness treatment on lameness progression or milk production (Leach et al, 2012;Gundelach et al, 2013;Groenevelt et al, 2014;Thomas et al, 2015). On 4 UK dairies, Leach et al (2012) showed that early lameness treatment resulted in a higher proportion of sound cows at 4 wk, but no differences were detected at 6 or 10 wk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of hoof trimmer intervention in moderately lame cows on lameness progression and milk yield

García-Muñoz

Singh

Leonardi

et al. 2017

Journal of Dairy Science

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of hoof trimmer intervention (HTI) in moderately lame cows on lameness progression and milk yield. Two freestall Holstein herds were enrolled. Cows were milked 2 (herd A: 2,374 cows) or 3 (herd B: 2,800 cows) times a day. Within each dairy, moderately lame cows [locomotion score (LS) = 3 on a 5-point scale] were randomly assigned to control group (CON; herd A = 66, herd B = 84) or treatment group (HTI; evaluated and treated by the hoof trimmer under researchers' supervision; herd A = 73; herd B = 75). Enrollment criteria were <350 d in milk, <180 d pregnant, >10 kg/d of milk yield, not selected for therapeutic trimming 2 mo before enrollment, and >14 observations of daily milk yield during the study period. Biweekly lameness scoring (LS ≤2, LS = 3, LS ≥4) was conducted up to 6 wk post-intervention. Lesion type and severity records were collected at intervention from HTI cows and up to 6 wk post-intervention from all enrolled cows identified as lame by farm employees. Daily milk yield data were collected from -1 to 6 wk relative to intervention using Afifarm (Afimilk Ltd., Kibbutz Afikim, Israel) records. No treatment effect was detected on the predicted probability of locomotion score, but the predicted probability of LS ≥3 decreased over time in herd B, whereas in herd A, it initially decreased but later increased. A tendency for a treatment by time interaction was observed in herd A; at 2 wk post-intervention, the predicted probability for LS ≥3 was higher for HTI (0.69) than for CON (0.43), but similar at 4 wk (0.41 HTI, 0.49 CON) and 6 wk (0.77 HTI, 0.73 CON). At intervention, most study cows had no lesions (41.2%), sole hemorrhages (28.4%), thin soles (8.8%), or vertical fissure (6.8%). During the 6 wk following intervention, a similar proportion of cows were identified as lame in CON (8.7%) and HTI (6.7%) groups. In herd A, milk yield (least squares means ± standard error) was similar for CON (42.0 ± 0.77 kg/d) and HTI (42.3 ± 0.75 kg/d) cows, whereas in herd B, it tended to be lower for HTI (43.7 ± 0.61 kg/d) than for CON (45.2 ± 0.59 kg/d) cows. A significant effect of time was detected on both dairies, with milk yield decreasing over the study period. In our study, implementing HTI on moderately lame cows resulted in no improvement in gait or milk yield. The low presence of severe lesions amenable to therapy may partially explain our findings.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of hoof trimmer intervention in moderately lame cows on lameness progression and milk yield

García-Muñoz

Singh

Leonardi

et al. 2017

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…The comparison of Group A and Group B and the influence of weekly locomotion scoring and early detection and treatment of lame cows on lameness prevalence, incidence and duration of lameness had already been published (13). The present study only focused on Group A.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, even mild lameness is an expression of pain (11). Previous studies have reported that early detection and treatment of lame cows (including slightly lame cows), decreased the number of severe lame cows, the lameness duration (12,13,18) and the number of severe hoof lesions, as well as increasing the chance of full recovery (12).…”

Section: T Schulz Et Al: Early Detection and Treatment Of Lame Cowsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Early detection and treatment of lame cows

Schulz¹,

Gundelach²,

Feldmann³

et al. 2016

Tierarztl Prax Ausg G

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Locomotion score was affected by the type of claw/limb disorder and the number of diseased limbs. Regular locomotion scoring and continuous treatment of cows with an LS > 1 is associated with a decrease in the prevalence of several claw lesions. Therefore, prevalence of severe claw lesions like WLD, which was associated with a long duration of lameness, can be reduced. In contrast, for decreasing prevalence of digital dermatitis more than weekly treatment of every cow with LS > 1 is required. Preventive measures like footbaths or improved hygiene should accompany the individual animal treatment.

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Lameness prevalence in lactating and dry cows – expert's, student's and farmers' assessments

Laschinger,

Linnenkohl,

Fuerst-Waltl

et al. 2024

Tierarztl Prax Ausg G Grosstiere Nutztiere

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Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in lameness prevalence among Austrian dairy farms for both lactating and dry cows as assessed by locomotion scoring (LCS 1–5) by an expert and a student who had received brief training in locomotion scoring and by farmers’ estimates and by farmers’ lameness assessments. Materials and methods In total, 632 cows from 11 farms were evaluated, including 553 lactating and 79 dry cows. Lameness prevalence was calculated for all farms collectively as well as for individual farms. The ratio of lameness prevalence determined by the student/expert (Student’s Assessment Index: SAI), the ratio between farmers’ assessments/expert assessments (Farmers’ Assessment Index: FAI) and the ratio between farmers’ estimates/expert assessments (Farmers’ Detection Index: FDI) were calculated. Results For the expert, the mean lameness prevalence (LCS≥2) among all 632 cows was 63.1%, while for the student it was 60.2%, and the farmers’ assessment was 37.3%, resulting in a mean difference of 25.8% between the expert and the farmers. In cows with LCS 2, the SAI was 99.6%, in cows with LCS 3, it was 84.4%, and in cows with LCS≥4, it was 88.6%. The mean FDI and FAI for all cows on the 11 farms were 35.1% and 58.2%, respectively, with wide variation across farms (6.8–79.1% and 17.8–94.7%, respectively). Overall, lactating and dry cows exhibited a high mean lameness prevalence (63.9% vs. 59.6%), which differed by only 4.3%. Conclusions and clinical relevance Farmers should actively assess their cattle for lameness on a regular basis. Moreover, they should be trained to identify lame cows (lactating and dry cows), especially those showing mild lameness (LCS 2). Since the recently trained student achieved similar high recognition rates as the expert, it is assumed that a training in locomotion scoring can contribute to higher recognition rates.

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Effects of Increased Vigilance for Locomotion Disorders on Lameness and Production in Dairy Cows

Cited by 14 publications

References 20 publications

Effect of hoof trimmer intervention in moderately lame cows on lameness progression and milk yield

Effect of hoof trimmer intervention in moderately lame cows on lameness progression and milk yield

Early detection and treatment of lame cows

Lameness prevalence in lactating and dry cows – expert's, student's and farmers' assessments

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