Effects of stage of lactation, month, age, origin and heart girth on lameness in dairy cattle

Abstract

Lameness in herds during one year was commonest in the first month of lactation (15 per cent of all cases). Leg lesions were particularly common at this time (24 per cent of all cases of leg lesions) but white line abscess and sole ulcer were more common a month later. Foul-in-the-foot was one of the two most common lesions at all stages of pregnancy and lactation, and white line abscess the most common (20 per cent of all lesions) in late lactation. Both sole ulcer and underrun heel had lower incidence in the second half of the year than the first. White line abscess was particularly common in March and November although there were significant interactions between month and veterinary practice; foul-in-the-foot was most common in October. Susceptibility to lameness increased with age; 10-year-old cows were over four times more likely to develop lameness than three-year-old cows. This was due particularly to increased incidence with age of white line abscess and sole ulcer and, to a lesser extent, underrun heel. In contrast, foul-in-the-foot and leg lesions showed little change with age. Whereas these lesions accounted for 68 per cent of the total in cows up to two years old, they accounted for only 15 per cent of all lesions in cows over 10 years old. White line abscess was slightly commoner in cows with large heart girths.

Breed and Season Effects on the Claw Lesions of Dairy Cows in Ardebil, Iran

“…It is stated that the underlying etiologies of WLD and SU are very similar, with both resulting from subclinical laminitis [32][33][34]. For WLD, previous reports have shown seasonality, with significantly more cases reported in winter than summer [15,35]. The abattoir data show seasonality, but they suggest that WLD is a disease of the summer, not winter.…”

Scientific report on the effects of farming systems on dairy cow welfare and disease

“…Stage of lactation has been shown to have a big influence on disease incidence with 40% of treatments occurring in the first month of lactation (Alban et al, 1995;Eddy and Scott, 1980;Baggott and Russell, 1981;Rowlands et al, 1985). One explanation for this finding may be the increased risk of trauma to the interdigital skin in the transition period due to competition for space and feed, social factors or unfamiliarity with the environment.…”

“…Mud, stubble and stones have been reported as risk factors (Greenough et al, 1981) as has high rainfall (Eddy and Scott, 1980;Nylin, 1980). The prevalence of IN appears to be greatest when cattle are at pasture and conditions are warm and wet (Eddy and Scott, 1980;Baggott and Russell, 1981;Rowlands et al, 1985). This could be due to the softening of the interdigital skin, making it more susceptible to abrasion, erosion, infection by other pathogens.…”

“…introduction to slurry and contact with infected adult carriers). Risk factors associated with calving, milk production and milking herd management inevitably interact, resulting in a significant rise in lameness-related lesions soon after calving (Rowlands et al, 1985, Offer et al, 2000, the timing being dependent on the type of lesion, the individual heifer and herd-specific factors.…”

Risk (Predisposing) Factors for Non-Infectious Claw Disorders in Dairy Cows Under Varying Zero-Grazing Systems

“…This could be attributed to the continuing effects of the transitional period of feeding with high energy concentrates that cause subacute ruminal acidosis and release of vasoactive agents, subsequently triggering laminitic processes (Donovan et al, 2004;Vermunt, 2004). The laminitic processes are further aggravated by the stress of heavy milk production during the first 90 to 120 days post-calving (Rowlands et al, 1985). Gradual progression of subclinical laminitis lesions culminates into chronic laminitis (Nocek, 1997), which could explain the reason for association between the later stages of lactation and chronic laminitis.…”